Nickelodeon North Hires Acquisitions Executive

From C21 Media:

Nick North hires acquisitions exec

MIPJR NEWS: Viacom-owned Nickelodeon North has gone in-house for its new director of programming and acquisitions as Nick Germany's VP leaves the company [Nickelodeon Germany/Nickelodeon Deutschland VP leaves the company].

Victor Coolman, currently programming and acquisitions manager in Benelux and Scandinavia, will expand his role to oversee Nick North's 15 Nickelodeon-branded channels in Northern Europe, including in Germany and Austria. He reports into Nick North senior VP Patrick Alders.

Coolman will also be responsible for programming analysis and strategy across the Northern Europe region. Besides that, he will continue to manage Nick Jr Global, a network that began in Northern Europe but now reaches into 17 countries, including Spain and New Zealand.

Coolman's promotion comes after Nick Germany's VP and Nick North's deputy general manager Oliver Schablitzki left the channel this week to "pursue new career challenges." From today, Alders will relocate from Amsterdam to Berlin and add the day-to-day running of Nick Germany to his responsibilities.

"My time at Nickelodeon in Germany was characterised by the sense of entering a new era. I look back proudly on what we achieved. The decision to leave Nickelodeon has not been easy," said Schablitzki.

He had been with Nick Germany - which is part of Viacom International Media Networks' stable - since 2007 and took on day-to-day running of the channel two years later.

Jesse Whittock
1 Oct 2011
© C21 Media 2011

Also, from Animation Insider:

Nickelodeon Australia and New Zealand welcomes Jules Clarkson as Director of Marketing and Commercial Partnerships. Previously serving Electronic Arts and Hasbro, Clarkson now dedicates his time to promoting the Nick network -- available to 2.3 million regional households -- to consumers and carriers. Clarkson takes over for Alison Bakunowich, who departed earlier this year to serve Nickelodeon UK.

Nickelodeon North encompasses Benelux, Scandinavia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and all the viewers of an estimated fifteen branded networks in-between. For this international division, news from London indicates Victor Coolman is promoted to Director of Programming and Acquisitions, tackling much of northern Europe. Coolman, already in charge of Nick Jr. Global, will be responsible for developing programming and overseeing acquisitions for Nickelodeon North.

Nickelodeon Consumer Products went through some meaningful changes as well, noting the departure of Leigh Anne Brodsky, who had been with the company for roughly twelve years. A source tells KidScreen.com that her position was "eliminated due to a realignment of [the] consumer products group." Said realignment reportedly includes consolidating consumer products with ad sales, marketing, and digital. Plans to replace Brodsky are as of yet unknown.

Also, from C21 Media:

AMC hires MGM networks chief

US cablecaster AMC Networks has appointed MGM Studios' veteran channel distributor Bruce Tuchman as president of its international division.

As head of AMC/Sundance Channel Global, Bruce Tuchman will run the company's global channels business, including the distribution and programming of Sundance Channel.

He will be based in New York City and will report to AMC Networks' chief operating officer Ed Carroll. AMC/Sundance Channel Global senior VP and general manager Harold Gronenthal and senior VP of global distribution Ed Palluth will both report to Tuchman, a UK-based spokesman said today.

"Bruce brings tremendous experience of successfully launching networks and growing existing businesses throughout the world, making him an ideal executive to maximise our growth opportunities in key regions," said Carroll.

"There is a strong appetite for Sundance Channel and WE TV internationally, and I'm looking forward to collaborating with our content and distribution partners to serve audiences with distinctive, high-quality entertainment," said Tuchman.

He joins from MGM Worldwide Networks, where he started in 2001 before becoming its president in 2008. While there, he developed MGM's cable, satellite and other networks in more than 130 countries.

Tuchman's previous roles include general manager of Nickelodeon Global Network Ventures, where he oversaw branded Nickelodeon channels across Europe, Asia-Pacific and Africa.

The news comes after AMC Networks last week recorded a 58% year-on-year rise in third-quarter profit.

Jesse Whittock
15 Nov 2011
© C21 Media 2011