Stephanie Sperber

Stephanie Sperber is an American entertainment executive specializing in children's and family media.^[1]

Career

Sperber began her career at Hanna-Barbera Cartoons.^[2]

In 1996, Sperber joined Universal Studios, where she worked until 2014.^[2] She became a founding executive of Universal Partnerships & Licensing (UP&L) in 2009 and eventually served as its president.^[3][4][5] She expanded Universal’s global consumer products, licensing, and partnerships, and headed the worldwide campaign for Despicable Me 2 (2013).^[2][6] She also launched Minion Rush.^[6][7]

After leaving Universal in 2014, Sperber founded White Space Entertainment.^[8][9] There she developed the Ugly Dolls feature film.^[2] She served as CEO of White Space Entertainment until 2019.^[10]

In 2019, Sperber became president of Imagine Kids & Family, a new division of Imagine Entertainment under Ron Howard and Brian Grazer.^[2] She executive produced The Astronauts for Nickelodeon, receiving an Emmy nomination, and The Tiny Chef Show, winning two Annie Awards (2022, 2024) and an Emmy Award in 2024.^[11] Other projects at Imagine included the animated series Bossy Bear for Nickelodeon and The Slumber Party film for Disney+, the latter earning an Emmy nomination in 2024.^[12][13]

In 2023, Sperber joined Lion Forge Entertainment as president and chief creative officer.^[14][15]

Filmography

• The Astronauts (2020, Nickelodeon), producer^[16]
• The Tiny Chef Show (2022, Nick Jr./Nickelodeon), executive producer^[16]
• The Slumber Party (2023, Disney+), executive producer^[16]
• Iyanu: Child of Wonder (2023, Cartoon Network/Max), executive producer^[17]