Nickelodeon’s Litton weighs production moves, kids books

Departing Nickelodeon UK boss Howard Litton is eyeing a move into the production side of the business following his exit from the kids broadcaster.
 
However, he told TBIvision that he has no immediate plans and expects to start looking at new projects from the summer.
 
Litton, who has worked at Nickelodeon for 15 years, announced yesterday that he was leaving the channel, which a joint venture between MTV Networks and satellite pay TV operator BSkyB.
 
“I wondered if I had the nerve to go out at the top. We had a record-breaking year last year so it was the right time to go. It is a scary time to leave Nickelodeon but I need to try a few projects. I’m probably looking to get back to the creative root. It’s more likely that I’ll do a bunch of projects for a bunch of different people,” he told TBIvision.
 
He also ruled out a move to one of Nickelodeon’s rivals including Disney or Cartoon Network. “I didn’t want to leave this job and move straight into another corporate job.  You won’t see me working at Cartoon Network or Disney any time soon,” he said.
 
Litton, who has two little kids, plans to spend time at home and is also hoping to move into the world of publishing. “I’ve always wanted to try my hand at writing kids books,” he added.
 
The broadcaster has had a successful few years with its preschool net Nick Jr winning the BAFTA for Children’s Channel of the Year last year. Litton pointed to shows including Peppa Pig and Roary The Racing Car and factual strand Nick News as his proudest achievements at the company.