Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> February 10, 2003
FRED SEIBERT is a Partner in Frederator Studios. Mr. Seibert
makes cartoons. He started his career in a high school rock band,
went into college radio, founded a blues and jazz record company
in college, became an independent jazz record producer, and
learned media promotion in country music radio. He was the first
employee of MTV, became the first television consultant to
introduce the concept of branding TV channels, morphed into a
studio President in Hollywood, and is now a successful
independent producer. Mr. Seibert is a Partner (with former AOL
executive Emil Rensing and former Discovery executive Travis
Pomposello) in Frederator Studios, founded in 2000 to package,
build, and produce media properties. Frederator has partnered
with Primedia (to build their teen Internet initiatives into the
undisputed teen girl Web leader), MTV Networks (to package TNN
into cable's fastest growing network of 2002, and produce
Nickelodeon's most successful new television series), Avon
International, and America Online. Mr. Seibert, the Executive
Producer of Nickelodeon's top rated series 'The Fairly
Oddparents' (with creator/Executive Producer Butch Hartman),
'ChalkZone' (with creators/Executive Producers Bill Burnett and
Larry Huber), 'My Life as a Teenage Robot' (with
creator/Executive Producer Rob Renzetti), 'Oh Yeah! Cartoons!,'
and the Paramount/ Nick Movies feature film 'Super Santa.'
Earlier, Mr. Seibert was President of MTV Networks Online, where
he was responsible for the growth and direction of the MTVi and
Nickelodeon Web properties, the largest Websites in the music and
kids categories. Starting in 1992 Mr. Seibert served as President
of Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc., where he was instrumental in
reviving the creative and financial fortunes of the studio famous
for the creation of such legendary characters as the Flintstones,
Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo, and the Jetsons, among others. Under his
direction the studio launched its most successful slate of hits
in 15 years. The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory,
Cow+Chicken, and Johnny Bravo are now the highest rated shows on
the Cartoon Network. Mr. Seibert and former MTV Networks producer
Alan Goodman founded and operated a consulting and advertising
agency, Fred/Alan Inc. Starting in 1983 they brought the idea
that that branding could be effectively translated from packaged
goods to television networks. Profile
Studios?
Mr. Seibert: We are a production company involved in television
and the Internet. On the television side, we have a
