Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Nickelodeon Names Zack Olin as SVP of Live-Action

Nickelodeon has announced today (Tuesday, August 18) that it has hired Zack Olin as its Senior Vice President (SVP) of live-action.


In the newly-created role, Olin will partner with Shauna Phelan, who serves as Senior Vice President of live-action scripted content. Together they will oversee scripted series, movies and specials in the company’s scripted division. Both will report to Brian Robbins, President of ViacomCBS Kids and Family Entertainment. Olin will be based in Hollywood.

The appointment formalizes Olin’s relationship with Nickelodeon, having previously served a live-action development consultant for the network. Before that, Olin spent several years at ABC Studios (now ABC Signature) as Vice President (VP), Creative Development, overseeing series like Grown-ish, Speechless, The Kids Are Alright and The Real O’Neals.

Prior to that, Olin served as executive director of current programming at ABC Network Entertainment, where he oversaw series such as Happy Endings, Cougar Town, Better Off Ted, Samantha Who? and Body of Proof as well as story and animation for the animated release Schoolhouse Rock! Earth.

Olin also worked on the Development and Current Programming teams at Fox Broadcasting, assisting in the development of American Dad and managing series including The Simpsons, That 70’s Show, The Bernie Mac Show and MadTV. Olin began his television career at CBS Productions as an assistant on the development team.

This hire marks a continued focus on live-action content for the company. In June, ViacomCBS’s kids and family division hired Yolanda Cochran as SVP of live-action long-form production for its Nickelodeon channels. Around the same time, ViacomCBS also named Syrinthia Studer as the first Executive Vice President (EVP) of Nickelodeon and Awesomeness Films, overseeing all live-action feature-length content for Awesomeness and Nick’s kids and family studio.

Despite these appointments, Nickelodeon’s live-action efforts have faced significant delays after shutdowns related to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic shuttered filming around the world earlier this year. Recent live-action offerings have instead focused on remote filming, like the quarantine-themed Danger Force special that aired in May and subsequent filmed-at-home shorts.

More Nick: Nickelodeon Upfront 2020 Roundup!

Originally published: Tuesday, August 18, 2020 at 19.19 BST.

Sources: TheWrap, Deadline; H/T: @EfyToony1, Kidscreen.
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