Russell Hicks promoted at Nickelodeon
LOS ANGELES – Russell Hicks, a 14-year Nickelodeon veteran and its Chief Creative Officer since 2008, has been named to the new position of President, Content Development and Production for the Nickelodeon Group.
The newly created position establishes centralised, West Coast leadership of all Nickelodeon’s content teams, and provides direct, on the ground oversight of the network’s development slate. Hicks will be based at Nickelodeon’s Burbank and Santa Monica, California, offices, where he will lead the company’s live-action, animation development and production teams for all of Nickelodeon’s content platforms.
Nancy Dubuc named President, Entertainment and Media, A+E Networks
NEW YORK – Nancy Dubuc has been appointed to a newly established role – President, Entertainment and Media, A+E Networks. Dubuc will now oversee all content creation, brand development and marketing for the entire A+E Networks portfolio including A&E Network, Lifetime and History,and their affiliated brands.
In addition, Dubuc will oversee A+E Networks’ International and Digital divisions. A&E Network President Bob DeBitetto and Executive Vice Presidents Dan Suratt and Steve Ronson will now report to Dubuc. The announcement was made by Abbe Raven, President and CEO, A+E Networks, to whom Dubuc will continue to report. The appointment is effective immediately.
Jim Egan appointed COO of BBC Global News
Jim Egan has been appointed as the Chief Operating Officer of the newly created BBC Global News Ltd, which will merge the BBC’s commerciallyfunded bbc.com/news and BBC World News services, previously operated as separate businesses. BBC Global News Ltd will also oversee the weather and sport areas of bbc. com. Egan will run this business alongside Richard Porter, Controller of English for BBC Global News, who takes editorial responsibility.
Egan said the aim of the changes was to unlock new multimedia opportunities by bringing the BBC’s expertise in digital, social media and TV together in one place and running the operation as a single entity focusing on audiences, not platforms. Egan will report to the BBC’s Director of Global News, Peter Horrocks.
Armando Nuñez named President and CEO of CBS Global Distribution Group
Armando Nuñez has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of the CBS Global Distribution Group, a newly created position that will lead CBS’s combined domestic and international television distribution business.
Nuñez, who has served as President of CBS’s international television division since 1999, will now oversee a streamlined worldwide television distribution operation that includes CBS Television Distribution, a preeminent syndicator of first-run and off-network programming, and CBS Studios International, which licenses CBS programming worldwide to more than 200 markets across multiple media platforms.
His expanded purview will include a domestic television company that features seven of the top 10 first-run syndicated shows—including long-running franchises such as Judge Judy, Entertainment Tonight, Dr. Phil and Jeopardy!—along with the international arm that has grown into the top supplier of U.S. programming in Europe.
Telemundo Internacional appoints format sales manager
Emanuela Bosco has joined Telemundo Internacional to strengthen the sales of its catalog’s formats. Based in the Madrid office, Bosco will be reporting directly to Karina Etchison, Vice-President of Sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Having held the title of Head of TV and Home Entertainment at Elastic Rights in Spain, where she was responsible for the sales of animated series for the Iberia and Southern Europe markets, and at Walt Disney Television Italia, where she served as Compliance and Acquisition Manager, Bosco comes with a great knowledge of the business and more than 20 years of experience in the industry. At Telemundo Internacional, Bosco will be providing services to many of its clients, especially in the EMEA market.
HBO CEO Bill Nelson to retire
NEW YORK – Bill Nelson has announced that he will step down as CEO of Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO) at the end of the year. Under Nelson’s tenure, HBO has enjoyed record revenues and profits, experienced a resurgence in its original programming and expanded its international businesses, resulting in over 100 million subscribers worldwide.
Under the new management structure, Eric Kessler will serve as President and COO and Michael Lombardo will serve as President, Programming, and both will report to Richard Plepler, who will become CEO.
Nelson has been Chairman and CEO of Home Box Office, Inc. since 2007. Prior to his current position, he was Chief Operating Officer for Home Box Office since 2002, responsible for overseeing domestic and international marketing and affiliate relations for the HBO and Cinemax networks; global home video distribution, content and licensing; film acquisitions; finance; legal; and human resources.
