Hidden Pigeon Company (HPC), co-founded by children’s book author and illustrator Mo Willems along with RedBird Capital Partners and Stampede Ventures, is partnering with Little Dot Studios to expand its presence on YouTube.
As part of the agreement, the Little Dot Studios US team will provide strategic and channel management services aimed at optimising and growing the existing Mo Willems Workshop YouTube channel. Kicking off the new alliance is a Back-to-School Global Takeover on the YouTube Kids home page, which runs until August 14.
“Having a strategic, global digital strategy that aligns with our franchise growth plans is critical to the rapid development of our IP and Little Dot Studios is the perfect partner to help us reach, engage, and win over even more fans on YouTube,” said Karen K. Miller, president & CEO, HPC. “We’re delighted to be working with their talented team, who will help us manage the channel so that our content is presented in the most fun and entertaining way for kids, educators, and families.”
Ben Arnold, SVP, commercial operations at Little Dot Studios US, added: “Mo Willems’s characters have a unique way of connecting with both kids and grown-ups – they’re funny, thoughtful, and completely unforgettable. Our goal is to help Hidden Pigeon Company share that magic with even more families online.”
Little Dot Studios will work to enhance awareness and engagement on YouTube for HPC’s beloved characters, including The Pigeon and Elephant & Piggie.
First up is the Back to School campaign, with the Mo Willems Workshop YouTube channel prominently featured on the home page of the YouTube Kids app. The promotion includes a curated back-to-school playlist with nine videos – from The Pigeon, Elephant & Piggie, and Knuffle Bunny, among other characters, to Mo Willems himself, and more. The videos, which include Read Alouds and animated versions of Willems’s bestselling books, are aimed at supporting reading skills and social-emotional development, helping kids and families prepare for the new school year.
The takeover also marks the launch of localised videos for the Mo Willems Workshop YouTube channel, translated and dubbed for global markets with a read-along of Willems’s bestselling book, The Pigeon Has to Go to School!
In addition, the back-to-school playlist includes new videos from the Mo Willems Workshop YouTube reading series, The Pigeon & Mo Read-a-LOUD!!, with The Pigeon puppet and Willems reading and playing along with some of the author’s books. It also includes the channel premiere of animated shorts based on Willems’s literary works spanning the last 20 years.
At time of writing the YouTube channel has 234,000 subs, having launched in 2023.
