Russell Hicks has stepped down as President, Content Development and Production for the Nickelodeon Group, Deadline reports. Hicks had been at Nickelodeon for 18 years and apparently had recently come off of a long medical leave. There are no replacement plans at this time.
Hicks oversaw live-action and animation development and production for all of Nick’s content platforms, across all channels — Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., NickToons, TeenNick and Nick at Nite. Notably, he is credited with creating Nickelodeon’s animated shorts program to attract and encourage new talent and uncover fresh shorts and series concepts.
Prior to becoming president in 2012, Hicks was Nickelodeon’s Chief Creative Officer, overseeing Nickelodeon Creative, On-Air Promotions, Consumer Products, Brand and Advertising divisions, and lead product development and creative positions for Nick’s brands and properties. Before joining Nickelodeon Group, he was VP, Marketing – Cartoon Network/Turner brands at Warner Bros.
