Jill Hopper
Head of Global Feature Production,
DreamWorks Animation
Jill Hopper is Head of Global Feature Production for DreamWorks Animation, a subsidiary of NBC Universal Filmed Entertainment. During her career she has been involved in over 100 productions that include Emmy, Annie, Golden Globe, Academy and BAFTA awardees. She also oversees the Studio’s Production Technology team, Pipeline Engineering and Character Technology unit. In partnership with the DreamWorks CTO, Jill shepherded the studio’s Next Gen Initiative which engaged over 200 engineers, technicians and artists in developing and deploying groundbreaking technical solutions and software that has been awarded by the Academy.
Born in England, Jill began her career in live action. She transitioned to animation in 1989 when she was hired to establish an animation studio in London for Steven Spielberg. In 1997, when Spielberg decided to co-found DreamWorks Studios with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, Jill was tasked with relocating 125 crew and their families to Glendale California, creating the base for DreamWorks Animation. In the early years of Dreamworks, Jill served as a technology and production executive, production manager, associate and co-producer. She was promoted to Head of Global Production in 2009, reporting to the president of the studio’s motion picture film group.
Jill as a member of the Producer’s Guild, BAFTA and the Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences. She is an as an active mentor in the Academy Gold Mentorship program and a passionate participant in the Inclusion and Representation movement. She helped launch the Dreamworks Shorts program in 2017 which was conceived to give opportunity to emerging creative and musical talent and serves as Executive Producer.
