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BURBANK, Calif.–Jan. 22, 2019– Nickelodeon announced today that Paula Kaplan will expand her current company role as Executive Vice President, Talent and Development, Viacom Digital Studios, to now also oversee talent for Nickelodeon. She will now serve as Executive Vice President, Talent and Development, Viacom Digital Studios; and Talent, Nickelodeon. Kaplan will dually report to Brian Robbins, President of Nickelodeon; and Kelly Day, President of Viacom Digital Studios.
Said Robbins: “Paula is a creative leader who intuitively understands how to identify and cultivate breakthrough talent from, and for, all platforms. Her strong relationships with the creative community and experience across all areas of the business and all platforms willgreatly contribute to the strength and influence of the Nick brand and its stars.”
Added Day: “Paula knows exactly how to build talent and to engage young audiences on every platform. This evolution of her role at the company is a testament to the great work she has been doing at Viacom Digital Studios, and will position us well for the future by bringing the work of our talent teams closer together.”
Kaplan, a longtime leader at Viacom, will continue to oversee talent and development at Viacom Digital Studios (VDS), while expanding her role to include oversight of Nickelodeon’s talent division–leading all talent relations across television, music programming and events, and overseeing casting for live-action and animation properties.
This marks a return to Nickelodeon for Kaplan where, over the course of 20 years, she helped establish Nick as the premier destination for kids and families. From 1993 to 2014, Kaplan held numerous roles that included Executive Vice President, Original Programming & Live Events; Executive Vice President, Talent/General Manager, West Coast; Senior Vice President, Talent; and Vice President, Talent Relations. Notable career highlights at Nickelodeon include: the development of talent that grew into pop culture icons, including Ariana Grande, Kenan Thompson, Emma Roberts and Nick Cannon; leading the network’s talent team in building stars in hit series, including iCarly, Victorious, Drake and Josh, Big Time Rush and SpongeBob SquarePants; overseeing production on Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards; and launching Nick’s music footprint by spearheading a joint venture with Sony Music encompassing TV series, albums and tours.
Kaplan’s role at VDS, a position she assumed in April 2018, is to oversee the development and management of talent and production partnerships to build the VDS portfolio of original talent-centric IP, and work with the creative community to ensure that VDS is home to groundbreaking faces and stories. In less than a year, Kaplan’s work and contributions to the Viacom Digital Studios have helped triple the division’s social video views, watch time and followers.
Prior to joining VDS, Kaplan was the Chief Talent Officer and Head of Live Content for Awesomeness from 2015 to 2018, where she led the company’s talent initiatives and casting strategies for film, series and new business opportunities. Kaplan was instrumental in the success of Awesomeness Film’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before for Netflix, which became one of the streaming service’s most-viewed original films.
Nickelodeon, now in its 39th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated kids’ basic cable network for 22 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).