Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group announced the promotion of digital executive Jason Root to SVP, Digital, Nick.com and Nickatnite.com. The announcement was made by Steve Youngwood, Executive Vice President, Digital Media for Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group, to whom Mr. Root will continue to report.
As SVP, Root will oversee all management and creative operations for the top kids' site Nick.com, as well as the growth and development of NickatNite.com, Nicktoonsnetwork.com, Nicktropolis.com -- the fastest growing youth virtual world -- and Nickelodeon's innovative broadband video site, TurboNick.com. He will guide the development of immersive sites for all Nickelodeon hit television properties, such as SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, THE NAKED BROTHERS BAND and AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER, as well as many other online Nick initiatives, such as Kids Pick the President and Kids' Choice Awards. His team will also focus on developing new digital-first ways to help incubate properties and characters.
In addition, Root will play a key role in expanding Nick's online gaming efforts, including the existing franchise New Game of the Week, giving it a multiplayer focus. The first new effort in this space is 3D SLIMEBALL on Nick.com. His group will also build multiplayer cooperative gaming into Nicktropolis, complementing the video, safe chat, and virtual economy capabilities already integrated into that site.
In his previous position as VP, Nick.com, Root worked closely with network executives to execute convergence and online interactivity around Nickelodeon's key properties and television events, including the network's 20th Annual Kids' Choice Awards overall online presence, which set records for kid voting, and "BubbleCast," an early ground-breaking TV and online play-along application that Root co-created. Some of his recent successes include the interactive portion of Nickelodeon's ME:TV -- the first television programming block featuring user-generated content provided by kids -- and the online vote-driven SpongeBob's Best Day Ever convergent event. Under his leadership, Nick.com has continued to hit new traffic highs and has garnered two prestigious Webby Awards.
Root is a seven-year veteran of Nickelodeon and Nick.com. Prior to joining the company, he held several new media management positions at the Walt Disney Company, most notably in the Disney Online group. Previously he was with Rabbit Ears Productions, a small multimedia family entertainment company. He is a graduate of Bates College and lives with his wife and four children in Connecticut.
