Travis Knight

Early life

Knight was born in Hillsboro, Oregon, a suburb of Portland. He is the son of Phil Knight (co-founder of Nike), and grandson of publisher William W. Knight. He attended Jesuit High School, near Beaverton, Oregon. He is a graduate of Portland State University.

Career

Music career

Knight began his career as a rapper under the name "Chilly Tee". Using a recording studio built in his father's mansion, Knight self-produced a five-song demo album. The demo caught the attention of Bernie Singleton, president of MCA, who passed the demo to producer Hank Shocklee, who liked the demo and agreed to produce Knight's debut album with his production team, The Bomb Squad.

Knight moved into his parents' Manhattan penthouse for six months while recording the album.

In 1993, Knight released the album Get Off Mine. According to Knight, the record did not sell well and he disliked performing. According to Shocklee, "One of the reasons why it didn't catch on was because it was one record that came out of nowhere, and rap is about building momentum." However, Shocklee is proud of the album, saying, "this record still holds up. You can play it now and it doesn't sound dated."

Animation

After Travis Knight graduated from Portland State University, Knight's father had become an investor in Will Vinton Studios, and persuaded the company to hire Travis as an intern. He worked on the television series The PJs for Fox Studios and Gary & Mike on UPN, as well as television commercials and promo spots.

By 2003, Phil Knight became a controlling shareholder in Will Vinton Studios, and Travis Knight was promoted to the board of directors, despite having no management experience himself. Following the firing of Vinton, the Knights began to reorganize the studio, which was rebranded as Laika.

Since 2005, Travis Knight has served as Laika's vice president of animation. He was a producer and lead animator for Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012) and The Boxtrolls (2014). He also sits on the Laika board of directors. Along with Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable, Knight was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards, for The Boxtrolls.

He is the current president and CEO of Laika, along with serving on the board of directors of his father's company, Nike, Inc., a position he assumed in 2015.

Directorial career

In 2014, Shannon Tindle pitched to Knight a fantasy project based on samurais, which Knight, a fan of fantasy films, approved for development. The film was announced in December 2014, as Kubo and the Two Strings, while Knight was revealed to be producing and directing the film, marking his directorial debut. The film was released in 2016. Along with Arianne Sutner, Knight was again nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards, for Kubo and the Two Strings.

On March 2, 2017, Knight was revealed to be directing the live-action film Bumblebee from the Transformers film series, marking Knight's first time working on a live-action film, and his first time working in a film without acting as a producer. Knight, a fan of the G1 version of the franchise, used many elements from the G1 version in the film. Bumblebee was released on December 21, 2018, to positive reception from both critics and Transformers fans, with many calling it the best film in the franchise.

In April 2019, he was set to direct an adaptation of Six Million Dollar Man starring Mark Wahlberg. In September 2021, Knight was announced to direct a film adaptation of Wildwood, with Chris Butler writing the screenplay. In April 2022, he was announced to direct a new Laika stop-motion neo-noir film titled The Night Gardener.

On May 1, 2024, it was confirmed that Knight will direct a live-action Masters of the Universe movie for Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel Films. The film is set for release on June 5, 2026.

On June 20, 2024, it was announced that Knight would direct an animated adaptation of the novel Piranesi.

Personal life

Travis Knight, his wife Maryse Knight, and their family live in Oregon.

Filmography

;Animator only

Awards

References

References

1. "United States Public Records, 1970-2009," database, [https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K1YF-VF6 FamilySearch] (May 23, 2014), Travis Andrew Knight, Residence, Hillsboro, Oregon, United States; a third party aggregator of publicly available information.
2. "The rise of Travis Knight, the son of Nike's founder who built an animation powerhouse – The Washington Post". [[The Washington Post]].
3. [http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/issues/archives/articles/0209-knights/5/ McNichol, Tom. 2009. "Hollywood Knights," ''Portland Monthly'', February.] {{Webarchive. link. (January 16, 2015 Accessed: May 24, 2012.)
4. (May 9, 2014). "How the Father of Claymation Lost His Company".
5. PALMEDO, About TREE. (August 27, 2014). "Hotseat: Hank Shocklee On Travis "Chilly Tee" Knight".
6. [http://www.animationmagazine.net/people/coraline-animator-travis-knight-of-laika/ Ryan Ball, "Coraline Animator Travis Knight of LAIKA," ''Animation Magazine'', May 7, 2007] Accessed: August 21, 2016.
7. [http://www.laika.com/person.php?id=268&company=studio Laika, "Travis Knight, President & CEO".] Accessed: May 24, 2012.
8. Salter, Chuck. (July 1, 2007). "THE KNIGHTS' TALE".
9. (June 30, 2015). "Nike Co-Founder Phil Knight to Step Down as Chairman".
10. (September 9, 2016). "Kubo and the Two Strings: an epic film made on a 12-foot-long table". [[Condé Nast]].
11. (December 22, 2014). "Laika & Focus Begin Production On All-Star 'Kubo And The Two Strings' To Kick Off 3-Pic Deal". [[Penske Business Media]].
12. (December 22, 2014). "Laika, Focus Teaming on Animated 'Kubo and the Two Strings'". Variety.
13. (March 3, 2017). "The Transformers Bumblebee Spinoff Has Found Its Director".
14. (December 19, 2018). "How Bumblebee's 1980s Setting Turned It Into Every Transformers Fan's Dream".
15. Campbell, Christopher. (December 9, 2018). "Bumblebee First Reviews: Nostalgia-Heavy Prequel Might Be Series' Best Film".
16. Kroll, Justin. (April 16, 2019). "'Bumblebee' Director to Tackle 'Six Billion Dollar Man' Adaptation for WB, Mark Wahlberg (EXCLUSIVE)".
17. (September 15, 2021). "Laika Finds Its Next Movie in Travis Knight-Helmed Adaptation of Colin Meloy Novel 'Wildwood'".
18. [https://collider.com/the-night-gardener-movie-laika-bill-dubuque/ Laika Teams With 'Ozark' Creator Bill Dubuque for 'The Night Gardener']
19. Jackson, Angelique. (May 1, 2024). "Mattel's 'Masters of the Universe' Moves From Netflix to Amazon for Summer 2026 Release, Travis Knight to Direct".
20. (June 20, 2024). "Laika Picks Up Rights to Susanna Clarke’s ‘Piranesi’; Travis Knight to Direct Adaptation of the Novel".
21. (June 21, 2023). "The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures announces Board of Trustees members. {{!}} Los Angeles Life and Style".
22. "Travis Knight – Awards".
23. (January 24, 2017). "Oscar Nominations: 'La La Land' Ties Record With 14 Noms; 'Arrival' & 'Moonlight' Snag 8 Apiece".
24. (November 28, 2016). "'Zootopia' Tops Annie Awards Nominations, 'Kubo and the Two Strings' in Close Second". Variety.
25. (January 9, 2017). "BAFTA Awards: 'La La Land' Leads Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter.
26. (December 11, 2016). "The 2016 Chicago Film Critics Association Award Nominees". [[Chicago Film Critics Association]].
27. (January 5, 2017). "2017 PGA Film Nominees Include 'Deadpool,' 'Moonlight,' 'La La Land'; 'Westworld,' 'Stranger Things,' 'Atlanta' Among TV". The Hollywood Reporter.
28. (February 7, 2017). "'Jungle Book,' 'Game of Thrones' Dominate Visual Effects Society Awards". Variety.
29. (January 13, 2020). "OSCAR NOMINEES". Oscars.com.
30. (January 5, 2020). "Winners & Nominees 2020". GoldenGlobes.com.