Nickelodeon to Develop Animated Project from Norman Lear

Nickelodeon is developing a new animated project, Man of the House (working title), from Norman Lear’s ACT III Productions.

Man of the House follows 11-year-old José as he helps his mother Maria watch over his two younger siblings, Maria Juliana “Maju” and Diego, while trying to form a hip-hop group with his quirky classmate and neighbor, Wilbur, that lives downstairs. Lear (All in the Family, The Jeffersons) and Brent Miller (One Day at a Time) will serve as executive producers. The creative concept comes from Colombian-American writer and illustrator Michael Molina (Trivia Night).

“Norman has been telling stories about families, parents and kids for many years, and it’s so exciting that he and his producing partners Brent and Michael, want to tell this story to today’s generation of Nick kids,” said Chris Viscardi, senior VP of Nickelodeon Animation.

The development will be overseen by Claudia Spinelli, who has been promoted to VP of animation development. Formerly VP of current series, Spinelli will oversee the development pipeline of all new animated content, while identifying potential creators, showrunners, writers and directors. She will also work closely with Nickelodeon’s talent relations department and the animation community to scout new talent for animation development.

Viscardi added, “I am also incredibly excited that Claudia will oversee the development of this project, among many more, as Nick’s new head of development. Claudia has shepherded some of today’s most popular series including SpongeBob Square Pants and Sanjay and Craig. She is a true creative partner and a trusted voice with a love for storytelling. I look forward to her continued leadership in our animation group.”