Bill Damaschke

He also oversaw all of DreamWorks's live theatrical productions, including the award-winning Shrek the Musical. Damaschke’s other projects as a producer include the Broadway musical The Prom, directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, which played at the Longacre Theatre from 15 November 2018 to 11 August 2019; the Broadway-bound musical Half Time, directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, which was presented at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Spring of 2018; and the stage adaptation of Moulin Rouge, directed by Alex Timbers, on which Damaschke serves as executive producer. He was also formerly the president of Skydance Animation.

• Name — Bill Damaschke • Birth Name — William Damaschke • Born — 20 November 1963 • Birthplace — Chicago, Illinois, U.S. • Title — * CCO of DreamWorks Animation • President of Skydance Animation • Co-founder of StoryKey Entertainment • President and CCO of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation • Education — Illinois Wesleyan University • Occupation — Film producer • Years Active — 1994–present • Employer — * Walt Disney Animation Studios (1994–1995) • DreamWorks Animation (1995–2015) • Skydance Animation (2017–2019) • StoryKey Entertainment (2019–2023) • Warner Bros. Pictures Animation (2023–present)

Damaschke is the oldest of seven children, and grew up in Chicago. He attended St. Bruno Catholic Elementary and Argo Community High School, and graduated at the School of Theatre Arts at Illinois Wesleyan University.

Initially, Damaschke pursued a career in musical theater, working on Godspell in New York, but soon ended up in Los Angeles as a production assistant on Disney's Pocahontas in 1994. In 1995, he joined DreamWorks Studios as a production assistant on The Prince of Egypt. He then moved on to become head of creative production in 1999 and head of creative production and development in 2005. Damaschke served as a producer of Shark Tale (nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2004) and an executive producer of Over the Hedge and Kung Fu Panda. In 2011, he became chief creative officer (CCO) of DreamWorks Animation, running "the factory floor, working with directors, writers and artists," and "calling the creative shots". He was also president of DreamWorks Live Theatricals, and produced Tony Award-winning, but financially unremarkable, Shrek the Musical. In 2013, The New York Times called him "one of the film industry's most important executives". In January 2015, Damaschke stepped down from his position as Chief Creative Officer at DreamWorks to pursue other interests including: theatrical productions; animated television movies, web series, and live action films. In October 2017, he became the president of Animation and Family Entertainment for Skydance Media. He would also continue operating his StoryKey Entertainment theatrical production company. In January 2019, Damaschke was replaced by John Lasseter as the CCO of Skydance Animation. On February 9, 2023, Warner Animation Group was reported to be in talks with him to lead after the departure of Allison Abbate. On May 5, 2023, it was confirmed in a Warner Bros. Discovery earnings call by CEO David Zaslav that Damaschke had been hired, and was hard at work with Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-CEOs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy on developing a new slate of films.

Damaschke lives with John McIlwee, a top Hollywood business manager, in Hollywood Hills, in a 1962 house designed by John Lautner, which they bought in 2002 for $1.3 million and renovated for an additional $1 million. They sold Garcia House to Nicholas Pritzker in 2023

• Year — Title — Role • 1995 — Pocahontas — Production office assistant • 1998 — The Prince of Egypt — Production manager • 2000 — The Road to El Dorado — Co-executive producer • 2002 — Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron — Special thanks • 2003 — Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas • 2004 — Shrek 2 • Shark Tale — Producer • 2005 — Madagascar — Special thanks • Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit • 2006 — Over the Hedge — Executive producer • Flushed Away — Special thanks • 2007 — Shrek the Third • Bee Movie • 2008 — Kung Fu Panda — Executive producer • 2008–present — Shrek the Musical — Producer • 2016 — Kung Fu Panda 3 — Special thanks • Trolls • 2017 — The Boss Baby • 2020 — The Prom — Producer • 2026 — The Cat in the Hat — Warner Bros. Pictures Animation senior leadership • 2027 — Bad Fairies • Margie Claus • 2028 — Oh, The Places You'll Go! • Dynamic Duo • Untitled Hello Kitty film • The Lunar Chronicles