Slimed!: An Oral History of Nickelodeon's Golden Age (33 page)

MICHAEL MARONNA
played Big Pete on
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
. Add. Credits Incl.:
Home Alone
and
Slackers
.

DAVE MARTEL
played the recurring role of Teddy Forzman, Big Pete’s best friend and classmate, on
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
.

BRENDA MASON
took over the role of director on
You Can’t Do That on Television
after Geoffrey Darby left to become involved in developing Nickelodeon.

CHRISTINE MCGLADE
(aka “Moose”) was perhaps the most iconic cast member, oftentimes host, and later creative consultant on
You Can’t Do That on Television
.

DIZ MCNALLY
played Diz Asster on
Out of Control
and is known for her signature Fast-Told Fairy Tales and high-pitched “Diz Call.”

WILL MCROBB
was “the smartest guy in the room” at Nickelodeon, beginning in the On-Air Promotions Department where Chris Viscardi and he, among other things, helped to establish Nick at Nite. The duo would later create
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
along with Katherine Dieckmann before McRobb was tapped by Nick to be a story editor on
The Ren & Stimpy Show
and
Doug
. Viscardi and he continue to work together and have produced such projects as
Snow Day
.

LISA MELAMED
was a writer on
Hey Dude
. Add. Credits Incl.:
Party of Five
,
Mad About You
, and
Lipstick Jungle
.

THOMAS MINTON
cowrote Nick’s first foray into original animation,
Christmas in Tattertown
, which was produced by Ralph Bakshi. He is a longtime friend and colleague of
The Ren & Stimpy Show
creator John Kricfalusi and was the main inspiration for “Brain” on
Animaniacs
and
Pinky and the Brain
.

KARIM MITEFF
cocreated
Nick Arcade
with James Bethea.

BOB MITTENTHAL
began working at Nickelodeon in the On-Air Promotions Department, where he helped to develop
Double Dare
. He later developed and created such shows as
Welcome Freshmen
.

PHIL MOORE
was the host on
Nick Arcade
. Add. Credits Incl.:
Figure It Out
and
You’re On!

JOSH MORRIS
was a writer on
You Can’t Do That on Television
.

MARK MOTHERSBAUGH
composed the music for
Rugrats
along with Denis Hannigan. He also cofounded techno-pop new wave band Devo. Add. Credits Incl.:
Pee-wee’s Playhouse
, the films of Wes Anderson, and—as art teacher—
Yo Gabba Gabba!

MARK MULCAHY
wrote and performed the theme song for
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
along with his “fictional” group Polaris, which was actually an incarnation of his well-known indie rock group Miracle Legion. He also appeared essentially as himself in the episode “Hard Day’s Pete” and continued to contribute music to the show under the name Polaris. His solo career has been lauded by the likes of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke.

FRED NEWMAN
voiced Skeeter, Mr. Dink, Porkchop, and myriad others on
Doug
. He also created the show’s music, along with Dan Sawyer, and the majority of the series’ sound effects with his signature “mouth sounds.” He was a host on early Nick show
Livewire
, was prominently featured in an episode of
Out of Control
, and was instrumental to the early development of the network. He now performs on
A Prairie Home Companion
and is the writer of the book
MouthSounds
.

KRISTEN NIKOSEY
is the stepdaughter of Don “Mr. Wizard” Herbert and is Vice President of Mr. Wizard Studios.

TOM NIKOSEY
worked for Don “Mr. Wizard” Herbert for more than thirty years. Also married to Herbert’s stepdaughter, Kristen Nikosey, he runs Mr. Wizard Studios and MrWizardStudios.com.

JOE O’CONNOR
played Dad (aka Marshall Darling) on
Clarissa Explains It All
. Add. Credits Incl.:
The West Wing
,
Reno 911!
, and
Mad Men
.

LARISA OLEYNIK
played Alex Mack on
The Secret World of Alex Mack
. She also guest-starred as a young nurse on
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
episode “Dance Fever.” Add. Credits Incl.:
10 Things I Hate About You
,
Mad Men
, and
3rd Rock from the Sun
.

RON OLIVER
directed a number of episodes of
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Add. Credits Incl.:
Goosebumps
,
Degrassi: The Next Generation
, and
The Tomorrow People
.

SEAN O’NEAL
played bedroom window interloper Sam Anders on
Clarissa Explains It All
.

BOB POMANN
owns and runs Pomann Sound, the audio facility where the majority of
Doug
was recorded.

DOUG PREIS
was the voice of Doug’s dad—Phil Funnie—as well as Bill Bluff, Chalky, and others on
Doug
. Add. Credits Incl.:
Thundercats
and
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
.

ROGER PRICE
created
You Can’t Do That on Television
, based on his kids’ TV show for Britain’s Thames,
You Can’t Be Serious
, and with some development by Geoffrey Darby. Both he and his show brought the “on the side of the child” philosophy to Nick, along with the green slime and “messy” aesthetic that would become network trademarks. He left the business altogether in the earliest stages of Nick’s development in order to pursue a provincial life in the French countryside. Add. Credits Incl.:
The Tomorrow People
(creator).

CRAIG PRYCE
was a director on
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Add. Credits Incl.:
Goosebumps
.

RICHARD PURSEL
was a writer on
The Ren & Stimpy Show
who, as with others involved in the series, worked myriad jobs, including storyboard artist, layout artist, and even assistant to show creator John Kricfalusi. Add. Credits Incl.:
SpongeBob SquarePants
and
Cow and Chicken
.

HARDY RAWLS
played Dad (aka Don Wrigley) on
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
.

CHRIS RECCARDI
took on a number of roles on
The Ren & Stimpy Show
, including storyboard artist, layout artist, writer, director, and also musician. Add. Credits Incl.:
Samurai Jack
,
The Powerpuff Girls
,
Tiny Toon Adventures
, and
SpongeBob SquarePants
.

ADAM REID
was a cast member and later writer on
You Can’t Do That on Television
.

JULENE RENEE-PRECIADO
was a cast member and dancer on
Roundhouse
. Add. Credits Incl.:
Mars Needs Moms
,
Beowulf
, and
Avatar
.

DAVE RHODEN
played Merv on
Welcome Freshmen
.

ROBIN RUSSO
(aka Robin Marrella) originally came aboard
Double Dare
as a production assistant before joining the stage with Marc Summers and Harvey. She was also featured in
What Would You Do?
and the various iterations of
Double Dare
.

DAN SAWYER
created the music for
Doug
along with Fred Newman. Add. Credits Incl.:
101 Dalmatians
and
Allegra’s Window
.

HERB SCANNELL
was an integral part of the “new” Nickelodeon brand, developing a variety of programming on the network as well as Nicktoons. He took over as network president after Gerry Laybourne left. During this period, he broadened Nickelodeon into the multifaceted powerhouse it is today. Among other endeavors, he later became President of BBC America.

KEN SCARBOROUGH
was the head writer on
Doug
and wrote the lyrics to the
song “Bangin’ on a Trashcan.” Add. Credits Incl.:
The Adventures of Pete & Pete,
Saturday Night Live
, and
Arthur
(animated series).

MARTY SCHIFF
played Hern Burferd on
Out of Control
. Add. Credits Incl.:
Dallas
and
Creepshow
.

MARK SCHULTZ
was the in-house audio engineer/designer at Nick who worked in various audio capacities on nearly all of the shows in production at this time, including
Double Dare
,
Nick Arcade
, and
Clarissa Explains It All
.

FRED SEIBERT
cofounded Fred/Alan with Alan Goodman. Their team led the rebranding of Nickelodeon in 1984, which resulted in the ratings going from worst to first in cable within six months. As a consultant and producer for the channel in the new millennium, he was the executive producer of such programs as
The Fairly OddParents
. Before working on Nick, he was Vice President of Creative Services at MTV Networks, where Alan Goodman and he also helped brand that channel, developing the iconic MTV logo and animation bumpers.

BLAKE SENNETT
(aka Blake Soper) played Ronald Pinsky on
Salute Your Shorts
before cofounding indie rock band Rilo Kiley with fellow child actor Jenny Lewis. Add. Credits Incl.:
The Wonder Years, Boy Meets World
,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
, and
3rd Rock from the Sun
.

LISA SHAFTEL
helped construct
Double Dare
’s iconic obstacle courses and physical challenges.

BUDDY SHEFFIELD
cocreated
Roundhouse
with ex-wife Rita Hester and musical director Benny Hester. He was the head writer of the show, running the writing department. He has also worked extensively in live theater. Add. Credits Incl.:
In Living Color
.

HEATHER SHEFFIELD
was a writer on
Roundhouse
and is the daughter of show creators Buddy Sheffield and Rita Hester.

CONNIE SHULMAN
was the voice of Patti Mayonnaise on
Doug
. Add. Credits Incl.:
Sweet and Lowdown
and
Fried Green Tomatoes
.

DAVID SIDONI
was a cast member on
Roundhouse
.

ALAN SILBERBERG
was the head writer on
Double Dare
who would appear on the show as a slightly exaggerated version of himself, “Al Silvers.” He also wrote for
Doug
, on which he penned lyrics for Beets hits “Killer Tofu,” “Mo’ Allowance,” and “Where’s My Sock?” Add. Credits Incl.:
The All New Mickey Mouse Club
.

MARJORIE SILCOFF
was a cast member on
You Can’t Do That on Television
.

LINDA SIMENSKY
was the Manager of Animation who developed the original three Nicktoons along with Vanessa Coffey and Mary Harrington. She is also a noted animatophile. Add. Credits Incl.:
Samurai Jack
,
Home Movies
,
Johnny Bravo
, and
The Powerpuff Girls
.

STEVE SLAVKIN
created
Salute Your Shorts
, loosely based on the book he wrote with cocreator Tom Hill. In addition to writing the bulk of the show, he voiced incorporeal camp director Dr. Kahn.

MIKE SPELLER
played Vice Principal Elliott Lippman on
Welcome Freshmen
.

BRYAN SPICER
was a director on
Salute Your Shorts
. Add. Credits Incl.:
24
,
Parker Lewis Can’t Lose
, and
Eerie, Indiana
.

MICHAEL SPILLER
was the original cinematographer on
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
before John Inwood took over. He also directed the iconic opening sequence with Polaris. Add. Credits Incl.:
Modern Family
,
Scrubs
, and
Ugly Betty
.

JACK SPILLUM
was a supervising producer on
Doug
who was instrumental in helping to establish Jumbo Pictures, the animation studio responsible for that series.

DAVID STENSTROM
played Waldo on
Out of Control
.

JOE STILLMAN
was in the On-Air Promotions Department before writing for
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
. He also wrote two episodes of
Doug
. Add. Credits Incl.:
Beavis and Butt-Head
,
King of the Hill
,
Shrek
, and
Shrek 2
.

SYD STRAW
had a recurring role on
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
as number-obsessed math teacher Ms. Fingerwood. A highly successful singer-songwriter who has acted in various films and television series, she was an iconic fixture of the “Downtown Manhattan” scene of the eighties.

LARRY SULKIS
was the head writer on
Out of Control
. Sulkis later worked with John Carpenter, writing Carpenter’s
Village of the Damned
reboot and
Ghosts of Mars
, as well as producing the memorable “commercials” in
They Live
.

MARC SUMMERS
, considered the “Godfather of Nickelodeon,” hosted and produced
Double Dare
as well as its various iterations. He also developed and produced a number of other shows at Nickelodeon, including
What Would You Do?
, which he hosted. He later produced and developed numerous shows for the Food Network.