Wednesday, July 22, 2015

New Topkick

A big cartoon studio names a new Senior Veep.

Nickelodeon has filled the vacuum in its top animation ranks, expanding the nick responsibilities of James Stephenson who has been named to the newly created position of SVP, Animation and Games. He will be adding animation production and development to his current duties of digital content creation. Stephenson will be based at Nickelodeon’s animation studio in Burbank, Calif., reporting to Russell Hicks, President, Content Development and Production, Nickelodeon Group.

The promotion follows the March company-wide Viacom layoffs, which saw three top Nickelodeon animation executives depart: Rich Magallanes, SVP, current series; Jenna Boyd, SVP, animation development; and Jill Sanford, VP, animation development.

When you're a studio that's fallen from the high perch of Numero Uno, you at some point shake things up.

Nickelodeon is long past that point.

They've swept out three Vice Presidents a few months ago. And they were lopping off management heads long before that. But desperate times require desperate measures.

We wish Mr. Stephenson all the best in his new position. And hope that his neck is long spared the "It's Not Personal, It's Business" chopping block.

2 comments:

Grant said...

...who reports to Super Senior Vice President of Business Affairs, North, who reports to SuperDuper Super senior Vice President of Vice Presidents Northern Hemisphere, who reports to Underling to the Utmost High Senior Vice President of Baloney, who reports to President of Vice Presidents who know even less about making animation, respecting talent, and creating hit shows than all the other Vice Presidents in charge of Bureaucracy put together.

Steve Hulett said...


Absitively.

Site Meter