NickALive!: Nickelodeon Opens New State-Of-The-Art Facility In Burbank, California

Original Nickelodeon USA Press Release via NickPress.com:

NICKELODEON OPENS NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY IN BURBANK, CALIF.

Targeting LEED Gold Certification, Nick’s New Sustainable Building Features Cutting-Edge Technology,

Art-Inspired Design and Houses More Than 20 Productions

*Click HERE to download images and video.
*B-roll footage of the event will be available for download HERE after 2pm PT.

Burbank, Calif.—Jan. 11, 2017— In a ribbon cutting ceremony held today, Nickelodeon officially opened the doors to its newly expanded building in Burbank –an over 200,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art, sustainable complex now home to more than 700 Nickelodeon employees and over 20 show productions, including the biggest hits in kids’ TV like The Loud House; SpongeBob SquarePants; Shimmer and Shine; and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Nickelodeon’s facility now includes a new five-story, building; an expansive, redesigned courtyard; and the newly renovated, original 72,000 square-foot studio that first opened in Burbank in 1998.

“The opening of our new offices in Burbank is a significant moment for Nickelodeon,” said Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon Group. “We are ushering in a new era of creative excellence and increased collaboration for everyone who works here.”

Zarghami added, “Since we first planted our flag on the West Coast in the early ‘90s, Nickelodeon in Burbank has been a beacon to the creative community, and our new complex now signals our increased commitment to giving our creators and employees the very best environment and resources to be successful.”

Nickelodeon’s expanded campus fully reflects the brand’s style and sensibility, outfitted with art and installations to inspire and support creativity, community and a collaborative environment:

* Each floor features a central trellised “working gallery” that runs the length of the building, providing open space for collaboration and to display work in progress, as well as creating a visual connection between the courtyard and the views of the mountains to the east.

* Employees can brainstorm on full-height chalkboard, dry erase and magnetic walls, and personalize their workspaces with adjustable desks and cubbies.

* An on-site rotating art gallery will showcase both internal and external artists’ work.

* There is also an archive and library of the brand’s early days, paying tribute to the diversity of its long list of contributing artists and featuring pencil test renderings, creators’ notes and painted cells going back to the brand’s classic ‘90s series.

An over 23,000 square-foot courtyard serves as a connection point between the new and original buildings, while itself serving as an outdoor work and meeting area with full A/V capabilities and an art installation site. Details of the courtyard include:

* A 400-lb statue of The Ren & Stimpy Show’s Stimpy situated in a Zen garden;

* Stone benches etched with live-action and animation creators’ artwork and quotes;

* Wire sculptures of Henry Danger, Clarissa Explains It All, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Dora the Explorer, among others;

* Banners representing every live-action and animation show in current production.

Through a partnership with STUDIOS Architecture, ARC Engineering and Brightworks Sustainability, Nickelodeon’s West Coast facility targeted LEED gold certification by integrating sustainable strategies and resources into the design and operations of the building. To help optimize energy-efficient performance, lighting power is reduced by over 50% through efficient LED fixtures, lighting controls and use of daylighting. Priority was also placed on use of healthy and environmental building materials, such as low-emitting flooring and paint, and use of products with high recycled and regional content.

Additional features of Nick’s newly expanded complex include:

* Screening Room – Employees can gather in a new 88-seat screening room where old world Hollywood meets contemporary design;

* Three Voiceover Studios – A new recording studio complements the two existing studios.

* Café – Hoek and Stimpson, Nick’s new café located in the lobby of the new building, overlooks the courtyard and offers a place for employees to gather;

* Indoor/Outdoor Connection – Each floor has courtyard-facing breakout areas and balconies;

* Health and Wellness – The project includes both a fitness room and a calming Zen garden;

* Music Room, Game Room, Arcade – Employees can play instruments including drums, guitars and piano, or gather for classic games of pinball or air hockey;

* Nickelodeon Studio App – An iPhone- and Android-compatible app allowing for easy communication, collaboration and scheduling across all department.

Also at the new building, employees are invited to create, broaden their artistic reach and experiment in two artistic play spaces housing traditional and new technology. The traditional space will feature stop-motion capabilities and animation discs and paints, while the other space will feature new technology with the latest animation software.

Nickelodeon’s partners for bringing to life its facility include:

* Accord Interests, LLC – The national real estate development firm developed the original and new buildings, and will continue to own and manage the complex;

* DLR Group – This executive architect group led conceptual planning and building design, city approvals, construction drawings, and construction administration for the core and shell of the project;

* McCormick Construction – Responsible for building the facility’s core and shell, in addition to the studio’s 450-stall, 129,000 square-foot parking structure;

* Environmental Contracting Corporation – Responsible for the completion of the interiors of the new building, the exterior courtyard and the addition of a new glass pavilion adjacent to several new public spaces;

* STUDIOS Architecture – The international design firm was the design architect for the new building, the exterior courtyard, and all of the interior spaces for the complex;

* KSA Design Studio – The nationally recognized landscape architecture firm was responsible for the landscape design of the main courtyard and the small outdoor areas surrounding the buildings;

* STRUCK – This integrated branding agency worked to ensure that the Nickelodeon brand was felt and experienced throughout the new building and complex;

* Brightworks Sustainability – Led the LEED green building certification process for the project, working with Nickelodeon and the design team to create a sustainable and healthy work environment.

About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 37th 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 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 20 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).

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Additionally, via Variety:

Nickelodeon Opens Its New Burbank Campus With Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

Nickelodeon cut the ribbon on its new, more than 200,000-square-foot, cutting-edge, sustainable building in Burbank on as the sun peeked out Wednesday morning. On hand to do the honors were Nickelodeon Group President Cyma Zarghami, Viacom President and CEO Robert Bakish and Viacom Vice Chair Shari Redstone, along with Burbank Mayor Jess Talamantes.

Both Redstone and Zarghami recalled when Nickelodeon’s first West Coast campus opened in 1998, just across the courtyard from the gleaming new, five-story building, remarking on just how much the company has grown.

“When our original building opened here in 1998, housing five productions and 200 employees, I think we outgrew it in about a day and a half,” recalled Zarghami. “Back then I remember thinking, ‘How cool would it be to work in a place with a yard out front. We still have the yard.”

Redstone quoted her father, Sumner Redstone, who was on hand to open the original Nick building in 1998: “And I quote: ‘At Viacom, content — original, unique, high-quality entertainment — is what we’re all about. And Nickelodeon delivers on that promise every day. … Nickelodeon’s success in the television business is legendary. And best of all, it’s a living legend.” She noted how that is still true today.

“It’s all about creating great content, having a home for talented people to do what they do best and embracing a culture of collaboration, support and innovation,” said Redstone. “This studio will allow Nickelodeon to keep attracting the talent and creative minds that are out there and to create stories that power this brand around the world.”

Zarghami acknowledged the huge growth Nickelodeon has undergone since that 1998 opening. The new facility brings together more than 700 Nickelodeon employees working on more than 20 live-action and animated productions.

“We have the incredible good fortune to still be growing,” Zarghami said. “And that is not an easy feat in this kind of environment. That’s something we’re really proud of.”

The building was created with both artists and sustainability in mind. In fact, Nickelodeon is shooting for a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification with its sustainable design and features.

“Not only did we hire the best people to build this, we talked to so many of the people here to make sure that we did it right,” said Zarghami. “We wanted to give them what they needed to work and be productive and to enjoy themselves when they came to work everyday. We wanted to improve the way we were working: People can draw on the walls and express themselves. We wanted to fix what wasn’t working: People can eat here now.”

Some of the features include a new 88-seat screening room, three voice recording studios, a fitness room, a music room, a game room, a cafe and a Zen garden featuring a statue of Stimpy from the classic Nick toon “Ren & Stimpy.”

To build creativity, each floor is equipped with chalkboard, dry erase and magnetic walls upon which they are encouraged to draw. Artwork is peppered throughout the halls, and there are dedicated art galleries showcasing the work of both in-house and outside artists. In addition, there are two artistic studios where employees can experiment — one with classic hand-drawn animation tools and stop-motion capabilities and another that features new digital technology with cutting-edge animation software.

“Our mission is to make the world a more playful place,” said Zarghami as she closed her remarks. And that’s certainly true today for Nickelodeon employees.

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Also, via Animation Magazine:

Nickelodeon Opens Burbank Studio Expansion

Nickelodeon officially opened Wednesday its newly expanded studio in Burbank — a state-of-the-art 200,000-square-foot expansion that will house more than 700 jobs and more than 20 show productions.

Among the shows that will call the expanded studio home are The Loud House, SpongeBob SquarePants, Shimmer and Shine and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

SpongeBob SquarePants voice actors Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke were hosts of the short ribbon-cutting ceremony that also featured as speakers Nickelodeon Group President Cyma Zarghami, Burbank Mayor Jess Talamantes and Viacom Vice Chairman of the Board Shari Redstone.

Watch their full remarks in the video.

The new five-story expansion includes a redesigned courtyard also bordered by the original 72,000 square-foot studio on West Olive Avenue in Burbank. That building, opened in 1998, has been newly renovated.

The expanded studio was designed to reflect the studio’s style and sensibility, outfitted with art and installations to inspire and support creativity, community and a collaborative environment.

For example, each floor features a central trellised “working gallery” that runs the length of the building, providing open space for collaboration and to display work in progress; full-height chalkboard, dry erase and magnetic walls that allow employees to display new ideas; personalized workspaces with adjustable desks and cubbies; an on-site rotating art gallery; and an archive and library.

Also at the new building, employees are invited to create, broaden their artistic reach and experiment in two “Maker’s Labs” stocked with traditional and new technology for employees to experiment with.

Additional new features include: an 88-seat screening room; three voiceover studios, two of them brand new; the new Hoek & Stimpson Coffee Co.; courtyard-facing breakout areas and balconies on each floor; a fitness room and a calming Zen garden; a music room, a game room and an arcade, offering employees a place to play instruments or games.

The courtyard covers more than 23,000 square feet and has full A/V capabilities and an art installation site. It also includes a 400-pound statue of Stimpy from The Ren & Stimpy Show; stone benches etched with live-action and animation creators’ artwork and quotes; wire sculptures of Henry Danger, Clarissa Explains It All, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Dora the Explorer, among others; and banners representing every live-action and animation show in current production.

Through a partnership with STUDIOS Architecture, ARC Engineering and Brightworks Sustainability, Nickelodeon’s West Coast facility targeted LEED gold certification by integrating sustainable strategies and resources into the design and operations of the building.