Friday, December 29, 2017

Nickelodeon Asia To Premiere 'Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn' Special 'Wonderful Wizard Of Quads' On Sunday 31st December 2017

Nickelodeon Southeast Asia will premiere the hour-long third season finale of Nickelodeon's popular live-action comedy series Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn, titled “Wonderful Wizard of Quads”, on Sunday 31st December 2017 at 11:00am on Nickelodeon Indonesia (WIB) and at 12:00pm on Nickelodeon Malaysia (MY), Nickelodeon Philippines (PH) and Nickelodeon Singapore (SG)!



In the brand-new one-hour Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn special "Wonderful Wizard of Quads", when the Quads hometown celebrity, Ericka Knightly (played by Tia Mowry-Hardrict, Instant Mom, Sister, Sister) returns to Boulder, Colo. to direct the local production of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn know these are the roles they were born to play. But when Dawn surprisingly does not get the part of Dorothy, she goes on a mission to prove that she deserves the part over theater diva, Rose Dirken (played by Jade Pettyjohn, School of Rock, Rufus 2)!

The special will also guest star three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas, who will play Twisty, the head of the Gold Medal Girls who resides in the land of the munchkins.




Currently in its third season, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn follows the hysterical adventures of Nicky (Aidan Gallagher), Ricky (Casey Simpson), Dicky (Mace Coronel) & Dawn (Lizzy Greene), four 13-year-old quadruplets who don’t have much in common, except their birthday, as they find themselves in situations everyday kids experience, but multiplied by four! A fourth season of Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn was recently greenlit, and will debut in 2018.


More Nick: Nickelodeon Southeast Asia To Host 'Let's Get Loud!' 'The Loud House' Marathon On Monday 1st January 2018!
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Australia: WIN Tickets To Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2018

To celebrate the brand-new season of Crash the Bash, Nickelodeon Australia has teamed up with Cricket Australia and the Big Bash League to launch a exclusive competition which is offering NickHeads in Australia the chance to win a fantastic trip to attend the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2018 in LA in March 2018!


Taking place live in LA in March 2018, the Nickelodeon 2018 Kids' Choice Awards will feature the world's biggest stars and more slime than ever! Imagine getting to see your favorite singers & actors and seeing the luckiest celebrity's getting slimed in person all on one stage! Plus, you could be on NickHeads' TV's all around the globe when Nickelodeon's international channels and networks transmit the 2018 KCAs around the world within hours of the show airing live in the United States! The 2018 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards promises to be the biggest and slimiest KCAs ever!


As part of the competition, one grand prize winner will receive the holiday of a life-slime to Los Angeles to attend Nickelodeon's 2018 Kids' Choice Awards! The prize will include four tickets (for two children and two adults), entry for four people to Nickelodeon's 31st Annual Kids' Choice Awards and five nights' accommodation!


To enter, simply:

1: Follow @bbl on Instagram, Twitter (if not already following) or by liking the BBL Facebook page

2: Take a photo of yourself and/or family enjoying a BBL match at home or at the ground.

3: Post your photo to Instagram, Twitter, and/or Facebook using the hashtag #BBLKCA for your chance to WIN!

OR

Enter by sending your contact information [First name, surname, email address, and phone number] along with your uploaded photo to BBLKCAEntry@cricket.com.au.

Nickelodeon, Cricket Australia and the Big Bash League will be selecting one lucky entry from each match who will win a $100 (AUD) BBL Store voucher, and at the end of the season, one very lucky fan will win the trip of a life-slime to The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2018 in Los Angeles!

Nickelodeon, Cricket Australia and the Big Bash League's KCA 2018 contest is open to residents of all Australian States and Territories. The competition will close at 11.59pm AWST on Sunday 4th February 2018. Additional terms and conditions apply. Visit bigbash.com.au/nickelodeon for full information.

Additionally, Nickelodeon, Cricket Australia and the Big Bash League is also giving one lucky family the chance to win a family holiday to Nickelodeon Land at Sea World on the Gold Coast! Visit bigbash.com.au/nickelodeon for more information!

Good luck! :)

Tune into Crash the Bash, Wednesdays at 5:30pm (AEDT), only on Nickelodeon Australia and New Zealand! Visit nick.com.au/crashthebash to find out more about Crash the Bash season two, as well as watch videos, play games, view photos and much more!

More Nick: KFC BBL Announces Renewed Partnership With Nickelodeon Australia For BBL|07 | WBBL!
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Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards 2018 Logo Revealed? (Update: Logo Confirmed!)

Swiffer has unveiled a first look at what may be Nickelodeon's official logo for Kids' Choice Awards 2018, Nickelodeon's 31st Annual Kids' Choice Awards!


UPDATE (29/12): Nickelodeon Australia & New Zealand has confirmed that the logo in the above image is Nickelodeon's official Kids' Choice Awards 2018 logo, and have unveiled a look at the horizontal version of the KCA 2018 logo!:


Swiffer unveiled unveiled the logo for Nickelodeon's 2018 Kids' Choice Awards as part of their listing for a Kids' Choice Awards 2018 Tickets + Orange Carpet VIP Experience Package in Walmart's Sam's Club Holiday 2017 Preview catalog!

Swiffer also mentions that Nickelodeon will hold Kids' Choice Awards 2018 at a venue in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 10! Although the date is currently unconfirmed, that date fits in roughly with when Nickelodeon has been hosting Kids' Choice Awards ceremony's over the last few years.

As part of their Kids' Choice Awards 2018 Tickets + Orange Carpet VIP Experience Package for 4 People, Swiffer is offering one lucky KCA fan the chance to enjoy the show like never before! Included in the purchase are:

- Four tickets to Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in March 2018

- The chance to walk the Orange Carpet at the show and rub elbows with the stars at the 2018 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in Southern California

- A VIP sightseeing experience of LA's hottest attractions

- A personal on-site host throughout their experience

- Gift basket of products, including Swiffer®

- Breakfast, lunch and dinner at some of California‘s favorite restaurants and food destinations

- Premium accommodations, airfare and transportation services, provided and selected by Sam’s Club

- 4 days/3 nights in Los Angeles

- Premium hotel and round-trip airfare to Los Angeles for purchaser and guests

- Limousine service to/from airport and all destinations on official itinerary

However, there's the small matter of the price... all this could be yours if you just happen to have a spare $8,000 (USD) lying around!

There is only one package available, which will go on sale on Wednesday, October 18 on SamsClub.com.

What do you think of Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards 2018 logo? Who do you want to host KCA 2018? Who do you want to see nominated for a coveted blimp award? Sound off in the comments!

Originally posted: Saturday, October 14, 2017.

H/T: I4U News; Additional sources: Wikipedia, Swiffer.com.
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A Klasky’s Gotta Do What A Klasky’s Gotta Do - Arlene Klasky Talks About The Legacy Of 'Rugrats'

From its vibrantly memorable characters to its iconic theme song from Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh, Nickelodeon’s iconic animated series Rugrats was a quintessential cartoon of the 1990s. Most millennials grew up enjoying the adventures of a group of talking babies: Tommy Pickles, Chuckie Finster, Phil and Lil Deville, Angelica Pickes, and later, Dil Pickes and Kimi Finster. But let’s not forget Reptar, Susie Carmichael, and Dr. Lipschitz. Smart, funny, and sometimes tear-inducing, Rugrats wasn’t just for kids.


In addition to the show itself, its closing credits were recognizable for the uniquely eccentric Klasky Csupo logo (end board/closing logo) that came on at the very end. The production company—founded by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Attila Csupo—-was responsible for making a few other animated Nick shows you might have heard of: Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, The Wild Thornberrys, Rocket Power, and As Told by Ginger, as well as Santo Bugito for CBS and Duckman for USA Network (the former aired on Nickelodeon UK, and the latter aired on Paramount Channel in the UK).

Recently, NY blueprint interviewed Rugrats co-creator Arlene Klasky for their “Rugrats Chanukah Retrospective." However, a lot of their conversation with her went unused for that particular piece, so they've decided to present the rest of the Q&A for our reading enjoyment!

New York Blueprint: What about Rugrats, in your own opinion, made it such a popular show that is still beloved by fans who grew up watching it?

Arlene Klasky: I think the concept of babies talking and adults not understanding them, coupled with the audience being let in on the Rugrats secret world, had great appeal. The Rugrats spoke with an advanced vocabulary yet their toddler brains processed the world incorrectly, which was a perfect set up for comedy.

When Nickelodeon first launched Rugrats they didn’t have enough shows to fill time slots. Consequently, Nick repeated each episode a number of times during the week. Anyone who has children knows you can read the same book to them every night and the child doesn’t grow weary of it.

What I’ve heard from fans that watched Rugrats growing up, it was a comforting place to be. Rugrats played in 75 countries and was re-dubbed in numerous languages, yet kept its appeal. I have to believe the story telling, a combination of comedy for laughs, and emotional moments stirred children’s’ hearts. Also the unique design of the characters and backgrounds plus the music seemed to resonate universally.

NYB: Where did the inspirations for the characters come from?

AK: My life changed radically when I had two small children, both boys. I hadn’t been around babies much so I tackled motherhood head on by reading early childhood development books and learning on the job. Before being a mother, I was driven by my career to create art and film. I found babies and toddlers humorous, particularly their motivations. If I hadn’t become a mother, I might not have had babies on the brain at that particular moment when Nickelodeon came knocking at Klasky Csupo’s door.

Gabor Csupo, my husband and partner at the time was also enamored with our sons. He was a master animator and artist. He originally designed some of the characters in Rugrats. Gabor based the drawing of Tommy on our 15-month-old who was adorably pidgin toed. He came up with the iconic drawing of Chuckie. Paul Germain, also a creator of Rugrats, had a baby named Tommy, hence the name of our hero and brought his own inspirations to the material. I did the original drawings of Phil, Lil, and Didi’s Eastern European parents based on fond memories of my Polish and Russian Jewish relatives.

Peter Chung, a stellar animation director and designer, took the Rugrats concept to the next level with the pilot. In the beginning stages of development Gabor, Paul and I collaborated on building the Rugrats world. As the series took off the talented writing team, directors, designers, animators, storyboard artists, actors, musicians and producers contributed hugely to the success of the series.

NYB: What were your particular duties while the show was on the air and is there anything you miss about making the show?

AK: Rugrats was on the air for 13 years. Gabor and I were creators, executive producers, and the heads of an animation studio. When I first worked on Rugrats, Klasky Csupo had less employees and later grew to 550 people in house. Being full-time on any one show was not an option for Gabor and I. Klasky Csupo constantly developed new concepts for animated series with an active development team. Speaking for myself, I worked on a number of pilots over the years, creating and developing them with writers and illustrator/designers. At our peak we had 100 to 200 projects in development in various stages.

NYB: Do you have any particular memories about making the show that stand out in your mind?

AK: It was a privilege to work with Mark Mothersbaugh who composed the score for the series and the three Rugrats movies. We lucked out because Mark’s music was the icing on the cake. His creative sensibilities dovetailed with the vision Gabor and I had for the studio. Mark was easy going, funny and a genius.

NYB: Any favorite characters, episodes, moments, or movies?

AK: I often think of a scene from Rugrats in Paris where Chuckie sang a song by Cyndi Lauper and Mark Mothersbaugh. “I Want A Mom That Will Last Forever.” Chuckie had lost his mother. The song defined the movie as a family film that had comedy and poignant subject matter that children could relate to.


NYB: What have been some of your favorite reactions from fans about Rugrats over the years?

AK: I began hearing the same mantra from millennials when I spoke at events, was introduced at industry meetings or used my credit card. The comments were, “I grew up watching Rugrats” or “Thank you for my childhood.”

Also, NY blueprint's “Rugrats Chanukah Retrospective":

The Nickelodeon holiday special turns 21 this year


There are endless songs, movies and television specials about Christmas, but somehow Chanukah ends up getting left out in the cold, sometimes literally because it usually falls in December. Sure, you’ve got “Oh Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel” in the song category and The Hebrew Hammer when it comes to movies, but beyond these examples, the latke-centric holiday is somewhat lacking in the pop culture landscape. As such, you don’t soon forget a Chanukah special when it does arrive—like a well, Chanukah, gift.

Maybe that’s why A Rugrats Chanukah — which turns 21 this year — has achieved a cult-like status among fans of the classic Nickelodeon show. Some watch it every year the way they do with the Passover episode. In fact, the Chabad house at my alma mater, Drexel University in Philadelphia, screens it annually as part of its eight-day programming schedule for the holiday. Along with Hey Arnold, Rugrats was one of those rare '90s Nicktoons that explored Judaism, even if it was for an episode or two.


Tommy Pickles as Moses in the Passover episode

“A Rugrats Chanukah” was written by J. David Stem and David N. Weiss, the writing duo behind movies like Shrek 2, The Rugrats Movie, Rugrats in Paris and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. “I’m the Jew that can work on Christmas and Easter and the Super Bowl. “I’ll work 24-6, [Stem] works 24-7,” Weiss said of his non-Jewish writing partner at the 12th Annual National Jewish Retreat. Weiss was actually raised as a Reform Jew who converted to Christianity as a teenager, becoming a filmmaker for the Presbyterian Church in Dublin. In his 20s, he returned to Judaism and steadily became more and more religious, taking courses on religion and keeping kosher with his wife. The Rugrats Chanukah episode was the first project he worked on after leaving the church.

According to Weiss, Nickelodeon originally wanted to do a New Year’s special, which didn’t resonate with him and Stem; the two wanted to do Chanukah. When they went to pitch all of the Season 4 ideas to the network’s bigwigs, the president wasn’t feeling the New Year’s pitch. “The president is a nice Jewish guy and he says, ‘What’s this about New Year’s? That doesn’t make any sense,’” recounted Weiss. “I said, ‘Well, how about Chanukah?’ and he said, ‘That’s great! Let’s do Chanukah!’”

“To Nickelodeon’s credit, [the Chanukkah special] was bold and the right thing to do. It made sense because Didi Pickles and her parents were Jewish and her husband Stu was not,” said Arlene Klasky, one of the co-creators of Rugrats, in an interview with Blueprint. According to Klasky (of Klasky Csupo), the impetus to make the special was due in part to the positive reception of the first Jewish-themed episode that ran the previous spring. “The Passover special was a huge success. There was yet another great opportunity for storytelling around Chanukah,” she said.

Weiss and Stem’s writing on “A Rugrats Chanukah” is memorable in the way that it tells a simplified, yet accurate version of the Chanukah story about how Greeks forced their secularized culture onto Israel and how the Maccabees — under Judah — ultimately forced them out of the land. They even touched on the ransacking of the Beit Hamikdash. As a result, you’ve got the iconic line, “A Maccababy’s gotta do what a Maccababy’s gotta do,” uttered by the show’s main hero, Tommy Pickles. Weiss called the episode, “A great way to bring all this Judaism onto Nickelodeon for millions of American children to watch every year.” Just like he grew up with Rudolph and Frosty, he wanted to give Jewish kids their own holiday programming that they could grow up with.

The episode (simply titled ”Chanukah” on TV) premiered on Dec. 4, 1996, and the world hasn’t been the same since. It was directed by Raymie Musquiz, an acclaimed animation director; he most recently directed Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie. Most of the special takes place at a synagogue where Tommy’s Grandpa Boris (Michael Bell) clashes with his old “frienemy” Shlomo (Yiddish theater star Fyvush Finkel). Boris claims that Shlomo always has to outdo him or steal his glory, calling him a “gonif,” or thief, in Hebrew. The babies, too young to understand the holiday, mishear Angelica when she talks about the “meaning” of Chanukah (emphasis on the Chhh sound) and believe that Shlomo is the “meanie” of Chanukah and set out to make him less grumpy.

If you re-watch as an adult, Shlomo is a much more tragic character and it’s quite sweet when he ends up bonding with the babies and Brosi by the end. Weiss said that the emotional crux of the episode was based on his own struggles in trying to conceive a child with his wife. At the start, the main plot details were there for Weiss and Stem, but the reconciliation between Boris and Shlomo was still elusive. “As a writer, when you get stuck, and this isn’t just for writing, this is for all of life. What you do is you go towards the pain,” said Weiss. “You look inside and you say, ‘Where is the wound?’ because really the story is about someone overcoming. It’s really the story of healing … So, I looked inside one day and I said, ‘Ok, we got this whole story, where do I hurt?’”


Anyone who grew up attending holiday functions at their local synagogue will feel right at home watching this episode, as the congregants enjoy latkes, chocolate coins (gelt), spinning dreidels, and a production of the Chanukah story from the community’s elder denizens. Yiddish accents and skullcaps abound, but not everyone was pleased with the depiction of Jews in the special; the Anti-Defamation League compared some of the character designs to Jewish caricatures done by Nazi newspapers in the 1930s. The reaction is a bit over-the-top, especially in a holiday special for children that highlights the unique customs of Judaism in a loving way. “[Latkes] have clogged our people’s arteries for 2,000 years, yet we survive!” proclaims Grandpa Boris in a particularly memorable moment.

Still, you don’t need to be Jewish to enjoy “A Rugrats Chanukah.”

“I’m sure Jewish families like to share it with their children,” said Klasky. “Also kids of diverse religions and cultures can appreciate the story seen through a ‘Rugrats’ lens. As the ‘Rugrats’ audience grew up, some now in their 30’s, the nostalgia factor of the series and other ‘90s shows I assume played a part in the Hanukkah special’s popularity.”


PLEASE NOTE: Due to his extremely busy schedule, David N. Weiss was not able to be fully interviewed by Blueprint in time for this article. However, he directed us to review his remarks at the 12 Annual National Jewish Retreat, which is hyperlinked above. So, any quotes taken from there are indeed authentic and authorized.

--Ends--

More Nick: 'Rugrats' Season 3 & Season 4 DVD Sets Announced For "Wide" General Release In 2018!

Additional source: Wikipedia (I, II).
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'Scrappy Skater Chick' From Maryland Turned Creativity Into A Emmy-Winning Career At Nickelodeon

Growing up in Eldersburg in Maryland and attending South Carroll High School, creativity and inspiration were in the air for Jennifer Cast Galán: all around but not entirely in focus.


South Carroll High School grad Jennifer Cast Galán went on to win an Emmy Award for her design work at Nickelodeon. (Courtesy photo / Emil Lendof)

She drew and she painted and she sewed, but it never really occurred to her that she might have a profession in the arts — that she would one day become a graphic designer and an executive art director with an Emmy Award for her work at Nickelodeon.

“I never knew there were careers other than that I could be an art teacher in school or something,” Galán told the Carroll County Times. “But I always got the encouragement that I had a talent and that was really important for me — I just didn’t know where to go with that.”

Looking back, she said, her growing up in Carroll County was, in many ways, the perfect mix of inspiration and isolation, support and self-driven industry, formal education and informal discovery, that led her to the career she has today — even if she didn’t know it or always appreciate it at the time.

“We used to call it ‘Cow Lick County,’ ” Galán said.

Born on Long Island, New York, Galán lived in New Mexico through the fifth grade, moving to Maryland in sixth grade.

“My grandmother, she was ill and we came back to be to be with her. My parents had gotten divorced,” she said. “We ended up living with my grandfather in the same house my mom and my stepdad now live in, and that’s on Obrecht Road in Carroll County.”


Behind the scenes making the 2015 Kids Choice Awards promo. (Courtesy photo / Jennifer Cast Galán / Nickelodeon)

First impressions

Beyond a furniture-making uncle in Vermont, no one in Galán’s family was creative in the art and design sense of the word — her mother was a travel agent and her stepfather ran his own home improvement business.

“I still grew up in a very creative household,” she said. “With people that were makers, people that used their hands.”

One of Galán’s first impressions of Carroll County was noticing just how many families seemed to own small businesses, a formative memory she now believes.

“They would drive around in trucks with their logos painted on the side,” she said. “I think it’s just a very resourceful community.”

But as Carroll was making an impression on Galán, then Jennifer Cast, she was making an impression on others.


A 1991 graduate of South Carroll High School, Jennifer Cast Galán went on to design award-winning programming for Nickelodeon. (Courtesy photo / Carroll County Public Schools)

Julie Beatty remembers the first time she met Galán. It was on the ball field at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Eldersburg, where Sykesville Middle School’s sixth-graders were stationed until a renovation on the sixth-grade portion of the middle school building was complete.

“My impression of her was, who is this neat girl? This is not somebody who I have met in Carroll County,” Beatty said with a laugh. “She was different, she was funny, she was interesting ... and we clicked like that.”

The two have remained close friends ever since, though they are both now grown and married. Beatty lives in New Windsor today, and Galán in Montclair, New Jersey, but they’ve kept in touch and visited each other through the years.

Beatty can say that when they were children, it may not have been apparent to Galán that she was destined to be an artist, but it certainly was to everyone else.

“I had always thought she would do something in the arts,” Beatty said. “I think my impression of her when we were in middle school was that she would be a fashion designer, that’s what I always thought she would be back then.”

By the time the two friends were at South Carroll High together, Galán had created her own brand of clothing.

“It was big pants. I didn’t go to raves, but I knew a lot of the skateboarders did,” Galán said. “Me and a boyfriend at the time, we would make these crazy big pants and we would sell them at the skate park.”

“‘Dinos’ was what I think her brand was, and she had the little dinosaur patch on the pants,” Beatty recalls. “Who would think that back then? I thought that was pretty cool.”

Another formative aspect of living in rural Carroll County was that it forced Galán to cultivate her own interests and entertainment.

“I think that being in Carroll County led me to being attracted to all these different cultural niche sort of things,” she said. “I skateboarded at a time when not a lot of people did and it wasn’t widely accepted. But that was the sort of culture I was steeped in.”

At the same time Carroll may have sometimes felt like the middle of nowhere, Galán said, it was actually within easy car-ride-with-a-friend distance to cultural epicenters.

“You have access to, say, go to Baltimore for the afternoon to go record shopping,” she said. “Baltimore having a pretty rich art scene as well as music scene. John Waters is out of Baltimore, there’s an endowment for the arts that was very apparent.”

And just a bit further is Washington, D.C., with its museums and underground music clubs, Galán said. A day trip for inspiration could be paired with a return to a rural pace of life for full digestion of the experience.

“You’re going to come home and you’re going to reflect on that and it’s going to shape how you travel through life,” she said. “I had access to all these different points. I could get a little taste, I could dip my toe in the water in these different areas. You are really central in Carroll County.”

Galán graduated from South Carroll High in 1991, or at least she walked the stage — she spent her senior year taking classes at Carroll Community College. She would continue there after graduation, before moving on to Catonsville Community College to finish her general education requirements.

“Some of the best experiences in undergrad were at Carroll, were at Catonsville,” she said. “You had teachers that were empathetic, that were passionate and engaged and the classes were smaller. I really felt like I got a lot out of that.”


Jennifer Cast Galán's office at Nickelodeon in New York City. (Courtesy photo / Jennifer Cast Galán)

Escape to New York

Galán transferred to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County to complete her undergraduate studies, initially taking a lot of science and psychology courses — a love of chemistry in high school had her considering a career as a physician for a while. But what she said set her on the course toward her career today was philosophy — it’s what she earned her bachelor’s degree in.

“I will never regret that degree,” she said. “Being a designer is being a problem solver. You have to be obsessed with problems. Because you are going to design your way out of that box and into a solution.”

After graduation, she was a substitute teacher in Carroll for a short while before taking off for San Francisco for a time. It was there, in the East Bay, that she took an art class at the University of California, Berkeley and fell in love with graphic design.

Then, missing the East Coast, Galán found herself in New York City, pursing a master’s degree in design at the Pratt Institute. It was a choice she made because it was a school that focused on theory, an approach she had come to appreciate from her philosophy training.

“Anyone can learn how to make something. That tactile making was something I was confident I could get, but I really wanted to understand the principles and philosophy,” she said. “That helped shape my career. That just helped me become a leader in design.”

Creating for kids


Jennifer Cast Galán strikes a pose at the 2015 Kids Choice Awards. (Courtesy photo / Jennifer Cast Galán / Nickelodeon)

After graduation, Galán worked as a graphic designer at Glamour magazine, and then taught for awhile at the Pratt Institute before she interviewed with the TV network Nickelodeon — when she was offered a job on the spot.

“I really wanted to design for kids. I kind of knew that and I used to draw little characters,” she said. “It was just a genuine fit. My portfolio really showed up in that space for them; they saw what they were looking for and they offered me a job, and it was really the start of a robust career.”

That was in 2001. Galán has worked with or at Nickelodeon ever since, leaving for a short while to design children’s clothing for Old Navy, and then returning to the fold at Nickelodeon in 2005 as an art director.

“It’s almost like a boyfriend that you know you want to marry them but you feel like you need to date other people so you leave them for a period of time,” she said. “They were just always there.”


Jennifer Cast Galán's awards for art and design. (Courtesy photo / Jennifer Cast Galán)

By 2007, Galán was heading an animation and motion design team charged with creating the promotional material between shows on Nick Jr., promoting new shows or telling young viewers when to next catch their favorite program.

“That’s what, for kids, is a special craft. Because their attention spans are different than adults,” she said. “They need to be entertained inbetween entertainment.”

Galán and her team were assigned the task of promoting what was then a new show, Bubble Guppies, an animated series featuring mer-children in an underwater school house.

“The way to promote a cartoon is challenging because when you sit down and watch a cartoon there is just a certain vibe about it,” she said. “We kind of took the approach of making that promotion feel like it was a movie trailer, like it was kind of mysterious and bringing some curiosity to the table for kids in a way that was provocative and fresh. It was not how most cartoons are promoted.”

The industry took notice. Galán and her team were nominated for and won an Emmy in 2011 for their work promoting Bubble Guppies.

“We’ve had other nominations too, which is awesome — being nominated, to be honest, is just as fabulous — but Bubble Guppies was an actual win,” she said.

Bringing it all back home

But one of the successes Galán is most proud of is something that was never aired on television. After entering an internal contest with two other colleagues, they and Galán were awarded the chance to work on a pilot for the network, a show that could potentially become a series.

“Unfortunately it never went further, but it was just such an honor to be considered,” she said. “So many people write shows and so many people submit scripts and ideas — it’s a one-in-a-million shot.”

In retrospect, Galán said, the pilot in many ways mirrored her upbringing in Carroll County and the way that shaped her experience of her time in New York City. Called The Thing About Babies, the show would have followed a stay-at-home creative father and architect mother who decided to move from New York to rural Maine after learning they were going to have triplets. Galán described it as Modern Family, but for preschoolers.

“I think that a lot of what I was bringing to the table, a lot of my inspiration was how I grew up,” she said. “We were trying to use this idea of family and about being in the vast open of nothing and still being able to thrive and be creative and resourceful.”


The family from "The Thing About Babies," a pilot Jennifer Cast Galán and colleagues developed for Nickelodeon but was never aired. (Courtesy photo / Jennifer Cast Galán / Nickelodeon)

That’s an idea Galán is returning to in her own life. Now married with three children, she has again left Nickelodeon in order to work as a remote consultant from her home in New Jersey, while visiting her parents in Carroll County. She is taking time to have a little space for herself, to recharge. To reconnect with roots.

“I think New York City is just an assault on your senses in so many ways that sometimes it’s hard to conjure creativity,” Galán said. “I find my most creative spaces are now when I go back home to visit my parents, and I can stand at the end of my driveway and I can look at a multiple-acre farm and ideas will come to me.”

“It’s funny, when you’re young and you’re a teenager, and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, it’s farmland, yuck!’ ” Beatty said of her friend’s adult appreciation of Carroll landscapes. “And then as you get older, it’s like, this is fantastic! This is really fantastic, this is family. This is comfort.”

Beatty handles the support room at Elmer Wolf Elementary School in Union Bridge. Sometimes, those students are having problems at home or in school. It’s at those times Beatty brings up her friend.

“I bring up some stories of what I knew of Jen in New Mexico, and it’s like, ‘You know what guys, she became a graphic designer at Nickelodeon.’ And they all look at me, ‘You mean like SpongeBob?’ Yes, exactly,” Beatty said. “You have to decide for yourself how you want your life to be, and that’s what my friend Jen did. She decided, ‘I want better for myself,’ and she made a path.”

It wasn’t exactly a path she had planned out, Galán admits, but it’s one she is so grateful it led where it did, including the passes back through Carroll.

“I am so grateful for all of the opportunities because sometimes I do have to say, my gosh, I’m just this scrappy skater chick from Carroll County,” she said.

“Yup,” Beatty said with a laugh. “That’s Jen.”

Watch Jennifer Cast Galán's Nickelodeon Short, The Thing About Babies, in the super video below!


The Thing About Babies from PT Walkley Reel on Vimeo.

More Nick: 2018 on Nickelodeon USA | New Shows, Specials, Events, Movies, Episodes, and More!

Additional source: Wikipedia.

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Stimpy Prepares for Yaksmas | Ren & Stimpy | NickSplat

Stimpy eagerly prepares for Yaksmas, but Ren is still skeptical.



Ren and Stimpy’s bedtime wear is by far the most underrated part of this clip.

More Nick: Nickelodeon & Paramount To Release 'Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie' On DVD On Tuesday 13th February 2018 | Update: Available To Pre-Order Now!!

Watch all your '90s Nickelodeon favorites on NickSplat, your late-night destination for your favorite childhood Nickelodeon cartoons and live-action shows! NickSplat doesn't question football-shaped heads, but embrace them - along with Reptar bars, a Big Ear of Corn, orange soda, and even slime for Pete (and Pete's) sake. Make your slime-covered Nickelodeon childhood dreams come true every night, only on TeenNick USA! #NickSplat!

More NickSplat: Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards UK 2007 | 10th Anniversary | #TBT | NickSplat UK!
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Blaze and the Monster Machines | Animal Island | Nick Jr. UK

When Blaze and Stripes sail to Animal Island, an incredible place inhabited my monster truck animals, a greedy lizard puts the entire island in peril.



Visit Nick Jr.'s Christmas hub at nickjr.co.uk/christmas for lots of festive fun, videos, games and activities!
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Henry Danger | Frankini Bottoms | Nickelodeon UK

Henry (Jace Norman) and Ray (Cooper Barnes) are delighted to be invited to Frankini's (special guest star Frankie Grande) party, but when they arrive he asks them to do some modelling instead.



Watch more Henry Danger on Nickelodeon!

Visit nick.co.uk/christmas for stockings full of festive videos, games, photos and more!

More Nick: Nickelodeon UK To Premiere 'I Am Frankie' On Monday 8th January 2018!
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Быть блогером: На съёмках четвёртого выпуска | Nickelodeon Россия

Попади за кулисы четвёртого выпуска шоу Nickelodeon Быть блогером!



Шоу Быть блогером - это собственный проект канала Nickelodeon, в котором самые яркие интернет-знаменитости рассказывают о том, как запустить свой блог, снять первое видео и завоевать аудиторию. Наши главные участники – пять Учеников, прошедшие непростой отбор. В каждом выпуске они получают задание снять видео на определённую тему. И чтобы с ним справиться, им на помощь приходят наши ведущие – Миша Шевчук и Максим Старосвитский из RoomFactory и актриса Полина Гренц. Ведущие вместе с крутыми гостями шоу делятся секретами профессии блогера и разбирают работы участников. Героям придётся хорошенько постараться и доказать, что именно они достойны быть Учениками проекта Быть блогером, ведь в любой момент их могут заменить...

Ну а тот, кто справится лучше всех со всеми заданиями станет официальным блогером телеканала Nickelodeon Россия в интернете на целый год! Хочешь быть блогером? Тогда это шоу для тебя!

Больше информации: http://blog.nickelodeon.ru/

Больше Nick Nickelodeon Russia To Premiere 'Tiny Christmas' On Sunday 31st December 2017!
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Nickelodeon Global Video Round-Up | Friday 29th December 2017

Check out a selection of video clips featuring your favourite Nickelodeon shows and stars from Nickelodeon channels around the world!

Decorando a Árvore | O Natal Mais Esperado | Nickelodeon Brasil

Os personagens da Nick estão preparando as árvores de Natal!



Más Nick: 'That's What Christmas is All About' | 11 Louds a Leapin' | The Loud House | BR-PT Version | Nickelodeon Brasil!
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Navidad: ¡A decorar el arbolito! | Nickelodeon Latinoamérica

Así se prepararon tus personajes favoritos para #LaNavidadMasEsperada. ¿Cuál te gustó más? ¡Dile a Nick en YouTube!



Más Nick: Viacom Americas Working On Two New Nickelodeon Shows: 'Club 57' And 'Noobees'!
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The Perfect Tree | Rugrats | The Splat

Didi and Betty have a hard time searching for the perfect tree for the holidays.



I mean…I get it, Didi…but, still…

More Nick: Nickelodeon & Paramount To Release 'Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie' On DVD On Tuesday 13th February 2018 | Update: Available To Pre-Order Now!!

Watch all your '90s Nickelodeon favorites on NickSplat, your late-night destination for your favorite childhood Nickelodeon cartoons and live-action shows! NickSplat doesn't question football-shaped heads, but embrace them - along with Reptar bars, a Big Ear of Corn, orange soda, and even slime for Pete (and Pete's) sake. Make your slime-covered Nickelodeon childhood dreams come true every night, only on TeenNick USA! #NickSplat!

More NickSplat: Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards UK 2007 | 10th Anniversary | #TBT | NickSplat UK!
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It's Snowing...Inside? | The Amanda Show | NickSplat

Amanda, Drake and Josh get a flaky surprise. Hint: it’s not snow.



More Nick: Nickelodeon & Paramount To Release 'Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie' On DVD On Tuesday 13th February 2018 | Update: Available To Pre-Order Now!!

Watch all your '90s Nickelodeon favorites on NickSplat, your late-night destination for your favorite childhood Nickelodeon cartoons and live-action shows! NickSplat doesn't question football-shaped heads, but embrace them - along with Reptar bars, a Big Ear of Corn, orange soda, and even slime for Pete (and Pete's) sake. Make your slime-covered Nickelodeon childhood dreams come true every night, only on TeenNick USA! #NickSplat!

More NickSplat: Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards UK 2007 | 10th Anniversary | #TBT | NickSplat UK!
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Harvey Beaks | "Rage Against The Michelle" | The Music of Harvey Beaks

Music from Nickelodeon's Harvey Beaks episode, "Rage Against the Michelle" which premiered on Nicktoons USA on December 26, 2017. Written, performed, and produced by Ego Plum.



More Nick: Nicktoons USA To Premiere Remaining Episodes Of 'Harvey Beaks' From Monday 18th December 2017!
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