Rich Magallanes Named Senior Vice President of Nickelodeon Animation, Current Series
BURBANK, Calif. — Jan. 12, 2012 — Rich Magallanes has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Nickelodeon Animation, Current Series. In this new role, Magallanes will manage Nick’s animation series’ Executives in Charge and oversee production of current animated series including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob SquarePants, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness and The Penguins of Madagascar. The announcement was made today by Brown Johnson, President, Nickelodeon Animation, to whom he will report.
“Rich is a Nick veteran. During his 15 years with the company, his creative imprint has touched everything from SpongeBob SquarePants to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He embodies the perfect combination of creative chops and executive leadership necessary to drive our animation business forward,” said Johnson.
Magallanes began his career at Nickelodeon in 1997 as a freelance story consultant working on shows such as Rugrats, The Wild Thornberrys and Angry Beavers. He has also been instrumental in launching some of Nickelodeon’s biggest current animated hits, including SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents and The Penguins of Madagascar.
Prior to his new role, Magallanes was Vice President of Animated Current Series, overseeing daily management of the current series staff and serving as Executive in Charge on core franchises. He also managed the Nickelodeon Writing and Artist Fellowship Programs at the Burbank Animation Studios, which helps advance the careers of talented writers trying to break into the business. He also co-developed and managed the production of Nickelodeon’s highly-anticipated re-boot of the iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise set to debut in 2012.
As Nickelodeon’s Executive Director of animated and live-action series, he oversaw the production of shows such as Danny Phantom, ChalkZone, The Fairly OddParents, El Tigre and Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide. He produced The Fairly OddParents’ “Fairly OddBaby” (Feb. 19, 2007)–the series’ highest-rated telecast ever (8.8 million total viewers)–and was the studio executive behind The Fairly OddParents “Wishology” trilogy. Magallanes also worked on the development of Butch Hartman’s newest Nick hit, T.U.F.F. Puppy, which is the #2 animated program among kids 2-11 on all of TV, behind SpongeBob SquarePants.
Magallanes has been active in Nickelodeon’s various diversity initiatives over the years and is a member of the West Coast Diversity Team. In addition to representing Nickelodeon at several domestic film festivals and industry related functions he has extended the animation studios’ outreach efforts beyond the US to Puerto Rico, China and Europe.
Prior to Nickelodeon, Magallanes worked in production on several motion picture and independent films, and as a staff news writer for KSDO AM 1130 in San Diego. He is a graduate of San Diego State University with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Journalism.