Hidden Pigeon Company Taps Peacock Alum

Hidden Pigeon Company, the content company dedicated to furthering the reach of Mo Willems’ character brands, has named industry veteran Kristofer Updike as senior VP of creative.

Updike joins from Peacock, where he was VP of development and had a hand in implementing the Peacock Kids streaming portfolio. Prior to that, he served as senior director of original programming and development at Universal Kids.

Previously, Updike also served as director and senior manager of original production and development at Sprout and VP of production at Bix Pix Entertainment. Throughout his career, he has helped develop and produce more than 900 half-hours of animated and live-action scripted and unscripted content, encompassing preschool, ages 2 to 6, 6 to 12, young adult and family.

At Hidden Pigeon Company, he will report directly to CEO Karen K. Miller and work alongside Willems and executive producer/showrunner Tim McKeon to oversee all television and theatrical creative. This includes the development and production of renowned book-based character IP such as Elephant & Piggie, Knuffle Bunny and The Pigeon.

“Kristofer is a true creative with a keen sense of character and story, and his ability to deliver with both warmth and humor reflects the foundation of Hidden Pigeon Company,” Miller said. “With decades of experience across all key aspects of the kids and family space, from television and film to theater production, Kristofer will be invaluable in helping HPC achieve many important wins ahead in the areas most important to the company’s growth.”

Updike said, “I am so excited to be a part of this amazing company aimed at expanding the reach of Mo Willems’s incredible library of properties and characters. We have a lot of exciting things in the works as we look to bring these standout character brands into a whole new chapter of opportunity and success.”