Wednesday, July 06, 2022

Nickelodeon Animation Names Nathan Schram As New VP Of Development

Nathan Schram has been promoted from director to VP at the studio, while Shannon Friedrichs-Higdon moves up to SVP of content and brand strategy for kids and family at parentco Paramount Global.


There’s lots of executive news coming out of the Paramount stable this week, with two key promotions in the kids and family team and a title change for marketing executive Sabrina Caluori.

On the content side of the media company’s business, Nathan Schram has been elevated from director to Vice President (VP) of development at Nickelodeon Animation, where he’s been working primarily on adapting book franchises and developing current series for nearly four years.

During this time, he has optioned more than 20 kidlit properties for Nickelodeon Animation, Nick Live Action and Nick Jr, along with developing concepts for linear TV and streaming.

Prior to joining Nick, Schram worked at LA-based Saban Brands, original home of the Power Rangers franchise and a major IP owner throughout the 2010s. He served in several key development and positions there, overseeing work on Saban’s TV series from greenlight to distribution.

In other news, Nickelodeon veteran Shannon Friedrichs-Higdon has been promoted from VP to Senior Vice President (SVP) of content and brand strategy for kids and family at Paramount Global.

Friedrichs-Higdon takes on new responsibilities to maximize the value of Nickelodeon across all international linear and streaming platforms for Paramount Global, including Paramount+ and Pluto TV outside the U.S.

She will continue to work closely with Jules Borkent (Managing Director and Executive Vice President, kids and family), Doug Craig (SVP of content strategy for international streaming) and the Pluto TV teams worldwide.

Friedrichs-Higdon’s current projects include Monster High: The Movie, coming this October to Nick and Paramount+; Transformers: EarthSpark, hitting Nickelodeon and Paramount+ later this year, and recent rollout Rock Island Mysteries, a collaboration with Fremantle.

In the marketing team, Nickelodeon has also bumped Sabrina Caluori from SVP of brand and content strategy to EVP and head of marketing and brand strategy. Caluori joined the company in 2021 and she now leads on-air and off-air consumer marketing, as well as brand creative and content launches globally on all  linear, digital and social platforms.

These internal changes come on the heels of Nickelodeon building its content pipeline with a recent greenlight for 2D-animated series Super Duper Bunny League (working title), which is slated for a 2024 US premiere on Nick Jr., and also a new round of its Intergalactic Short Film Program.

The news was first reported by Kidscreen.


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Sharkdog Season 2 Episode Guide

Netflix bowed Sharkdog season two, featuring the next seven episodes of the hit CG-animated series on Thursday, June 30!


Sharkdog follows 10 year old Max and his best friend Sharkdog - half shark, half dog, all appetite. Blissfully unaware of his own strength, stealth and general sharkiness, Sharkdog often leaves a trail of chaos in his wake. But, like all good half-dogs, he's Max's BFF and Max is his.

Sharkdog is created by Singaporean creator Jacinth Tan and produced by Paramount Global's ViacomCBS International Studios, in partnership with Singaporean based CGI animation studio One Animation.


Sharkdog is VIS' first internationally originated global animated series for Netflix. It is also the first animated series from Singapore to come out of Nickelodeon's Global Animated Shorts Program, designed to identify and develop long form original comedy-driven content for kids globally.

Sharkdog features the voices of Liam Mitchell as Max; Dee Bradley Baker (Legends of the Hidden Temple, Star Trek: Prodigy) as Sharkdog; Grey Griffin (Fairly OddParents, The Loud House) as Mom; Josh McDermitt (The Walking Dead) as Dad; Kari Wahlgren (Fairly OddParents, Bunsen Is a Beast, Breadwinners) as Mia; and Meaghan Davies (Bananas in Pyjamas) as Annabelle.

The latest new episodes of Sharkdog join the first seven episodes that make up season one, which premiered in September 2021, and a Halloween special, "Sharkdog’s Fintastic Halloween," released in October 2021. In total, there are currently 15 episodes of Sharkdog available to stream on Netflix.

Sharkdog season two episode guide:

1. The Sharkdog Days of Summer / No Fishes in This School / Going Wild
Max and Sharkdog dash home from a beach day to clean up their mess. Sharkdog sneaks into the first day of school. Sharkdog's too wild for the dog park.

2. A Not So Grand Opening / The Fast and The Fishy / The Big Picture
Sharkdog snacks on the aquarium's new exhibit. Max wants to win a race, but Sharkdog gets in the way. Picture day for the Fishers is far from perfect.

3. Air Sharkdog / Sick as a Sharkdog / The Sharkdog Scoop
Sharkdog's skills help the Sharkpack on the basketball court. The aquarium's robot doctor creates chaos. Max's mom spies on Sharkdog to write a story.

4. The Party Animal / Working Like a Sharkdog / Sharkdog's Got Talent
Sharkdog proves he isn't a menace at the town's boardwalk bash. Sharkdog trails Max's dad for play time. Sharkdog wants the talent show spotlight.

5. Meteor Madness / Pest Friends Forever / Sleeping Like a Baby
Capt. Quigley and Sharkdog lead the mountain race to catch a meteor shower. Zombie sea fleas keep Sharkdog super itchy. Baby sister Mia needs her binky.

6. Ceviche for Dinner / Surf's Up, Sharkdog! / A Star Fish Is Born
Max and Sharkdog try to impress dad's cool boss. Dennis and Sharkdog get sticky before a surf meet. Sharkdog steals the show at a commercial shoot.

7. Sharknapped / Sharkdog Makes a Splash
Something's fishy when Sharkdog doesn't come home, so the Sharkpack sets out to find their friend. Max and pals try to keep Ceviche on the island.

Stream all your favorite Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. shows on Paramount+ and Noggin! Try Paramount+ for FREE at ParamountPlus.com!


Originally published: July 06, 2022.

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Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank | Hank & Jimbo Featurette (2022 Movie) – Paramount Pictures

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank | Hank & Jimbo Featurette (2022 Movie) – Paramount Pictures


A hard-on-his-luck hound Hank (Michael Cera) finds himself in a town full of cats who need a hero to defend them from a ruthless villain's (Ricky Gervais) evil plot to wipe their village off the map. With help from a reluctant teacher (Samuel L. Jackson) to train him, our underdog must assume the role of town samurai and team up with the villagers to save the day. The only problem… cats hate dogs! Also starring Mel Brooks, George Takei, Aasif Mandvi, Gabriel Iglesias, Djimon Hounsou, Michelle Yeoh, Kylie Kuioka, and Cathy Shim, PAWS OF FURY: THE LEGEND OF HANK pounces into theatres July 15, 2022.
 
Stream all your favorite Nickelodeon shows old and new on Paramount+. Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com!

Did You Know That Aang... | Avatar #Shorts | Avatar: The Last Airbender

Did you know that Aang... | Avatar #Shorts | Avatar: The Last Airbender


Did you know Aang's origin was nearly set in a futuristic, sci-fi world. When developing his character, the creators thought Aang could be the last survivor of a technologically advanced civilization. His journey would've then taken him a thousand years into a war-torn future where society had regressed back to the past. He still had his arrow tattoo, but early concept art showed Aang's clothing and staff with a space-age design... Momo was also a robot cyclops monkey named Momo-3! However, once the creators had the concept of the Four Nations, they decided Aang was more compelling as a young air nomad with Momo as our favorite winged lemur sidekick.

Stream Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra on Paramount+ and Netflix! Try Paramount+ for FREE at ParamountPlus.com

Listen to the brand new podcast, Avatar: Braving the Elements!




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