Nickelodeon Selects 10 Participants for Annual Writing and Artist Programs
Nickelodeon has selected 10 participants for its annual Writing and Artist Programs, aimed at fostering creative talents from underrepresented communities. The 2022 Writing Program features four aspiring writers, while the Artist Program includes six emerging artists. Last year's programs achieved a 100% staffing success rate for participants. The addition of Peer Mentoring enhances the curriculum, allowing participants to receive personalized guidance. Nickelodeon continues its commitment to diversity through these initiatives, supporting the Content for Change initiative.
- 100% staffing success rate for last year's participants.
- Introduction of Peer Mentoring to enhance skill development.
- Programs focused on underrepresented communities align with diversity goals.
- Participants gain hands-on experience and networking opportunities.
- None.
2022 Program Expands to Include an Additional Artist; Introduces Peer Mentoring Facet of Curriculum
Last Year’s Program Garnered
Click HERE for bios and headshots.
The news comes on the heels of the second year of remote programming, which marked the most successful year ever for Nickelodeon’s
“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
This year’s addition of Peer Mentoring strengthens the program’s overall impact, providing participants with invaluable one-on-one mentorship, as well as a deeper introduction to Nickelodeon’s culture and inclusive work environment.
Within the Writing Program, all participants have the opportunity to network with executives and show creators, gain firsthand experience writing scripts, pitch story ideas, and attend workshops, seminars, classes and experience working writers’ rooms. These writers will develop their skills with hands-on work during the yearlong program.
The writers will be individually paired with Nickelodeon’s
The Writing Program participants are:
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Kobie Scott : Born and raised in the Big Peach State of Georgia,Kobie Scott was always connected to animation. He was accepted intoGeorgia Southern University , planning to be a staff writer in the video game industry, but quickly realized TV writing was more his speed. He bought books about scriptwriting and story structure, and took animation classes that gave him a greater understanding of the art form and possibly carpal tunnel.
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Lauren Monroe :Lauren Monroe (she/her) is a fat, queer, neurodiverse writer who grew up inAtlanta with a nerdy mom who cosplayed at conventions, taught high school English, and instilled a love of fantasy storytelling. Now Monroe happily writes colorful fantasy worlds for kids with queerness and nuanced perspectives of diverse bodies and brains.
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Hannah Suria :Hannah Suria is a writer and performer fromOrange County, Calif. and the proud daughter of immigrants (a mixed mom fromSingapore and a Tamil-Sri Lankan father fromMalaysia ). Writing stopped being a hobby and became an integral part of her life when, as an aspiring actor, Suria quickly discovered roles for women who look like her were few and far between.
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Frank Paiva :Frank Paiva (he/they) is a gay and queer person of size fromSeattle . Growing up in the early 2000s, they struggled to find a blueprint for the rest of their life in popular media. Newly based inLos Angeles , Paiva writes comedies with heart, with a particular interest in LGBTQ history and expanding the range of body types audiences see onscreen.
During the six-month Artist Program, aspiring artists will learn from lead artists and practice their craft as they work on an animated series in various stages of production. The Artist Program tracks include storyboard, general design or CG generalist. The CG track was first offered last year to service many of the Nickelodeon Animation Studio’s current and upcoming CG productions.
The artists are paired with artistic mentors at Nickelodeon to guide their production experience, including:
The Artist Program participants are:
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Cherrie Wang (Storyboard Track):Cherrie Wang has spent her entire life doodling on anything she could get her hands on. Her family didn’t understand the world of art and animation, so Wang attended theUniversity of Southern California where she earned her degree in Computer Science and Engineering. She taught herself how to storyboard via the internet and recently moved back toLos Angeles to pursue her calling full-time.
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Katarina Perez (CG Track):Katarina Perez is a Mexican-American artist born and raised inHouston, Texas . When introduced to a 3D animation course in high school, she was enamored by all that you could do in a 3-dimensional space. This propelled her to pack up and move toDallas to pursue a Bachelor of Animation at theUniversity of Texas at Dallas .
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Roger Hernandez (CG Generalist Track): Born in theGreater Los Angeles area to immigrant parents fromEl Salvador , Roger Hernandez’s parents were always a pillar of support and despite limited resources, they got him through college where he pursued his dream in CG animation at Cal State Northridge. Though truly a CG generalist, his primary focus is CG modeling. Sculpting 3D models is his passion and it is his goal to share his vision and talent through his art.
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Emily Monjaraz (General Design Track):Emily Monjaraz started her career illustrating kids’ books and doing graphic design for toy companies that encourage girls to pursue careers in STEM. Her mission is to create content for children learning how to harness their differences into super-powers as well as create stories and characters that represent the world in which she grew up.
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Booker Jackson (Storyboard Track):Booker Jackson is fromSacramento, Calif. and was captivated by animation from a young age after seeing a fun Nickelodeon behind the scenes segment about a day in the life of a story artist. Jackson is passionate about diversifying the world of animation and mentoring those who will come after him.
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David Lu (General Design Track):David Lu hails fromVancouver, Canada , where he spent his formative years watching a variety of cartoons that influenced him into becoming an artist. Convinced by his family that art was not a feasible career, Lu went to theBay Area to write code in exchange for cold hard cash. However, Lu's artistic desires were not satisfied, so for the past couple of years he has been focused on building his portfolio to break into the animation industry and live his childhood dream of creating cartoons.
Alumni of the programs who have gone on to hold positions on Nickelodeon shows include
For more information on the Nickelodeon Writing Program, visit @NickWriting on Twitter and @NickWritingProgram on Instagram and www.nickwriting.com, or @nick_artists on Instagram and www.nickartist.com for the Artist Program. The next submission period opens
Additional details regarding ViacomCBS’ diversity and inclusion commitments can be found at https://www.viacomcbs.com/inclusion. For more information on Content for Change, please visit: https://www.viacomcbs.com/news/company-news/how-viacomcbs-will-lead-the-way-toward-more-inclusive-storytelling.
Nickelodeon Writing Program
Established in 2000, the Writing Program offers aspiring television writers with unique voices from underrepresented communities the opportunity to hone their skills and launch their careers as writers on Nickelodeon’s scripted live-action and animated television productions. As an incubator program, the Writing Programs identifies, inspires, and mentors new creators to invigorate the Nickelodeon talent pipeline.
Nickelodeon Artist Program
Nickelodeon’s Artist Program launched in 2011 to open the door for talented artists with unique voices from underrepresented communities. The program mentors, develops and staffs emerging artists with diverse backgrounds and experiences on the studio’s animated productions in design and storyboard roles.
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 42nd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The brand includes television programming and production in
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220211005419/en/
Media Contacts:
Katelyn.Balach@Nick.com
Molly.Neuhauser@Nick.com
Source: Nickelodeon
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