Nickelodeon Animation President to Depart

The woman who gave your children "Dora the Explorer" and "Blue's Clues" departs amid executive restructuring

Brown Johnson, Nickelodeon's president of animation who brought series such as "Blue's Clues" and "Dora the Explorer" to the world of children's programming, is departing the company, Nickelodeon said Wednesday.

Getty Images Johnson had held her position since 2008. Previously, she had served as executive vice president, creative director of Nickelodeon Preschool and general manager of Noggin, the precursor to Nick Jr.

Also read: Nickelodeon Names Russell Hicks as President, Content Development and Production

Recently, she had overseen Nickelodeon's partnerships with DreamWorks Animation SKG, and the upcoming reboot of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," which premieres Sept. 29.

According to Nickelodeon, Johnson is leaving "to pursue her own creative endeavors."

“Brown’s contributions to Nickelodeon are many, including being the key architect behind our preschool leadership,” Nickelodeon Group president Cyma Zarghami said. “She leaves an indelible impact on generations of kids for which we will always be incredibly grateful.”

The announcement of Johnson's departure came with news of a restructuring that saw Nickelodeon's chief creative officer Russell Hicks appointed as president, content development and production of the Nickelodeon Group. Hicks' appointment was part of a centralization of Nick's West Coast leadership.

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