Nickelodeon Taps Sarah Noonan To Head Live-Action Programming, Jay Schmalholz To Run Live Events
EXCLUSIVE: Nickelodeon has promoted head of casting Sarah Noonan to SVP, Live Action Content; and On-Air Promotions Creative Director Jay Schmalholz to SVP, Live Event Television. Noonan will oversee all development, casting and live action production for the kids network; Schmalholz will oversee productions for Nick’s award shows and other events, including the Kids’ Choice Awards franchise. They will report to Russell Hicks, President, Content Development and Production, Nickelodeon Group. Noonan and Schmalholz succeed EVP Paula Kaplan and SVP Sal Maniaci who exited last week. “Sarah’s strategic casting decisions and talent relations skills have resulted in some of the most funny and memorable moments for Nickelodeon over the years, while Jay’s creative and engaging on-air promotional work has provided the network’s biggest live events with their own unforgettable signature look and feel,” said Hicks.
A 16-year Nick veteran, Noonan most recently served as SVP, Casting for the Nickelodeon Group. She recently launched a live-action talent development program at The Groundlings in Los Angeles to discover the next wave of Nick stars. Noonan previously oversaw all casting for Nickelodeon’s animated series. Schmalholz, a 14-year Nick veteran, most recently served as SVP/Creative Director, On-Air Promotions where he oversaw on-air promos for all programming, including live events like the 2013 Kids’ Choice Awards. Additionally, Schmalholz oversaw all video content for the recently launched Nick App.
Tags: Nickelodeon, Sarah Noonan
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