Marjorie Cohn Named President, Original Programming and Development, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group

NEW YORK, April 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Marjorie Cohn, a 23-year veteran of Nickelodeon has been promoted to the position of President, Original Programming and Development, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. The announcement was made today by Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group, to whom she will continue to report.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100419/NY88803 )

Cohn's promotion comes as Nickelodeon enjoys one of its most ambitious original programming slates ever in its 31 year history. At its recent upfront presentation to advertisers, Nickelodeon announced a 2010-11 programming lineup that includes the new live-action series Victorious and House of Anubis, plus new seasons of six series (iCarly, Big Time Rush, True Jackson, VP, The Troop, BrainSurge and Nick News with Linda Ellerbee) on Nickelodeon; Gigantic on TeenNick; and a second season of Glenn Martin, DDS on Nick at Nite. Cohn also oversees production of Nickelodeon's live-action events, including the annual Kids' Choice Awards and the TeenNick HALO Awards. 

"Margie has been the driving force behind some of Nickelodeon's biggest hits during her tenure with Nick; from classics like Clarissa Explains It All to new hits like Big Time Rush she's demonstrated a knack for identifying and helping to mold properties that connect with our audience," said Zarghami.  "With an exciting slate of TV movies and live-action offerings on the horizon, we are excited to see what new and amazing content she will bring to our expanding business."

Cohn oversees Nickelodeon's live-action creative executive teams on both the East and West Coasts, managing the creative direction and coordination between series production and network departments and businesses. Cohn also helms all original programming for Nick at Nite and TeenNick, Nickelodeon's 24-hour network exclusively for and about teens, as well as all original television movies for Nickelodeon.

In the last five years alone, Margie and her team have created some of the biggest live-action hits in Nickelodeon's history, including, Drake & Josh; Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide; Zoey 101; True Jackson, VP; and the ground-breaking megahit iCarly.  Cohn will continue to break ground this summer with season 10 of Degrassi: The Next Generation, which will feature a telenovela format. 

Prior to concentrating solely on live action, Cohn also oversaw Nickelodeon's animation production and development,  delivering hits such as SpongeBob SquarePants; The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius; The Fairly OddParents; As Told By Ginger; Rugrats: All Grown Up and Avatar: The Last Airbender, which will be released as a live-action feature film this summer titled The Last Airbender.

Cohn joined Nickelodeon in 1986 as a Unit Manager and shortly after became a Producer working on all Nickelodeon productions, including the network's early hit game shows Double Dare and Don't Just Sit There.  In addition, she created and produced Nickelodeon's Get the Picture, and was Executive in Charge of Production for Roundhouse and Nick's first break-out live-action hit, Clarissa Explains It All.

Cohn graduated from the State University of New York at Binghamton with a B.A. in Fine Art and English, and lives in New York with her husband and two children.

Nickelodeon, now in its 31st 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 company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 15 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA)

SOURCE Nickelodeon