Nickelodeon Selects Participants for Writing & Artist Programs

Nickelodeon has selected ten participants for its annual Writing and Artist Programs, designed to develop the next generation of creative voices.

This year’s iteration follows the success of last year’s, which saw all participants staffed across Nickelodeon and ViacomCBS productions. To strengthen the program, this year will see the addition of peer mentoring, providing participants with one-on-one mentorship.

During the 22nd annual yearlong Writing Program, four aspiring television writers will have the opportunity to network with executives and show creators, gain experience writing scripts, pitch story ideas, attend workshops and seminars and work in writers’ rooms.

The selected participants for the Writing Program are Kobie Scott, Lauren Monroe, Hannah Suria and Frank Paiva. They will be individually paired with Nickelodeon’s Linda Halder (senior manager, live-action development), Mary Harrington (executive producer, preschool development) and Conrad Montgomery (VP, animation development), who will work with them on professional development, writing and network building at the studio.

During the tenth annual six-month Artist Program, six emerging artists will learn from lead artists and work on an animated series in various stages of production. The program’s tracks include storyboard, general design and CG generalist.

The selected participants for the Artist Program are Cherrie Wang, Katarina Perez, Roger Hernandez, Emily Monjaraz, Booker Jackson and David Lu. They will be paired with Ashley Kliment (art director, The Loud House); Jeff Chozon (art director, Transformers) and Jermaine Jose (art director, Transformers); Kimberly Mills (storyboard director, Big Nate) and Vypac Voeur (lead CG generalist, Big Nate); Chris Graham (supervising director, Santiago of the Seas); and Sica Von Medicus (CG supervisor, Max & The Midknights).

“Nickelodeon’s long-running Writing and Artist Programs continue to provide aspiring creative minds with the tools to help launch their careers and deliver inclusive stories that reflect the voices of our diverse audiences,” said Marva Smalls, executive VP and global head of inclusion at ViacomCBS and executive VP of public affairs, kids and family entertainment brands, at ViacomCBS Media Networks. “Aligned with ViacomCBS’s Content for Change initiative, these programs also affirm our commitment to ensuring an equitable and inclusive pipeline that removes barriers to entry for underrepresented storytellers and continues our work to change the face of content creation.”