Johns has been named Vice President (VP) of talent and development for pop culture, music and lifestyle overseeing talent discovery, talent development, booking, and talent relations for MTV and BET digital brands. Meanwhile, Larese, VP of talent and development for comedy and kids programming, is focused on scouting, talent development, booking and talent relations for Nickelodeon and Comedy Central digital brands.
Both Johns and Larese report directly to Paula Kaplan, Viacom Digital Studios Executive Vice President (EVP) of talent and development and EVP of talent for Nickelodeon. Also reporting into Kaplan are Megan Bycel, Senior Vice President (SVP) of talent at Awesomeness (which Viacom bought last summer), and Aubrey Bendix, senior director of casting and talent relations who oversees scripted projects at Awesomeness.
“The Talent and Development team at Viacom Digital Studios is fully committed to discovering and developing talent that engages audiences across next-gen platforms,” Kaplan said in a statement. “In expanding the team with Heather and RJ and incorporating the diverse talent pool Megan oversees at Awesomeness, we are uniquely positioned to further pioneer VDS efforts in programming and production for young digital-native consumers.”
RJ Larese
Viacom formed VDS, led by president Kelly Day, in late 2017, and unveiled the venture at NewFronts 2018. Viacom Digital Studios encompasses a 300-staffer team that developed over 600 hours of original content in 2018 and struck talent deals including with teen influencer JoJo Siwa.
Johns joins VDS from Laugh Out Loud Network, the Kevin Hart/Lionsgate digital comedy platform, where she was VP of content and business development after serving as executive director of development. While with LOL, she was instrumental in helping launch such as shows as Cold as Balls (which has over 120 million views) and Kevin Hart’s Lyft Legend. Prior to her tenure at Laugh Out Loud, she was a development executive at GRB Entertainment and Defy Media, and was a talent agent in UTA’s alternative TV department.
At Popsugar, Larese was head of casting and talent overseeing talent for branded and editorial digital content, as well as unscripted TV content. He also booked Popsugar Play/ground, a festival featuring over 65 celebs and influencers including Tiffany Haddish, Mindy Kaling and Kate Hudson.
Bycel, who joined Awesomeness in 2014, leads the talent-relations team that works with digital stars including Liza Koshy (Double Dare), Niki & Gabi, the Merrell Twins, Remi Ashten, and Colleen Ballinger (best known for her Miranda Sings character). She previously served in executive roles at Virtual Greats, Village Roadshow Pictures, Endeavor and Paramount Pictures.
Viacom Digital Studios' projects for Nickelodeon include The JoJo & BowBow Show Show, and the upcoming Minecraft City Champs and Drop That Seat (formally titled Musical Dares), SlimeZone VR Showdown, Bikini Bottom Mysteries, and Nick Trip with Henry Danger's Jace Norman. VDS also has a partnership with Creator Edge, a hub for internet creators founded by Jace Norman and Xander Norman. VDS are teaming up with the brothers and their group of influencer friends to create original content and a number of exciting new digital shows for Nickelodeon.
More Nick: 2019 on Nickelodeon | New Shows, Specials, Events, Movies, Episodes, and More!
Source: Variety; Additional source: TubeFilter.
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