Viacom has named Brian Robbins as the Nickelodeon president, which is to be effective immediately. Robbins will report directly to Viacom president and chief executive officer Bob Bakish.
In his new role, Robbins will manage the creative and business operations at Nickelodeon. He will also be responsible for evolving the brand for a new generation of young audiences, including further bolstering its content pipeline through a mix of new and legacy franchises, and accelerating its push into next-generation platforms and feature film.
Recently served as president of Paramount Pictures’ Paramount Players division, Robbins worked closely with Nickelodeon and Viacom’s other brands to identify talent and properties to be developed into co-branded feature films. Besides that, Robbins will remain integrally involved in the development, production and marketing of all Nickelodeon co-branded films with Paramount Players, including Dora the Explorer, Rugrats and other current projects.
Commenting on Robbins’ appointment Bakish said, “Brian is a creative powerhouse who has spent his career on the front lines of our industry, anticipating and driving changes in television, film and digital media. With his unmatched credentials in kids’ entertainment and his firsthand knowledge of Nickelodeon, I have asked Brian to drive the innovation and transformation that will ensure the brand remains the dominant force with young audiences.”
Prior to leading Paramount Players, Robbins co-founded the multi-platform media company Awesomeness in 2012 and served as the chief executive officer. He also co-founded the production company Tollins/Robbins Productions and was the founder and president of Varsity Pictures. In this role, he executive produced numerous television hits for teens and young audiences, including the popular Nickelodeon series Kenan and Kel and All That, the latter of which Robbins adapted into the Nickelodeon feature film Good Burger.
“Nickelodeon is one of the entertainment industry’s most vibrant and groundbreaking brands, with iconic properties, a deep culture of creativity and invention, and an incredibly talented team of kids’ entertainment professionals. I’m thrilled to return to Nickelodeon and draw on its much strength – including its rich library and rapidly growing studio production business – to deliver must-see content to kids on every platform around the world. During this time of upheaval in big media, I can’t wait to disrupt the disrupters,” exclaimed Robbins.
He also executive produced Blue Mountain State for Spike TV (now Paramount Network) and produced the Paramount films Varsity Blues, Coach Carter and Hardball. His credits include the television series Smallville and One Tree Hill for CW, Disney Channel’s Sonny with a Chance, So Random, Disney’s Wild Hogs and The Shaggy Dog, DreamWorks’ Norbit and A Thousand Words and Sony Pictures’ Radio.
Robbins is the recipient of a Directors Guild Award, a Peabody Award and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Pioneer Prize besides an Emmy Award nominee.