Albie Hecht

Last updated
Albie Hecht
Albiehecht.jpg
EducationColumbia University
Occupation(s)TV and Film Producer, Entertainment Executive
Known forTelevision industry
Notable work
Television Nickelodeon, Spike TV, HLN
Spouse Susan MacLaury
Children2

Albie Hecht is a film and television producer and media executive. In 1997, Hecht was the president of film and TV entertainment for Nickelodeon [1] before becoming president of the television channel Spike TV in 2003. [2] In 2005, he founded and was CEO of the digital studio Worldwide Biggies. [3] [4] From 2013 to 2015, he also served as general manager of the TV channel, HLN, [5] and is chief content officer of PocketWatch.

Contents

Early life and career

Albie Hecht graduated from Francis Lewis High School in Queens, New York City [6] where he played varsity basketball and baseball and was President of the Student Organization. [7] He was the only undergraduate ever awarded a Media Studies degree by Columbia University’s Columbia College. [8]

Hecht was Director of Artist Relations at Terry Cashman's and Tommy West's Lifesong Records in the 1970s, [9] where he oversaw the career of Crack the Sky and then became manager to pop star Dean Friedman.

Television

In the mid-1980s, Hecht ran productions [10] [11] for the advertising agency Fred/Alan Inc with Alan Goodman and Fred Seibert. [12] Together, they established Chauncey Street Productions [13] [14] [15] for their independent television productions.

Through Chauncey Street, Hecht co-created and executive produced Kids Court and GUTS [16] for Nickelodeon, the Ace Award winning game show Turn it Up! for MTV and The Talent Pool for Comedy Central, which featured the TV debut of John Leguizamo.

At Nickelodeon, Hecht oversaw the development and production of SpongeBob SquarePants , Dora the Explorer , Blue's Clues , [3] and such live-action shows as All That , Kenan and Kel [17] and The Naked Brothers Band. [18] He also co-created and executive produced the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, [19] and built the Nick Digital Studio in New York and the Nick animation studio in Los Angeles.

At Spike TV, his shows included The Joe Schmo Show , MXC and signing the Ultimate Fighting Championship franchise. [20]

In 2017, Hecht joined Pocket.watch as Chief Content Officer. [21] Pocket.watch is a new studio creating global franchises from the YouTube stars characters loved by generation alpha. Hecht is the creator and Executive Producer of Ryan's Mystery Playdate [22] on the Nick Jr. Channel, [23] the number one preschool show on TV. [24] He also produced the HobbyKids Adventures, an animated series which streams on the Hobby Kids TV YouTube channel. The show has received over 30 million views of its episodes to date. [25]

Hecht is the current Chief Content Officer of pocket.watch [26] [27] that creates content for over 40 prominent Kids and Family YouTube creators, [28] resulting in more than 600 hours of programming produced to date. Currently, Hecht is overseeing the production of a series of 50 animated and live-action series and 5 specials. Featuring digital stars like Toys and Colors [29] (38.9 million subscribers) and Dan Rhodes [30] (22.5 million subscribers). Additionally, he is directing and producing "Ryan's World: them Movie" [31] [32] the first feature film for the youtube star Ryan (34.6 million subscribers), set to be released in Fall 2024.

In his role as Creator and Executive Producer at pocket.watch, Hecht led the successful launch of "Ryan’s Mystery Playdate," which garnered a Daytime Emmy Award Nomination. [33] Creating and producing hits such as "Love, Diana" with over 1 billion views, "Onyx Family Dinner," recognized with a Cynopsis Best of the Best Award [34] and a MIPCOM CANNES Diversify TV Award [35] for its contributions to representation in Kids Programming, and "HobbyKids Adventures," in collaboration with [36] [37] "The Fairly OddParents" creator Butch Hartman.

Movies

In movies, Hecht produced films for Paramount including Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events . [38] The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie , The Rugrats Movie and the Oscar nominated [39] animated feature Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius . [38] The Rugrats Movie holds the distinction of being the first non-Disney animated feature to hit $100 million at the US domestic box office. [40]

Non-profit media

In 2005, Hecht co-founded Shine Global with his wife Susan MacLaury, [41] Shine Global is a nonprofit media company that gives voice to children and their families by telling stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, inspire change. Through Shine, Hecht produced the Oscar winning [42] short documentary Inocente and the Emmy winning [43] and  Oscar nominated documentary feature War/Dance . [44]

Related Research Articles

<i>Rugrats</i> 1991–2004 American animated television series

Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series focuses on a group of toddlers, most prominently—Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil and their day-to-day lives, usually involving life experiences that become much greater adventures in the imaginations of the main characters.

<i>All Grown Up!</i> 2003–2008 American animated television series

All Grown Up! is an American animated television series developed by Kate Boutilier, Eryk Casemiro, and Monica Piper for Nickelodeon. It serves as a sequel to Rugrats, and explores the daily lives of protagonist Tommy Pickles, his little brother Dil and his childhood friends, now tweens/adolescents. The concept for the series was based on the Rugrats episode "All Growed Up", which served as the original series' 10th anniversary special and proved successful with audiences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicktoons</span> Animated series brand used by Nickelodeon

Nicktoons is a collective name used by Nickelodeon for their original animated series. All Nicktoons are produced partly at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio and list Nickelodeon's parent company in their copyright bylines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickelodeon Studios</span> Former production studio and attraction

Nickelodeon Studios was a production studio and theme park attraction run by the television network Nickelodeon at Universal Studios Florida.

The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice, is an annual American children's awards ceremony show produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in March or early April, the show honors the year's biggest in television, film, music, and sports as voted by viewers worldwide of Nickelodeon networks. Winners receive a hollow orange blimp figurine, a logo outline for much of the network's 1984–2009 era, which also functions as a kaleidoscope.

<i>The Rugrats Movie</i> 1998 American film directed by Igor Kovalyov and Norton Virgien

The Rugrats Movie is a 1998 American animated comedy film based on the Nickelodeon animated television series, Rugrats. It was directed by Igor Kovalyov and Norton Virgien and was written by David N. Weiss & J. David Stem. The film features the voices of E. G. Daily, Tara Charendoff, Christine Cavanaugh, Kath Soucie, Cheryl Chase, Cree Summer, Jack Riley, Melanie Chartoff, Michael Bell and Joe Alaskey, along with guest stars David Spade, Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Cho, Busta Rhymes, and Tim Curry. The film takes place between the events of the series' fifth and sixth seasons. The Rugrats Movie is the first feature film based on a Nicktoon and the first installment in the Rugrats film series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlene Klasky</span> American animator and co-founder of Klasky-Csupo

Arlene Phyllis Klasky is an American animator, graphic designer, producer and co-founder of Klasky Csupo with Gábor Csupó. In 1999, she was named one of the "Top 25 Women in Animation" by Animation Magazine. She is most known for her work with Nickelodeon in the 1990s and 2000s. She, along with her ex-husband Gábor Csupó and Paul Germain, co-created the animated series Rocket Power and the series Rugrats as well as the 2021 revival series of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickelodeon Animation Studio</span> American animation studio

Nickelodeon Animation Studio is an American animation studio owned by Paramount Global through the Nickelodeon Group. It has created many original television programs for Nickelodeon, such as SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents, Rugrats and Avatar: The Last Airbender, among various others. Since the 2010s, the studio has also produced its own series based on preexisting IP purchased by Paramount Global, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Winx Club. In November 2019, Nickelodeon Animation Studio signed a multiple-year output deal for Netflix, which will include producing content, in both new and preexisting IP, for the streaming platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Risley</span> American screenwriter

Mark Risley is an American writer, animator, storyboard artist, producer and director specializing in children's television. He is best-known for his work on Rugrats, The Wild Thornberrys, The Mr. Men Show, Space Racers, and Yo-kai Watch.

<i>The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie</i> 2005 film by Polly Draper

The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie is a 2005 American children's musical comedy film written and directed by Polly Draper, which stars her sons, Nat Wolff and Alex Wolff, who portray members of a fictional rock group. It tells of the boys' struggles with their fame and an internal dispute that causes the band to split before reuniting in the end. The film is emboldened by Nat's band, The Silver Boulders, which he created in preschool with his friends Joshua Kaye, Thomas Batuello, and David Levi, who all act as themselves. It also includes Allie DiMeco as Nat's fictional female interest, the siblings' real-life cousin Jesse Draper as the group's babysitter, Draper's husband Michael Wolff playing his sons' widowed accordion-playing dad, and real life friends Cooper Pillot and Cole Hawkins portraying the other members of the band.

<i>CatDog</i> American animated comedy television series

CatDog is an American animated television series created by Peter Hannan for Nickelodeon. The series follows the zany hijinks of golden-furred conjoined brothers of different species, with one half of the resultant animal being a cat and the other a dog. Nickelodeon produced the series from Burbank, California. The first episode aired on April 4, 1998, following the 1998 Kids' Choice Awards, before the show officially premiered in October of that year. Similarly, the Season 2 episode "Fetch" was shown in theaters in 1998 before airing on television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Rugrats Passover</span> 26th episode of the 3rd season of Rugrats

"A Rugrats Passover" is the 23rd and final episode of the third season of the American animated television series Rugrats. It first aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on April 13, 1995. The episode follows series regulars Grandpa Boris and the babies as they become trapped in the attic on Passover; to pass the time, Boris tells the Jewish story of the Exodus. During the episode, the babies themselves reenact the story, with Tommy portraying Moses, while his cousin Angelica represents the Pharaoh of Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Rugrats Chanukah</span> 1st episode of the 4th season of Rugrats

"A Rugrats Chanukah" is the first episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series Rugrats. It first aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on December 4, 1996. The special tells the story of the Jewish holiday Chanukah through the eyes of the Rugrats, who imagine themselves as the main characters. Meanwhile, Grandpa Boris and his long-time rival, Shlomo, feud over who will play the lead in the local synagogue's Chanukah play. While many American children's television programs have Christmas specials, "A Rugrats Chanukah" is one of the first Chanukah specials of an American children's television series.

The animated television series Rugrats has been noted for its portrayal of Judaism, a dynamic rarely represented in American animated programming during the series' broadcast run (1991–2004). Six episodes of the series are devoted to Jewish holidays and to explaining their history, and the Pickles family is shown to be part-Jewish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan's World</span> Childrens YouTube channel

Ryan's World is a children's YouTube channel for children aged 2–6 featuring Ryan Kaji along with his mother, father, and twin sisters.

PocketWatch, Inc. is a digital media studio that declares that its specialization is turning young stars on YouTube into global franchises. Its offices and studio are based in Culver City, California. The company was founded in 2012 by Chris M. Williams. It is funded by Third Wave Digital in addition to other investors and angels such as Jon Landau, UTA Ventures, the venture arm of United Talent Agency (UTA), Robert Downey Jr., and Chris Jacquemin

<i>Ryans Mystery Playdate</i> American preschool television series

Ryan's Mystery Playdate is an American children's television series created by Albie Hecht and produced by the company PocketWatch that aired on Nickelodeon from April 19, 2019 to April 16, 2023. The series is based on the Ryan's World YouTube channel, which signed an advertising deal with PocketWatch in 2017.

Eva Diana Kidisyuk, known online as Kids Diana Show, is a Ukrainian-American YouTuber. Together with her brother Roma and parents Volodymyr and Olena, she hosts several YouTube channels producing roleplay-oriented children's content. Her main channel is the 5th most-viewed and 5th most-subscribed in the world, and has 120M subscribers

The Onyx Family is an American family best known for posting family vlogs on their YouTube channels, The Onyx Family and Onyx Kids. In 2021, they starred in the YouTube Red Originals series, The Onyx Family Dinner Show, which is part of the $100 million YouTube Black Voices Fund.

References

  1. ↑ "Albie Hecht Named Head of HLN". The Hollywood Reporter. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  2. ↑ "Albie Hecht Resigns as Spike TV President | TVWeek" . Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  3. 1 2 Molloy, Tim (2013-09-18). "Spike TV Founder Albie Hecht Named Head of HLN". TheWrap. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  4. ↑ Hayes, Dade (2008-11-26). "Albie Hecht keeps an eye on web". Variety. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  5. ↑ Steinberg, Brian (2015-11-24). "HLN Chief Albie Hecht Exits in Wake of Programming Shift (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  6. ↑ Hayes, Dade (Dec 1 2008). "Can TV titan work wonders on Web? Hecht, yeah". Variety (Los Angeles, California). Vol. 413. Iss. 3. p. 26.
  7. ↑ "Francis Lewis High School yearbooks". francislewishighschool.net. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
  8. ↑ "PS Albie". fredseibert.com. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  9. ↑ Alleyne, P. Llanor (Mar 16, 2018). "Kid From Queens Counts on NYC Energy". Broadcastingcable. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  10. ↑ "The Honeymooners Lost Episodes Showtime 1984". fredalan.org. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  11. ↑ ""The client for pay for it all!"". fredalan.org. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  12. ↑ "Fred/Alan Inc".
  13. ↑ "We're going to Bensonhoist!". fredalan.org. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  14. ↑ "Chauncey Street creates the Kids' Choice Awards". fredalan.org. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  15. ↑ ""Greetings from Gilbert" on Cinemax". fredalan.org. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  16. ↑ Sentinel, Catherine Hinman, Orlando (29 August 1995). "NICKELODEON'S 'GUTS' WINS OVER THE WORLD". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-09-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ Karan, Tim (August 2017). "Kenan Thompson developing kids' sketch comedy show". Looper.com. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  18. ↑ Haugsted, Linda (27 January 2007). "Cox Backs 'Naked' Band". Multichannel. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  19. ↑ Owen, Rob (2019-03-20). "Nickelodeon at 40: Breaking Down the Big Hits From 'Dora' to 'SpongeBob'". Variety. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  20. ↑ Ball, Ryan (2005-01-31). "Albie Hecht Leaves Spike TV". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  21. ↑ Calvario, Liz (March 22, 2017). "Chris Williams, Albie Hecht & Jon Moonves Announce Pocketwatch, New Media Brand Catered To Kids". Deadline. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Nickelodeon Unveils Ryan's Mystery Playdate, Brand-New Preschool Series Starring YouTube Superstar Ryan of Ryan ToysReview". www.businesswire.com. 2019-02-14. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  23. ↑ "Nickelodeon Unveils Ryan's Mystery Playdate, Brand-New Preschool Series Starring YouTube Superstar Ryan of Ryan ToysReview". www.businesswire.com. 2019-02-14. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  24. ↑ Farrell, Mike (31 July 2019). "TIS 2019: Bakish Mends Fences With Small Cable". Multichannel. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  25. ↑ "HobbyKidsTV". YouTube. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
  26. ↑ Longwell, Todd (2022-06-23). "Digital Studio Pocket.watch Builds Kids' Biz on YouTube Stars". Variety. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  27. ↑ Calvario, Liz (2017-03-22). "Chris Williams, Albie Hecht & Jon Moonves Announce Pocketwatch, New Media Brand Catered To Kids". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  28. ↑ pocket.watch. "Pocket.watch Unveils Largest Content Slate To Date; Underpins Studio's Ability To Meet Growing Demand For Kids Entertainment". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  29. ↑ Media, aNb (2021-10-08). "Pocket.watch Launches Franchise with Toys & Colors". aNb Media, Inc. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  30. ↑ Pocket.watch. "POCKET.WATCH SIGNS TEEN MAGICIAN DAN RHODES". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  31. ↑ "Ryan's World heads to the big screen" . Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  32. ↑ "You are being redirected..." www.animationmagazine.net. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  33. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (2020-05-21). "Daytime Emmy Nominations: 'General Hospital', 'Sesame Street', 'The View' Top List; CBS, Amazon Prime Lead Networks". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  34. ↑ "Best of the Best Rising Stars 2021". Cynopsis Media. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  35. ↑ Roxborough, Scott (2022-10-19). "MIPCOM: 2022 Diversify TV Award Winners Revealed". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  36. ↑ Pressberg, Matt (2017-10-11). "New Kids-Focused Media Brand pocket.watch Teams With Butch Hartman for 3 Original Series". TheWrap. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  37. ↑ "Butch Hartman to Create Three Series for pocket.watch". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  38. 1 2 Dade Hayes (2008-11-26). "Albie Hecht keeps an eye on web". Variety. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  39. ↑ Feldman, Brian (2016-02-26). "Was 2001 the Most Important Year in Film-Meme History?". NYmag. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  40. ↑ "The Rugrats Movie has hit $100 million". AWN.com. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  41. ↑ Dixon, Christopher. "THE WRONG LIGHT: Who Is Mickey? | Montclair Film". montclairfilm.org. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  42. ↑ "MacLaury's Inocente Wins the Academy Award". www.cnjscl.org. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  43. ↑ "NOMINEES FOR THE 31st ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY® AWARDS ANNOUNCED BY THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES, FREDERICK WISEMAN TO RECEIVE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD | The Emmy Awards - The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences". Archived from the original on 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  44. ↑ "War Documentaries: Old Oscar Statuette Returned to Army + Two Acclaimed Takes on Iraq Conflagration – Alt Film Guide" . Retrieved 2019-09-12.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.