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Travis Knight
Photo: Thierry Sollerot from Vernon (Eure, Hte Normandie), FRANCE, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons20

Travis Knight

American filmmaker (born 1973)

Travis Andrew Knight (born September 13, 1973) is an American filmmaker, animator, and former rapper. The son of Nike co-founder Phil Knight, he has worked as the lead animator and is the current CEO for the stop-motion animation studio Laika, including directing the company's films Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) and Wildwood (2026).2

From Wikipedia’s article on Travis Knight (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Sep 13, 1973.1

About

He also directed the live-action films Bumblebee (2018) and Masters of the Universe (2026). For his work with Laika, Knight has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

From Wikipedia’s article on Travis Knight, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Companies

  • NikeBoard member 2015 to now9

Holdings

Stock this person has reported owning, from the forms officers and directors file with the SEC. See the biggest insider stakes.

Shares held

  • Nike NKE7,584,563 shares10$284.8M at $37.55Sep 10, 2026

As of each latest filing. The line shows shares held over time.

Recent filings

  • Sep 8, 2026Granted 5,047 shares of Nike10
  • Jul 30, 2026Gift 2,850,717 shares of Nike10
  • Jul 30, 2026Gift 2,850,717 shares of Nike10
  • Apr 2, 2026Other 2,300,480 shares of Nike11
  • Apr 2, 2026Other 2,300,480 shares of Nike11
  • Dec 31, 2025Other 3,000,000 shares of Nike12
  • Dec 31, 2025Other 3,000,000 shares of Nike12
  • Dec 31, 2025Other 3,000,000 shares of Nike12
  • Dec 22, 2025Other 1,694,859 shares of Nike12
  • Sep 9, 2025Granted 2,619 shares of Nike13
  • Oct 29, 2024Gift 3,180,141 shares of Nike14
  • Oct 29, 2024Gift 3,180,141 shares of Nike14
  • Sep 10, 2024Granted 2,437 shares of Nike15
  • Sep 12, 2023Granted 1,981 shares of Nike16
  • Jul 17, 2023Other 6,500,000 shares of Nike17
  • Sep 9, 2022Granted 1,804 shares of Nike18
  • Oct 6, 2021Granted 1,206 shares of Nike19

Early life and education

  • Date not recordedPortland State University3
  • Date not recordedJesuit High School3

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.

From Wikipedia’s article on Travis Knight (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: film director, rapper, animator, film producer.5

  • Since 2015Board member, Nike4

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. The Bomb Squad helped him develop fleshed out choruses, as Shocklee felt that Knight was very skilled at writing verses, but his choruses were weak.

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."

Read more

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 would direct a live-action Masters of the Universe movie for Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel Films. The film was released on June 5, 2026.

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

From Wikipedia’s article on Travis Knight (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Personal life

  • BornSep 13, 1973, Hillsboro6
  • CitizenshipUnited States7

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

From Wikipedia’s article on Travis Knight (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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    Wikidata and SEC EDGARNike, Board member
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