When Ramsey Naito began overseeing development and production at Nickelodeon in 2018, she had a mandate: “To make Nickelodeon a world-class animation studio,” she said.
Within two years, Naito had expanded the production pipeline from seven projects to more than 40 and was promoted to president. In September 2021, Naito was given the new title of president of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, responsible for animation content in all formats, including theatrical films, streaming, linear, digital and TV movies.
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Naito expanded the slate of content with book adaptations, including Big Nate; spinoffs and extensions of popular franchises, such as Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years and Paw Patrol: The Movie; as well as the projects Monster High: The Movie, produced in partnership with Mattel, and an original animated Transformers series produced with Hasbro’s Entertainment One. She also hired 500 new employees, enticed by Naito’s promise of a corporate culture that values creativity and “allows an outlet to play.”
Bringing a Spirit of Fun
“What Ramsey brought was like opening the doors and windows and letting the spirit of Nickelodeon return,” Eryk Casemiro, executive VP of global series content at Nickelodeon Animation, said. “She started assembling a new group of people who shared the Nickelodeon spirit that put the channel on the map in the 1990s. She told everyone, ‘Come play in my playground.’ ”
Creatives see Naito as a kindred spirit, Casemiro said. The daughter of a sculptor and a painter, Naito attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, earned her master’s degree at the California Institute of the Arts, then landed a job as production assistant on an animated film. After that, “I just continued working in animation because I loved the community,” she said.
Gina Shay, a producer at Dreamworks Animation, first met Naito at Pratt, then reconnected with her when they were working in animation. When Shay was line producer on South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, she hired Naito, who became the film’s production manager. “I needed a fighter, and there’s no one who fights better for your movie than Ramsey,” Shay said.
In managing a film crew, Naito recalled, “I realized that my superpower was understanding the artistic process and explaining it in a way that was palatable to people who aren’t artists.” Naito gained more production credits and executive experience at Nickelodeon Movies, Blue Sky Studios, Cartoon Network and Dreamworks Animation, where she produced The Boss Baby, earning an Oscar nomination.
What Ramsey brought was like opening the doors and windows and letting the spirit of Nickelodeon return.”
— Eryk Casemiro, Nickelodeon Animation
Her varied experience gives her confidence to oversee projects across multiple platforms. With streaming, she noted: “Kids can watch 20 episodes a night. That means your characters need to be strong, the comedic tone has got to be hilarious and you want to tell stories that keep your audience interested so they watch them over and over again.”
Her audience is also diverse and global. “It’s our responsibility as content creators to speak to those kids with stories that feel authentic and inclusive,” Naito said. Again, she draws on her own experience: “When I was a young girl, there was very little for me to watch, as an Asian-American, where I could see myself reflected. I think of that little girl when I think about the audience.”
Eye Toward Diversity
She cited The Casagrandes, Big Nate and Bossy Bear, whose title character
explores a neighborhood modeled on Koreatowns around the U.S., as examples of shows that bring diverse characters and experiences to the screen. Finding and developing such content, she said, “starts with making sure our leaders over development, production and casting are diverse.” Naito also launched the Intergalactic Shorts Program, encouraging creators from around the world to submit their ideas for evaluation by Nickelodeon executives.
Whether she’s recruiting new talent or forging new production partnerships, “I search for people who are bringing a refreshing take on the work, stories and characters, and don’t want to make work that looks like everything else that’s been done,” she said. Making work that’s fresh is what keeps the artist in Naito motivated.
“We’re creating culture, stories and empowerment in a medium that’s always pushing a new look,” she said, adding, “Everything I do at work is exciting.”
