NICKELODEON NAMES DAVID KATZ SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CONTENT RELATIONS
NEW YORK – Dec. 8, 2014 – Nickelodeon has named David Katz Senior Vice President of Content Relations for Nickelodeon Group. The announcement was made today by Russell Hicks, President of Content, to whom Katz will report.
From the network's Animation Studio in Burbank, Calif., Katz will spearhead a wide range of key initiatives and strategic priorities that will help drive Nickelodeon's creative excellence initiatives, as well as serve as a critical player on special projects. He will also provide strategic oversight of the Talent Outreach team of leaders responsible for retaining, attracting and developing Nickelodeon's creative talent.
"For almost nine years, David has demonstrated a tremendous ability for conceptualizing and executing against Viacom's strategic initiatives," said Hicks. "In that time, he has managed critical internal and external relationships with key stakeholders and developed programs that speak to the heart of our company's objectives."
Katz previously served as Vice President of Global Corporate Responsibility at Viacom where he led Viacommunity, the company's umbrella of key philanthropic investments, strategic partnerships and corporate responsibility efforts, while also serving as liaison to the Board of Directors, special projects and other corporate initiatives. In that capacity, he influenced several large-scale projects, including a multi-year partnership with The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to launch the "Get Schooled" Foundation; the "Dream Concert" at Radio City Music Hall to benefit the MLK Memorial Foundation; Viacom's "9/11 I Will" tribute campaign and the recent partnership with Mariska Hargitay to support the NO MORE movement against domestic violence and sexual assault, among others. Katz also launched Viacommunity Brand Solutions, which serves as an impact accelerator for brand partners and organizations.
Katz began his career at Viacom as a Nickelodeon summer associate in the Talent & Casting group, followed by several roles in talent management, including Blue's Clues at Nick Jr. and later in the MTV On-Air Talent Group. Prior to his time at Viacom, he worked at Clear Channel Entertainment in Creative Development and as Chief of Staff for Barry Diller, Chairman at IAC/InterActiveCorp.
Katz is a graduate of New York University and Emerson College where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Management and Communications.
Nickelodeon, now in its 35th 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, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 19 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, VIA.B).
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