Despite the obvious physical link, the name of Amy Friedman’s new company doesn’t refer to the color of her hair. The moniker Redhead Consulting, explains the former Nickelodeon programming exec, represents the relationship between creativity (red heart) and strategy (head) – the cornerstones of her fledgling consulting business that’s opening its doors on October 1.

After working for Nickelodeon for the past 23 years, Friedman stepped down from her role as TeenNick’s SVP of original programming in early summer. She’s now putting her diverse expertise in branding, launching channels and overseeing content development into New York-based Redhead.

The decision to set up her own business, Friedman says, was driven as much by a need to make a lifestyle change as it was an opportunity to capitalize on creative, strategic and funding models surrounding content production that have evolved from the digital landscape.

‘The world is changing so dramatically and people are looking for new and different ways to spend money,’ Friedman says. ‘There are different ways to distribute content in the form of, for instance, branded entertainment.’ With her focus revolving around branding, crafting business strategies and making pro-social content, Friedman anticipates Redhead will benefit players wanting to tap into the experience of a seasoned executive trained within a youth-oriented media powerhouse.

Friedman joined Nickelodeon in 1987 in the branding group and went on to become the founding creative director of the network’s Creative Lab. In 1999, she was instrumental in launching Noggin (now Nick Jr.), Nickelodeon’s commercial-free preschool channel, and she later launched The N (dubbed TeenNick last year).

While she remains tight-lipped on Redhead’s initial projects, Friedman does list Nickelodeon among her first clients. The two will be collaborating on an upcoming TV/web hybrid project. And over the next few months, she will also be hammering out her company’s international business plan. Friedman is definitely looking to work on projects that aren’t entirely exclusive to the American market.