The creative and management teams of Viacom’s cable broadcasting entities Nick Jr. and NOGGIN will come together to form one unified group dubbed Nickelodeon Preschool. The consolidated team will be led by Brown Johnson, who will serve as exec VP and exec creative director for Nickelodeon Preschool and general manager of NOGGIN. In addition, Teri Weiss has been promoted to senior VP of development and production, and Angela Leaney has been named senior VP and creative director for Nickelodeon Preschool.
Johnson has been with Nickelodeon for 19 years and has been the driving force behind Nick Jr. and such hit preschool series as Blue’s Clues, Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!, The Wonder Pets! and The Backyardigans. In her new role, she will oversee development and production for all preschool programming across Nickelodeon networks, including the Nick Jr. preschool block and NOGGIN, a commercial-free digital educational network for preschoolers. NOGGIN original series currently include, Oobi, Jack’s Big Music Show, The Upside Down Show, Pinky Dinky Doo, Miffy and Friends and 64 Zoo Lane.
Teri Weiss most recently served as VP of development and production for Nick Jr. As senior VP of development and production of Nickelodeon Preschool, she will report to Johnson as she continues to develop and produce new series. Weiss joined Nickelodeon in 1999 as the exec in charge of production for Dora the Explorer. Prior to that, she worked on shows for Comedy Central and receiving two Emmy Awards and three Parent’s Choice Awards as a producer on Sesame Street.
As senior VP and creative director, Angela Leaney will also report to Johnson as she partners with Nickelodeon Marketing and Nickelodeon Digital to continue to build both brands. Most recently, she served as senior VP of brand communications and was responsible for the strategic branding, on-air and on-line promotion and marketing of NOGGIN and nighttime teen network The N. Before joining the Nickelodoen family, Leaney was head of planning and research at advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather, Los Angeles.