Slimed!: An Oral History of Nickelodeon's Golden Age (32 page)

JANEANE GAROFALO
guest-starred on
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
as English teacher Ms. Brackett in episode “X = WHY?” She is a well-known stand-up comedienne. Add. Credits Incl.:
Saturday Night Live
(series regular),
The Ben Stiller Show
,
The Truth About Cats and Dogs
,
Reality Bites
,
Wet Hot American Summer
, and
24
.

JESSICA GAYNES
was a cohost on
Wild & Crazy Kids
who replaced Annette Lesure when she left the series.

PAUL GERMAIN
was, along with Gabor Csupo and Arlene Klasky, one of the original creators of
Rugrats
who “ran the show” in its first sixty-five-episode
run. Add. Credits Incl.:
Recess
(creator).

ALASDAIR GILLIS
was a cast member on
You Can’t Do That on Television
.

JIM GOMEZ
, as with the majority of artists at
The Ren & Stimpy Show
, “did a little bit of everything”: directing, storyboard and layout art, design. But he was “primarily a writer” on the show. He was one of the small group of people with John Kricfalusi in the earliest days of the show’s original development.

RICK GOMEZ
played “Endless” Mike Hellstrom on
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
. Add. Credits Incl.:
Justified
,
Sin City
, and
Band of Brothers
.

OMAR GOODING
was a cohost on
Wild & Crazy Kids
. He is the brother of film star Cuba Gooding Jr. Add. Credits Incl.:
Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper
,
Smart Guy
, and
Baby Boy
.

ALAN GOODMAN
worked with Fred Seibert and their company Fred/Alan to rebrand Nickelodeon in the early eighties. He was a writer on such shows as
Hey Dude
and
Clarissa Explains It All
and later created
The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo
. Along with Seibert, Goodman is responsible for the iconic MTV logo/animation.

BRUCE GOWERS
was the main director on
Roundhouse
. Add. Credits Incl.: “Bohemian Rhapsody” (music video) and
American Idol
.

JUDY GRAFE
played Mom (aka Joyce Wrigley) on
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
.

SEYMOUR GREEN
was a dancer and cast member on
Roundhouse
.

MELANIE GRISANTI
was the producer on
Doug
and helped to establish its production company, Jumbo Pictures, with Jim Jinkins and David Campbell.

ABBY HAGYARD
played Mom and the Librarian, along with the other “grown-up” female characters, on
You Can’t Do That on Television
.

DENIS HANNIGAN
created the music for
Rugrats
along with Mark Mothersbaugh. Add. Credits Incl.:
Adventures in Wonderland
,
CatDog
, and
Recess
.

MARY HARRINGTON
was the Supervising Producer of Animation at Nickelodeon who worked with Vanessa Coffey and Linda Simensky in establishing Nicktoons.

MELISSA JOAN HART
played eponymous Clarissa Darling on
Clarissa Explains It All
. Add. Credits Incl.:
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
.

HARVEY
(aka John Harvey) was the announcer on
Double Dare
and its subsequent incarnations. Add. Credits Incl.:
Trading Spaces
.

GUS HAUSER
is considered the “Father of Nickelodeon.” His extensive background in international law, business affairs, and telephony made him uniquely qualified to help guide WASEC into creating the Movie Channel, MTV, and Nickelodeon. These pioneering efforts, which opened the doors for cable television and the Information Highway, would later make it both practical and viable for future generations to establish the Information Superhighway.

ALBIE HECHT
took on many roles overseeing Nickelodeon’s development, including creating the Kids’ Choice Awards and producing and developing such programs as
GUTS
,
Clarissa Explains It All
, and
All That
. After a stint as Head of Live-Action Production, he became President of Film and TV Entertainment, developing such projects as
Snow Day
and
The Rugrats
franchise along with building Nick’s Los Angeles animation studio.

ELIZABETH HESS
was Mom (aka Janet Darling) on
Clarissa Explains It All
. She works in independent film and theater, teaching on the latter subject at NYU.

BENNY HESTER
cocreated
Roundhouse
with wife Rita Hester and comedy writer Buddy Sheffield. He was the music director of the show and has enjoyed a long career in music.

RITA HESTER
cocreated
Roundhouse
with ex-husband Buddy Sheffield and husband Benny Hester. She also directed many of the episodes along with Bruce Gowers and has worked extensively in children’s theater.

BOB HUGHES
worked with Bob Klein and his company, Klein &, to create Nickelodeon’s first branding and promotional concept, known as “the silver ball.” Soon after, Hughes created early Nick series
Out of Control
.

ROSS HULL
played Gary on
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
After a string of various other roles, he became a meteorologist for Canada’s CTV. Without his trademark glasses.

TOBY HUSS
created and played the part of Artie, the Strongest Man in the World on
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
. Add. Credits Incl.: Kahn Souphanousinphone on
King of the Hill
.

JOHN INWOOD
took over as cinematographer on
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
after Michael Spiller left the series. He shot many of Katherine Dieckmann’s music videos, such as REM’s “Shiny Happy People,” along with music videos for other directors. Add. Credits Incl.:
Scrubs
and
Parks and Recreation
.

BOB JAQUES
was the Animation Director on
The Ren & Stimpy Show
who also worked as an animator on the pilot, “Big House Blues.” His Carbunkle Cartoons studio was a significant contributor to the “animation renaissance” that took place during the late eighties/early nineties.

DONNIE JEFFCOAT
was a cohost on
Wild & Crazy Kids
.

JIM JINKINS
created
Doug
and established Jumbo Pictures to do so. He initially worked as a puppeteer on “pre-Nick” show
Pinwheel
and on early Nick show
Hocus Focus
. He later developed such series as
PB&J Otter
and
Pinky Dinky Doo
. He now runs Cartoon Pizza with longtime production partner David Campbell.

DAVID JOHANSEN
guest-starred in
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
episode “On Golden Pete” as Park Ranger Thorsen. He was a key figure of the New York punk scene, fronting seminal punk band the New York Dolls and later performing under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter. Add. Credits Incl.:
Scrooged
.

EDD KALEHOFF
is a master game show music creator, having composed themes for such Nick shows as
Double Dare
,
Make the Grade
, and
Finders Keepers
. Add. Credits Incl.:
The Price Is Right
,
Family Feud
,
Concentration
, and
Monday Night Football
.

YVETTE KAPLAN
was an animator on the pilot for
Doug
before becoming an animation director on the series. Add. Credits Incl.:
Beavis and Butt-Head
,
King of the Hill
, and
Futurama
.

SANDY KAVANAUGH
developed pre-Nick show
Pinwheel
before becoming the network’s first Director of Programming. She hired Gerry Laybourne before leaving the network in 1983.

FRED KELLER
was one of two directors on
Hey Dude
who alternated episodes with Ross Bagwell Jr. (deceased). Add. Credits Incl.:
24
,
New York Undercover
, and
The Pretender
.

BOB KLEIN
ran Klein &, the company that gave Nickelodeon its first brand identity, known as “the silver ball” campaign. He executive-produced early Nick shows
Wild Rides
and
Out of Control
.

MIKE KLINGHOFFER
began on pre-Nick show
Pinwheel
as an associate director and stayed on the network throughout the years to become Vice President of Production, working in the On-Air Promotions Department as well as producing and developing a number of shows, including
Double Dare
,
Finders Keepers
,
Think Fast!
, and
Don’t Just Sit There
. He later helped develop Comedy Central.

MICHAEL KOEGEL
was the assistant to in-house casting director Rich Ross, with whom he cast the majority of live-action series at Nick during this period, including
Hey Dude
,
Clarissa Explains It All
,
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
, and
Salute Your Shorts
.

JOHN KRICFALUSI
(aka John K.) created
The Ren & Stimpy Show
. Along with originally voicing Ren Höek and creating Spumco—the studio that initially produced
Ren & Stimpy
—he directed, wrote, and produced many episodes of the show before being contentiously fired by Nickelodeon. He has worked extensively in numerous cartoon series, has produced animated music videos for the likes of Björk, and is a noted animatophile who is considered by many in the field to be the greatest living artist in their industry.

MITCHELL KRIEGMAN
created
Clarissa Explains It All
. In addition, he worked as the story editor on
Doug
,
Rugrats
, and
The Ren & Stimpy Show
. Though he was equally maligned and embraced by his colleagues at Nickelodeon, he greatly informed the network’s aesthetic and sensibility. Add. Credits Incl.:
Saturday Night Live
,
Bear in the Big Blue House
(creator), and
Rocko’s Modern Life
.

KEVIN KUBUSHESKIE
was a cast member on
You Can’t Do That on Television
.

DEE LADUKE
began at Nickelodeon as a scheduler before working her way up into the position of Director of Programming, helping with the creation of
Double Dare
and later creating
Hey Dude
. Add. Credits Incl.:
Designing Women
.

TIM LAGASSE
is an artist and puppeteer who worked on various Nick shows, such as
Allegra’s Window
,
and who helped develop the network’s “Stick Stickley” promotional character. Add. Credits Incl.:
Chappelle’s Show
and
Sesame Street
.

DAVID LASCHER
played Ted McGriff on
Hey Dude
. Add. Credits Incl.:
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
,
Blossom
, and
Clueless
(television series).

BARRY LATHER
was
Roundhouse
’s wunderkind choreographer. He’s worked in the past with the likes of Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Sting, and George Michael.

SHEILA LAWRENCE
was a writer on
Roundhouse
. Add. Credits Incl.:
Mad About You
,
Desperate Housewives
,
Gilmore Girls
, and
Ugly Betty
.

GERRY LAYBOURNE
was
Nickelodeon in the minds of those who worked under her as the president of the network from 1984 to 1996. Originally a schoolteacher who began freelancing in the early days of Nick, she was brought in as Director of Acquisitions before becoming Director of Programming and finally, after Cy Schneider resigned, President. She, perhaps more than any other person, led Nick into its golden age with an eye for innovation and, ultimately, kid-first fun. She later founded the Oxygen Network, in addition to her various other endeavors in media and humanitarianism.

LISA LEDERER
was the initial costume designer on
Clarissa Explains It All
.

ANNETTE LESURE
was an original cohost on
Wild & Crazy Kids
. Add. Credits Incl.:
CSI
and
House M.D
.

CRYSTAL LEWIS
was a singer and cast member on
Roundhouse
. She also enjoys an award-winning career as a Christian pop/gospel singer.

VANESSA LINDORES
was a cast member on
You Can’t Do That on Television
.

BECCA LISH
voiced Doug’s sister, Judy Funnie, and friend Connie Benge along with other characters on
Doug
.

WENDY LITWACK
was the casting director on
Doug
and has a long history of casting voice actors in both commercials and other series.

ANDREA LIVELY
was the elusive announcer on
Nick Arcade
.

HEIDI LUCAS
played Dina Alexander on
Salute Your Shorts
.

TOMMY LYNCH
created
The Secret World of Alex Mack
. Add. Credits Incl.:
Kids, Inc.

ERIK MACARTHUR
played Michael Stein on
Salute Your Shorts
.

D.J. MACHALE
created
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Add. Credits Incl.:
Encyclopedia Brown
,
Pendragon
(novel series), and
Morpheus Road
(novel series).