The Hageman Brothers
American screenwriters and producers of animated series and films.
Kevin Hageman (born April 21, 1977) and Dan Hageman (born December 17, 1977), working together as the Hageman Brothers, are American screenwriters and television producers. They are most recognized for their contributions to the TV series *Ninjago* (head writers and story editors for seasons 1–2, 2011–2012, with later returns for the pilot and select episodes), *Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia* (2016–2018), and *Star Trek: Prodigy* (2021–2024), along with films such as *Hotel Transylvania* (2012), *The Lego Movie* (2014), *The Lego Ninjago Movie* (2017), *Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark* (2019), and *The Croods* (2013, additional story material).
The brothers grew up in Lake Oswego, Oregon, a Portland suburb, and both attended Lakeridge High School and the University of Oregon. Kevin’s only acting role was playing “Peter” in the 1988 video *Grandpa’s Magical Toys*.
Kevin started his career as an assistant at Dark Horse Entertainment, while Dan worked as a copywriter. After moving to Los Angeles, they sold a feature film pitch to Amblin Entertainment and later wrote story treatments for *Hotel Transylvania* and *The Lego Movie*, earning “story by” credits. During *The Lego Movie*’s development, they wrote for the animated series *Ninjago* as head writers and story editors for its first two seasons.
In 2014, Guillermo del Toro and DreamWorks Animation hired them as writers and co-executive producers for *Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia*, which won them a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program. Del Toro then brought them on to write *Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark*, and DreamWorks Animation later had them provide additional story material for *The Croods* (2013).
In 2019, the Hagemans were announced as creators and showrunners for *Star Trek: Prodigy*, a co-production between CBS Studios and Nickelodeon. In March 2021, they signed an overall deal with CBS Studios to produce animated and live-action content. In 2025, they received a TCA Award nomination for Outstanding Family Programming.
Their television credits include *Ninjago* (head writers, story editors, executive producers), *Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia* (writers, co-executive producers), and *Star Trek: Prodigy* (creators, writers, executive producers). Film credits include *Mystery Men* (1999, Kevin as assistant to Mike Richardson), *Hotel Transylvania* (story), *The Lego
- born
- Kevin: April 21, 1977; Dan: December 17, 1977
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- Kevin: 1974-04-21 / Dan: 1976-12-17
- Birth Place
- Lake Oswego, Oregon, U.S.
- Occupation
- screenwriters, television producers
- Notable Works
- Hotel Transylvania / The Lego Movie / Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia / Star Trek: Prodigy
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Hageman Brothers were born and raised in Lake Oswego, Oregon, a suburb of Portland. They attended Lakeridge High School and the University of Oregon. Kevin appeared as the character 'Peter' in the Wee Sing video Grandpa's Magical Toys in 1988, his sole acting credit. Kevin began his career as an assistant at Dark Horse Entertainment, while Dan worked as a copywriter. After moving to Los Angeles, they sold a feature film pitch to Amblin Entertainment and wrote treatments for Hotel Transylvania and The Lego Movie, receiving 'story by' credits. While The Lego Movie was in development, they served as head writers and story editors for the first two seasons of the animated series Ninjago for Lego, later returning for the pilot and select episodes.
Reader's Guide
The Hageman Brothers have contributed significantly to family-oriented animation and genre storytelling. Their work on Ninjago helped establish the series as a long-running franchise for Lego. Their collaboration with Guillermo del Toro on Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia earned them a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program. They later wrote the horror film Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and rewrote a draft of The Croods: A New Age. In 2019, they became creators and showrunners of Star Trek: Prodigy, the first co-production between CBS Studios and Nickelodeon in the Star Trek franchise. In 2021, they signed an overall deal with CBS Studios to produce animated and live-action content. Their legacy includes expanding the Star Trek universe for younger audiences and contributing to major animated film franchises.
Did You Know?
- Kevin Hageman appeared as the character 'Peter' in the 1988 Wee Sing video Grandpa's Magical Toys, his sole acting credit.
- The Hageman Brothers were head writers and story editors only for the first two seasons of Ninjago (2011–2012), not the entire series run.
- Contrary to some reports, the Hagemans did not work on The Croods: A New Age; their contribution was to the original The Croods (2013) as additional story material.
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