Jim Perry Named Executive Vice President, 360 Brand Sales, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group

Jim Perry Named Executive Vice President, 360 Brand Sales, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group

NEW YORK, Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group and Hank Close, President, U.S. Ad Sales, MTV Networks today announced that Jim Perry has been named Executive Vice President, 360 Brand Sales, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. In this role, Perry will oversee ad sales for multiple brands across a wide variety of platforms, including Nickelodeon, Noggin, The N, Nicktoons Network, Nick Online, Neopets, the Nickelodeon Magazine Group, and emerging media. Based in New York, Perry will report to Zarghami and Close.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061011/NYW117 )

"In his 15 years at Nickelodeon and MTV Networks, Jim has done an amazing job not only generating new partnerships with clients, but also cultivating a unique relationship between Marketing, Programming and other departments at Nickelodeon Networks to provide our partners with the best 360 degree opportunities to reach kids and families," Zarghami said. "Jim has built an extraordinary national sales team, and will now build partnerships that are both mutually beneficial, and distinctly Nick."

"Jim has shown the strategic vision to grow the Nickelodeon services in the kids' market, and has also unlocked the Nickelodeon value proposition for adult advertisers," commented Close. "With this appointment, Jim and his team will maintain and extend Nickelodeon's leadership as a global, multiplatform entertainment company."

A 15-year veteran of MTV Networks, Perry has used his experience to maintain Nick as a leader in kids TV, deliver new business to the network, and to lead new cable networks, such as The N and Nicktoons Network in 2005, to become fully ad supported. He has successfully negotiated major business deals with MATTEL, Sony Pictures and Kelloggs. These agreements have enabled marketers to establish their brands with kids, teens and parents. In addition, Perry successfully launched Nickelodeon's existing new business ad sales division to generate partnerships with non-traditional advertisers within the automotive, consumer electronics and travel and hospitality industries, who are interested in marketing to kids and families. Perry works closely with internal research, marketing/promotions, licensing and programming to create valuable opportunities for marketers.

Perry joined MTV Networks in 1991 as a Sales Planner in the Advertising Sales Department. In this capacity, he was exposed to all of MTV Networks cable properties -- MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon. In 1992, he was promoted to Account Executive at Nickelodeon and has since managed many of the networks largest accounts. In 1999, he was promoted to Vice President of Nick New Business, and in 2002, he was promoted to Senior Vice President, of Nickelodeon Advertising Sales. Prior to joining MTV Networks, Perry worked as a Research Analyst at U.S. News & World Report and before that as a Sales Representative at General Foods Corporation.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, in its 27th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for eleven consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:and)(NYSE:VIA.B).

About MTV Networks

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 130 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services -- MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, with all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 100 interactive properties worldwide, including Atom Entertainment, GameTrailers.com, IFILM, Neopets, Xfire, Y2M, and online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services. MTV Networks also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061011/NYW117
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
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Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Joanna Roses, +1-212-846-7326, or Thamar Romero,
+1-212-846-7491

Web site: http://www.nick.com/

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