Cablefax The Magazine - October 2021 - 37

D&I MENTOR OF THE YEAR
Ramsey Naito
President
Nickelodeon Animation
While formal, corporate-sponsored mentorship programs
are well and good, they aren't the only way to provide support.
Naito stepped in and transformed the animation group
with a pipeline of diverse talent and artists, overseeing the
inclusive hiring of more than 700 artists spanning New York
and Los Angeles.
Under her leadership, Nickelodeon held its first-ever virtual
job fair this year. It had nearly 6,000 global attendees-
once again deepening the pool for her group's more than
40 productions running across preschool, big kids, movies,
Nick's Studio Business, theatricals and Nick's Intergalactic
Shorts Program. Some may fear the lack of an in-person
event could dampen a job fair's effectiveness, but Naito
found the opposite.
" In some ways, the Zoom culture that we're living in right
now has allowed us to have more touchpoints that are
seemingly more intimate because it's very direct. We're all
in squares. Someone raises their hand and there's a platform
for them to have a direct conversation with Nick executives
that allow for a great dialogue, " she says. " It helps
us build upon the culture of inclusivity and that access.
Access is really important at Nickelodeon. I am accessible
and so is the leadership around me. The doors are always
open, whether it's on Zoom or in-person. "
That open-door policy has made Naito an organic mentor for
her team, who she's made sure share her mission to partner
with groups such as Black Women who Animate, Latinx in
Animation and LA Diversity in Comedy. And like any good
mentor, she's quick to share the spotlight, crediting one
of her recent hires, VP of Nickelodeon Recruiting & Talent
Development Camille Eden, as a driving force behind Nick
Animation's recruitment efforts. " Her experience, wisdom
and appeal has helped her pivot over the past year and a
half to go virtual and continue to connect with artists all over
the world, " Naito says. " Camille was able to use her experience
and create a network across the globe with artists
who wanted to work here at Nick, and what we found were
thousands of people across the globe excited to hear that
Nick was hiring. They showed up. "
Naito also oversees the work Nick Animation does to
increase pathways for underrepresented BIPOC talent within
the animation industry with the " Nick Artists and Writers'
Program " and the " Nick Internship Program, " filtering
through the hundreds of annual applicants with an emphasis
toward diversity and inclusion. Emerging artists are
selected for months-long programs.
" A big part of the Nickelodeon culture is all the great
programs we offer to aspiring artists and writers, whether
they're training or career-pathing or mentorships, " Naito
says. " The programs offer touchpoints with leadership,
including myself, that allow them to get in front of those
working at the studio and engage with them on their careers,
their hopes and dreams, and share stories. "
She co-founded and co-leads Nickelodeon's Inaugural
Inclusivity Council, where she further strategizes and
implements the company's commitment to representative
storytelling across different departments that inform and
create Nickelodeon's content. And did we mention she's
accomplished all this in a relatively short time, joining Nick
Animation in 2018? She believes the reason she was able to
affect change so quickly is because she started her career
at Nickelodeon before moving on to other roles at Cartoon
Network, Blue Sky Studios and DreamWorks.
" My foundation was based on my experience here and
the culture that I was introduced to early on in my career.
Having worked at so many places after Nick, I was always
very nostalgic for all the things that Nick represented to me
and gave me. So, when I had the opportunity to go back, all
those cultural touchstones I loved were still there, " she says.
" Some were dormant but it was very easy for me to pick
up the pieces and awaken aspects of the culture that have
always been there and build upon them-turn it up and make
it even more than it was. "
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October 2021
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Cablefax The Magazine - October 2021

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