Nickelodeon Animation Studios has hired former Blue Sky Studios COO and EVP Brian Keane (Spies in Disguise, Ice Age) as its first-ever EVP of production and operations.

Keane (pictured) will lead the implementation of plans for Nick Animation Studios to scale up its business and improve productivity. He’ll also manage and support the production of movies and series, as well as overseeing the studio’s business in Burbank and New York. Based in New York, he reports to Ramsey Naito, who was appointed president of Nickelodeon Animation in September.

Before taking on this new role, Keane was part of the team at Blue Sky Studios for 20 years, working on all of the studio’s animated films, including the Ice Age franchise, Rio, Ferdinand, The Peanuts Movie and Horton Hears A Who. 

Angelique Yen, head of physical production, will report to Keane. And VPs of series production Dean Hoff, Andrew Huebner and Patty Henry-Robinson will continue reporting to Yen.

Jennie Monica, meanwhile, has been promoted from producer to VP of series production. A long-time Nickelodeon vet, she is a co-executive producer on SpongeBob SquarePants.

Kara Piersimoni, previously a line producer on The Loud House and Rise of TMNT, has also been upped to VP of production for Nickelodeon Movies. Prior to joining Nick in 2019, she served as VP of production at Guru Studio, and has served in producer roles at Warner Animation Group, DisneyToon Studios and Starz Animation.

There’s been a lot of recent hires at Nickelodeon Animation Studios as it gears up to grow its film and series business. Last September, the studio tapped Cartoon Network alum Conrad Montgomery and promoted three execs. And in February, it hired a trio of execs to help grow its development and production slate.