Talent development programs yield nine new voices from around the world.
BURBANK, CA -- Nickelodeon has selected nine new participants to join its talent development programs this year. For its 16th annual Writing Program, Nick has chosen four new emerging talents; while five are joining the 5th annual Artist Program. Nick’s Writing Program gives aspiring television scribes the opportunity to hone their skills while writing for its live-action and animated shows. Nickelodeon’s Artist Program nurtures the development of emerging talent for positions within the animation studio in Burbank, Calif. These two global programs were developed to broaden Nickelodeon’s outreach efforts, in order to mine and cultivate a new generation of creative talent through extensive, hands-on work.
“Nickelodeon continues to garner terrific worldwide response from our outreach programs, and we look forward to working with and mentoring this new generation of creative visionaries,” said Russell Hicks, Nickelodeon’s President of Content Development and Production.
This year’s writers and artists join an alumni group who have gone on to hold positions at various networks like Nickelodeon, HBO, DreamWorks, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, Kids’ WB!, ABC, FOX, PBS, Cartoon Network and the CW. Sheela Shrinivas, Karla Sakas, Alan Van Dyke, Celestino Marina and Lisa Vandenberg are among some of the programs’ most recent alumni who have either been staffed on various current Nickelodeon shows or have ideas in development at the network. Other notable graduates include creators, co-executive producers and writers Jonathan Butler and Gabriel Garza of Nickelodeon’s hit live-action comedy series Bella and the Bulldogs.
The four 2015 Writing Program participants include:
- Charlie Neuner: From Woodland Hills, CA, Neuner honed his craft via the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program where three of his television comedy scripts placed in the top 10 of the program’s 2013 Screenwriting Competition. Neuner also writes short stories and is working on a novel.
- Jeffrey Trammell: Hailing from Detroit, MI, Trammell was a professional wrestler who dreamt of becoming a writer. He also writes sketches and short films, and is working on a comic book.
- Robert Woo: Born in South Korea via Hawaii, Woo is an experienced improv and sketch writer, having performed at comedy festivals all over the world. He was chosen to be a part of the 2014 NBCUniversal Late Night Writers Workshop and is ready to transition from the stage to the small screen.
- Milla Tuokkola: The program’s second international writer, Tuokkola is from Helsinki, Finland. She studied scriptwriting for film and television at Bournemouth University in England where she discovered she was most interested in telling funny stories from a refreshingly feminist point of view. Tuokkola recently wrote and self-published the first chapter of her comic book series.
The five 2015 Artist Program participants include:
- Mallory Carlson: A California State University Fullerton graduate, she is being mentored on Pig Goat Banana Cricket.
- Jerry Suh: A recent graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design who is being mentored on the upcoming series The Loud House.
- Marcos Cohen: A California Institute of the Arts graduate who is being mentored on the upcoming series Pinky Malinky.
- April Amézquita: A graduate of Otis College of Art and Design, she is being mentored on Shimmer and Shine.
- Caitlin Elise Willis: A graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, she is being mentored on SpongeBob SquarePants.
Source: Nickelodeon
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.
