Russell Hicks, who had served as the Chief Creative Officer for Nickelodeon since 2008, has been moved into the newly created position of president, content development and production for the Nickelodeon Group, the company said Wednesday.
In his new capacity, Hicks will lead the company's live-action and animation development and production teams for all of Nickelodeon's content platforms, working from the company's Burbank and Santa Monica offices. The new position creates centralized West Coast leadership for the company.
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Hicks, who has been with Nickelodeon for 14 years, will continue to report to Nickelodeon Group president Cyma Zarghami.
“As we continue our ambitious evolution of Nickelodeon, Russell will ensure that our rich and diversified development slate, as well as our new and established producing partners, will all serve our creative vision for the network and deliver for our audiences," Zarghami said of the new position. "As the new development season begins, this is the perfect moment for Russell to take the helm.”
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Hicks steps into the position at a time when developing new programs has become a priority for Nickelodeon, in the face of declining ratings. Once dominant in the children's market, Nickelodeon hit a downward ratings slide last year, which prompted one stock analyst to downgrade his rating for parent company Viacom in November. The network's upcoming new projects include "Sam & Cat" and "Gibby," spinoffs from the network's hits "iCarly" and the recently canceled "Victorious," as well as the new series "Wendell and Vinnie."