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Pickard exits Zodiak

Nigel Pickard is stepping down as CEO of Zodiak UK Kids and chair of The Foundation, but will continue as a consultant and advisor on a range of projects for the company.

Nigel Pickard

Nigel Pickard

Pickard joined RDF Media Group as director of kids, family entertainment and drama in 2006. Following the acquisition by Zodiak in 2010 he took up his current role of CEO MEAA, Zodiak UK Kids, in addition to chair of UK prodco The Foundation.

His recent commissions for The Foundation include The Millie Show for CBBC, a Zack and Quack special for Nickelodeon, and The Floogals, which he will continue to exec produce.

Plans for a replacement are already underway, Zodiak added, while in the meantime The Foundation’s MD Gwen Hughes will take on board Pickard’s managerial responsibilities until a permanent successor is found.

His departure follows that of Zodiak Media CEO and RDF Media founder David Frank last September and his brother Matthew from Zodiak Rights in January, plus a string of other senior changes across the group.

Pickard said: “It’s been an exciting eight years with RDF and more recently at Zodiak Media and I’m tremendously proud of what we have achieved at The Foundation.”

The seasoned exec has worked in television since 1972, developing and producing a wide range of programmes before becoming controller of children’s and family at TVS in 1986.

In 1998, he moved to ITV to be controller of children’s and youth programmes and in 2000 he was appointed controller of BBC children’s, overseeing the launch of two new channels, CBBC and CBeebies.

In 2003, he was invited back to ITV as director of programmes, where his remit was the scheduling and commissioning of the entire ITV output including X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and Doc Martin.

Zodiak Kids’ division includes production companies Marathon Media and Tele Images Productions (France) and The Foundation, with sales handled by a team within Zodiak Rights.

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