Viacom International appoints Layla Lewis as Vice President, Content Acquisitions for Nickelodeon.
New York, NY --
Viacom International Media Networks announced the appointment of Layla Lewis as Vice President, Content Acquisitions for Nickelodeon, and the promotion of Shannon Friedrichs Higdon to Vice President, Content and Brand Management, Nickelodeon International. Lewis will oversee global acquisition strategies and day-to-day acquisition management for Nickelodeon’s global network of channels, and Friedrichs Higdon will manage the development and execution of Nickelodeon’s international programming strategy. Both are based in New York and report directly to Jules Borkent, Senior Vice President, Global Acquisitions & International Programming for Nickelodeon, VIMN.
Lewis will be responsible for negotiating, sourcing and managing content acquisitions for Nickelodeon channels globally. She will also supervise all content acquisition proposals and will be integral in the greenlighting process of new Nickelodeon programming and partnership content. In addition, she will work closely with the company’s programming heads in international markets to coordinate and develop pan-regional deals for Nickelodeon's more than 70 locally programmed channels around the globe.
Friedrichs Higdon will continue to oversee the roll-out of content across Nickelodeon’s international channels and the creation of centralized programming events and stunts to ensure Nickelodeon programming around the world is globally aligned.
"We're thrilled to welcome Layla back to the Nickelodeon family. She brings strategic and creative vision, proven expertise in negotiating acquisitions within the kids’ genre, and extensive experience in securing entertaining and compelling content,” said Borkent. “We’re also proud to elevate Shannon’s role within the Nickelodeon International team, as she has proven skill in developing and executing smart programming strategies and aligning our content around the world in an effective and efficient way. With these two strong executives in place, we are poised to continue building on Nickelodeon’s strong momentum internationally.”
Layla Lewis joins Viacom International Media Networks from Turner International’s Hong Kong office, where she was responsible for the development, planning and execution of Turner International’s regional Asia Pacific acquisitions strategies. Prior to Turner, she was a part of Nickelodeon UK for more than 10 years, where she was responsible for acquiring and editorially overseeing content that helped secure the award-winning channel a no. 1 position for more than 10 years.
Shannon Friedrichs Higdon joined Nickelodeon International in 2011 as the Senior Director, Program Planning and Brand Management. Prior to joining Nickelodeon International, Friedrichs Higdon was a member of Nickelodeon’s US Programming team since 2005, managing day-to-day scheduling operations for Nickelodeon’s linear channel and multiplatform screens.
Source: Viacom International Media Networks
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
