Nickelodeon Signs Deal With Nick Cannon as Honorary Chairman of TEENick  3/12/09

Nickelodeon Signs Groundbreaking Deal with Multi-Talented Nick Cannon as Honorary Chairman of TEENick

Cannon to Create, Star, Produce and Direct Original Programming for Nickelodeon's TEENick Network, including Original TV Movies, Series and Specials such as The Halo Awards

The N, Nickelodeon's 24-Hour TV Network For Teens, to Officially Be Renamed TEENick in 4Q 2009

NEW YORK, March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon, the number-one entertainment brand for kids, announced today that multi-talented, actor/comedian/artist/producer Nick Cannon, former Nickelodeon and MTV Networks star, returns to the Nickelodeon family as Honorary Chairman and development consultant for TEENick, it was announced today by Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon /MTVN Kids and Family Group.

The network's groundbreaking two-year deal with Cannon, which begins immediately, positions him in front of the camera and behind the desk as Honorary Chairman of The N as it transforms into TEENick. In fourth quarter '09, The N will rebrand itself as TEENick, further developing and delivering on its mission of serving teens and tweens through programming reflecting the breadth and depth of "teendom."

As TEENick's Chairman, Cannon will serve as creative consultant and provide his vision on several projects for the teen network and its development slate. He will have a presence on-air, online and behind-the-scenes as he works closely with the network's development and on-air teams to harness and execute new ideas across multiple platforms.

"I started my career here at Nickelodeon and am so excited to be back, serving as an integral part of TEENick as the in-house voice and representative for teens everywhere," said Cannon. "TEENick is their network and I am here to make sure this is an ultimate destination for and about them."

Cannon also will host and executive produce TEENick's Halo Awards (working title), a new hour-long special celebrating ordinary teens who make a difference in the world. Production on TEENick's Halo Awards is scheduled to commence this summer and the special will premiere winter 2009. In addition, Cannon will serve as executive producer on a new original two-hour TV movie for Nickelodeon which is currently in development.

The Halo Awards will feature Cannon and a roster of his celebrity friends who will travel around the country and surprise, recognize and celebrate ordinary teens who are doing extraordinary things for their community, in the hopes of inspiring and motivating a new generation of leaders.

Cited by People Magazine as one of the "Top Ten Most Successful Young People in Hollywood," and featured on the Cover of Black Enterprises' "40 Under 40" issue, 28-year-old Nick Cannon is a successful, multi-faceted entertainer, film star, comedian, musician, writer and executive producer of his very own hit TV shows.

A San Diego native, Cannon began performing at the age of eight after his grandfather gave him several instruments as a gift. Through what Cannon recalls as "a lot of trial and failure," he recorded his first song at home on his boom box. Shortly after, Cannon took the stage to perform his music along with stand-up comedy.

Cannon headed for Hollywood at the age of 15 and landed gigs at world renowned comedy venues including The Improv, The Laugh Factory and the Comedy Store. Cannon went on to share the stage with the likes of Chris Tucker, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock before landing his first television gig as a stand-up audience warm-up for the long-running Nickelodeon hit show All That. Producers quickly recognized Cannon's calling was in front of the camera and he became a regular on the show as well as a writer, making him the youngest staff writer in television history at the age of 17. This path culminated in the creation of The Nick Cannon Show which he starred, directed and executive produced, earning him his first Kids' Choice Award.

Cannon's powerful stage presence captivated more than just pint-sized audiences. While he enjoyed tremendous success on Nickelodeon, Cannon's career catapulted onto the big screen in 2002. He made an appearance alongside Will Smith in "Men in Black II" before landing a leading role in the classic feature film "Drumline."

That same year he released his own self-titled debut album, and has collaborated with a host of other musicians, such as Kanye West, The Neptunes, Diddy, Mary J. Blige, Will Smith, R. Kelly and E-40 on soundtracks and other projects.

Cannon later lent his voice to the character of "Louis" in "Garfield: The Movie," and starred in feature films such as "Underclassman" which he also executive produced, "Shall We Dance" and "Roll Bounce."

In 2005, MTV debuted Nick Cannon Presents: Wild N Out, an improv comedy show with musical performances that Cannon created, produced and hosted which eventually became one of MTV's highest rated shows in the network's history, airing new episodes for four consecutive seasons.

In the fall of 2006, Cannon was featured in the Emilio Estevez written and directed film "Bobby," a fictionalized account of the hours leading up to the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Cannon shared the screen with stars such as Harry Belafonte, Demi Moore, Laurence Fishburne, Anthony Hopkins, Sharon Stone among many others. His performance earned him a 2007 Screen Actor's Guild nomination for "Outstanding Performance by a cast in a Motion Picture," in addition to becoming the first African-American actor in history to be honored at the world renowned Cannes Film Festival with the "Breakthrough Actor of the Year" Award.

Nickelodeon, now in its 30th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 98 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 14 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

SOURCE Nickelodeon

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