Nickelodeon Names Duo of Digital Studios Execs

Nickelodeon has appointed Ashley Kaplan to the role of senior VP of digital studios, with Luke Wahl tapped for the position of VP of digital studios, reporting to Kaplan.

In her new role, Kaplan will lead the company’s YouTube strategy and oversee the creative and editorial voice for digital content creation, as well as the development and production of original short-form content exclusively for Nickelodeon’s YouTube and social media platforms. Kaplan will be based out of Nickelodeon’s Burbank, California headquarters.

Kaplan previously served as the senior VP of creative and production at Fullscreen Media, where she oversaw ongoing production and development of premium content. Prior to that, she was VP of digital content and strategy for Magical Elves. In this role, she oversaw the development, production and content partnerships for all media adjacent to the company’s television properties—most notably the Emmy Award-winning series Last Chance Kitchen. Before joining Magical Elves, Kaplan did a stint at Viacom’s Logo channel, launching its digital content department and producing the first online original series.

As VP of digital studios, Wahl will work on the development and production of original short-form content exclusively for Nickelodeon’s YouTube and social channels, with an emphasis on sports-themed content. He will also work closely with the linear development and current production teams to create content that can live seamlessly across the brand’s linear and social platforms. He will also be based out of Burbank.

Prior to joining Nickelodeon, Wahl served as head of video at Gear Patrol, a print and digital men’s lifestyle publication and content studio, where he brought the brand’s video strategy to life through their Product Journalism content. Before Gear Patrol, he helped launch Sports Illustrated’ s OTT service, and did stints as an executive producer for Katie Couric’s programming at Yahoo! News, as well as at AwesomenessTV. He also served as showrunner and co-executive producer for Embassy Row’s TakePart Live on Pivot TV.

Nickelodeon President Brian Robbins said: “Engagement on Nickelodeon’s social channels has grown exponentially as a result of the amazing work we’ve been doing with Kelly Day and Viacom Digital Studios, and no one is better suited to build upon this success than Ashley. Ashley and Luke both bring an innate strategic prowess in this space and an award-winning creative pedigree that will keep the momentum going, as we continue to develop content that allows our audience to shift seamlessly across our digital and linear platforms.”

Kelly Day, president of Viacom Digital Studios, said: “With nearly 1.5 billion video views per month, Nickelodeon is the leader in safe and engaging kids programming for YouTube and other major social platforms. Ashley and Luke both bring an incredible depth of knowledge in creating compelling digital-native content for young audiences, which will further accelerate Nickelodeon’s reach and engagement online. We’re thrilled to welcome them to the Viacom Digital Studios team.”