Travis Knight, president and CEO of Portland-based animation studio LAIKA, has been appointed to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Board of Trustees.
The museum has also appointed producer and former chair of the Academy Museum Inclusion Advisory Committee, Effie T. Brown, as an honorary trustee.
“As the governing body of the Academy Museum, the Board leads the museum toward a sustainable future by adopting sound, ethical, and legal governance and financial management policies, in addition to securing adequate resources to advance the museum’s mission. Knight and Brown will help continue the success of the museum and its social impact for audiences worldwide,” reads the release.
Ted Sarandos, board chair and co-CEO of Netflix, noted, “We are thrilled to welcome Travis Knight to the Board of Trustees. He is an extraordinary leader who has already made such an impact on the industry at large through his groundbreaking advancements in the art of stop-motion animation and live-action moviemaking. We are also proud to recognize Effie T. Brown, a talented producer who has been a crucial voice for diversity and inclusion at the museum, with this lifetime honorary position.”
As president and CEO of LAIKA, Knight has led all key creative and business decisions at the studio since its founding in 2005. He was lead animator on Coraline (2009), producer on ParaNorman (2012), The Boxtrolls (2014), and Missing Link (2019), and he won the BAFTA Award for directing Kubo and the Two Strings (2016). Every LAIKA film has been nominated for an Animated Feature Film Oscar. Knight made his live-action directorial debut with Paramount’s hit film Bumblebee (2018). He is directing LAIKA’s next animated feature film Wildwood, which is the most ambitious stop-motion animated film ever attempted. Knight also sits on the boards of LAIKA and Nike.
