Wikipedia

Albie Hecht

Albie Hechtis an American film and television producer and media executive. In 1997, Hecht was the president of film and TV entertainment forNickelodeon[1]before becoming president of the television channelSpike TVin 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 ischief content officerofPocketWatch.

Albie Hecht
Hecht in 2023
EducationColumbia University
Occupation(s)Producer, entertainment executive
Known forTelevision industry
Notable work
TelevisionNickelodeon,Spike TV,HLN
SpouseSusan MacLaury
Children2

Early life and career

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Albie Hecht graduated fromFrancis Lewis High SchoolinQueens,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 byColumbia University’sColumbia College.[8]

Hecht was Director of Artist Relations atTerry CashmanandTommy West's[citation needed]Lifesong Records in the 1970s,[9]where he oversaw the career ofCrack the Skyand then became manager to pop starDean Friedman.[citation needed]

Television

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In the mid-1980s, Hecht produced for the advertising agency Fred/Alan Inc withAlan GoodmanandFred Seibert.[10]Together, they established Chauncey Street Productions for their independent television productions.[11]

Through Chauncey Street, Hecht co-created and executive producedKids Court[citation needed]andGUTSforNickelodeon,[12]theAce Awardwinning game showTurn it Up!forMTVandThe Talent PoolforComedy Central,which featured the TV debut ofJohn Leguizamo.[citation needed]

AtNickelodeon,Hecht oversaw the development and approval of all the network's films and TV shows from 1997 to 2003, includingSpongeBob SquarePants,Dora the Explorer,Blue's Clues,and such live-action shows asAll That.[3][13]He also co-created and executive produced the NickelodeonKids' Choice Awards,[14]and built theNick Digital Studioin New York City and the Nick animation studio in Los Angeles.[citation needed]When establishing his independent production companyWorldwide Biggies,Hecht developed and executive producedThe Naked Brothers Band(2007-09).[15]

When Hecht became the president of the TV channel TNN, he revised the network's title to Spike TV, where his shows includedThe Joe Schmo Show,MXC[16]and signing theUltimate Fighting Championshipfranchise.[citation needed]

In 2017, Hecht joinedPocket.watchas chief content officer. Pocket.watch is a studio that creates franchises from the YouTube stars and characters.[17]Hecht is the creator and Executive Producer ofRyan's Mystery Playdateon theNick Jr. Channel,[18]the number one preschool show on TV which garnered a Daytime Emmy Award Nomination in 2020.[19][20]He also produced theHobbyKids 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.[21]

As of 2022, Hecht is the chief content officer of pocket.watch that creates content for kids and family YouTube creators, resulting in more than 300 hours of programming produced to date.[22]Currently, Hecht is overseeing the production of a series of 50 animated and live-action series and 5 specials,[citation needed]such as Toys and Colors[23]and Dan Rhodes.[24]Additionally, he is directing and producingRyan's World: the Moviethe first feature film for the YouTube star Ryan, set to be released in Fall 2024.[25]

In his role as Creator and Executive Producer at pocket.watch, Hecht created and producedLove, Dianawith over 1 billion views[citation needed]and Onyx Family Dinner, which was nominated for a MIPCOM CANNES Diversify TV Award for its contributions to representation in Kids Programming.[26]

Movies

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In movies, Hecht produced films forParamountincludingLemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie,The Rugrats Movieand theOscar-nominated animated featureJimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.[27][4]The Rugrats Moviewas the first non-Disney animated feature to hit $100 million at the US domestic box office.[28]

Non-profit media

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In 2005, Hecht co-founded the nonprofit media companyShine Globalwith his wifeSusan MacLaury,[29]Through Shine, Hecht produced theOscarwinning short documentaryInocente,[30]and theEmmy[31]andOscarnominated documentary featureWar/Dance.[32]

References

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  1. ^Guthrie, Marisa (18 September 2013)."Albie Hecht Named Head of HLN".The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved2019-09-12.
  2. ^"Albie Hecht Resigns as Spike TV President".TVWeek.2005-01-30.Retrieved2019-09-12.
  3. ^abMolloy, Tim (2013-09-18)."Spike TV Founder Albie Hecht Named Head of HLN".TheWrap.Retrieved2019-09-12.
  4. ^abHayes, Dade (2008-11-26)."Albie Hecht keeps an eye on web".Variety.Retrieved2019-09-12.
  5. ^Steinberg, Brian (2015-11-24)."HLN Chief Albie Hecht Exits in Wake of Programming Shift (Exclusive)".Variety.Retrieved2019-09-12.
  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.Retrieved2019-09-16.[failed verification]
  8. ^Seibert, Fred (2023-11-25)."PS Albie".fredseibert.Retrieved2023-11-25.[self-published source]
  9. ^Alleyne, P. Llanor (2003-05-04)."Kid From Queens Counts on NYC Energy".Broadcasting + Cable.Retrieved2019-09-12.
  10. ^Seibert, Fred (2010-09-11).""The client for pay for it all!"".fredalan.org.Retrieved2023-11-25.[self-published source]
  11. ^Seibert, Fred (2010-10-15)."We're going to Bensonhoist!".fredalan.org.Retrieved2023-11-25.[self-published source]
  12. ^Hinman, Catherine (29 August 1995)."Nickelodeon's 'Guts' Wins Over the World".chicagotribune.Retrieved2019-09-12.
  13. ^Karan, Tim (2017-08-01)."Kenan Thompson developing kids' sketch comedy show".Looper.Retrieved2019-09-13.
  14. ^Owen, Rob (2019-03-20)."Nickelodeon at 40: Breaking Down the Big Hits From 'Dora' to 'SpongeBob'".Variety.Retrieved2019-09-12.
  15. ^Haugsted, Linda (27 January 2007)."Cox Backs 'Naked' Band".Multichannel.Retrieved2019-09-13.
  16. ^Ball, Ryan (2005-01-31)."Albie Hecht Leaves Spike TV".Animation Magazine.Retrieved2019-09-12.
  17. ^Calvario, Liz (March 22, 2017)."Chris Williams, Albie Hecht & Jon Moonves Announce Pocketwatch, New Media Brand Catered To Kids".Deadline.RetrievedSeptember 13,2019.
  18. ^"Nickelodeon Unveils Ryan's Mystery Playdate, Brand-New Preschool Series Starring YouTube Superstar Ryan of Ryan ToysReview".businesswire.2019-02-14.Retrieved2019-09-13.[self-published source]
  19. ^Farrell, Mike (31 July 2019)."TIS 2019: Bakish Mends Fences With Small Cable".Multichannel.Retrieved2019-09-13.
  20. ^Hipes, Patrick (2020-05-21)."Daytime Emmy Nominations: 'General Hospital', 'Sesame Street', 'The View' Top List; CBS, Amazon Prime Lead Networks".Deadline.Retrieved2023-11-03.
  21. ^"HobbyKidsTV".YouTube.Retrieved2019-09-16.[non-primary source needed]
  22. ^"Pocket.watch Unveils Largest Content Slate To Date; Underpins Studio's Ability To Meet Growing Demand For Kids Entertainment".PR Newswire.2021-02-04.Retrieved2023-11-03.[non-primary source needed]
  23. ^"Pocket.watch Launches Franchise with Toys & Colors".aNb Media, Inc.2021-10-08.Retrieved2023-11-03.[non-primary source needed]
  24. ^"Pocket.watch Signs Teen Magician Dan Rhodes".prnewswire.2022-10-03.Retrieved2023-11-03.[non-primary source needed]
  25. ^Milligan, Mercedes (2023-09-22)."Pocket.watch & Sunlight Slate Hybrid 'Ryan's World' Movie for 2024".animationmagazine.net.Retrieved2023-11-03.
  26. ^Roxborough, Scott (2022-10-19)."MIPCOM: 2022 Diversify TV Award Winners Revealed".The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved2023-11-03.
  27. ^Feldman, Brian (2016-02-26)."Was 2001 the Most Important Year in Film-Meme History?".NYmag.Retrieved2019-09-13.
  28. ^Amidi, Amid (1999-03-24)."The Rugrats Movie has hit $100 million".AWN.Retrieved2023-11-25.
  29. ^Dixon, Christopher (2016-05-03)."The Wrong Light: Who Is Mickey?".Montclair Film.Retrieved2019-09-13.[failed verification]
  30. ^"MacLaury's Inocente Wins the Academy Award".cnjscl.org.Retrieved2019-09-13.
  31. ^"Nominations for the 31st Annual News and 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.2010-07-15. Archived fromthe originalon 2020-09-29.Retrieved2019-09-13.[non-primary source needed]
  32. ^Robinson, Anna (2008-09-04)."War Documentaries: Old Oscar Statuette Returned to Army".Alt Film Guide.Retrieved2019-09-12.[self-published source]
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