Nationality American Name Cyma Zarghami | Employer Viacom Media Networks | |
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Occupation President of Nickelodeon & Viacom Media Networks | ||
clip cma red chair cyma zarghami president of nickelodeon
Cyma Zarghami (Persian: سیما ضرغامی, born ca. 1962) is an Iranian-born American cable television executive currently serving as the president of Nickelodeon and Viacom Media Networks Kids & Family Group since 2006.
Contents
- clip cma red chair cyma zarghami president of nickelodeon
- Speech mike o malley introducing cyma zarghami at 7th an
- Early life and career
- Nickelodeon
- Personal life
- References
Speech mike o malley introducing cyma zarghami at 7th an
Early life and career
Zarghami was born in Abadan, Iran to an Iranian father, Gholam, and a Scottish mother, Catherine. The family later moved to Canada and finally to Englewood, New Jersey, where she graduated in the class of 1980 from the Dwight-Englewood School, and has been a recipient of the school's Distinguished Alumni Award. At Dwight-Englewood, she "played a lot of sports, Lacrosse mostly."
In 1980, Zarghami entered The University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont as an elementary education major, but later changed her major to English. She ultimately did not complete her degree, but was later awarded an honorary diploma by the University of Vermont College of Education and Social Services in 2000.
Zarghami traveled in Europe after leaving college, then returned to Burlington to work for Business Digest.
Nickelodeon
Zarghami joined Nickelodeon as a scheduling clerk in 1985. She moved up through the programming department and became the channel's general manager in 1996, overseeing programming, scheduling, acquisitions, marketing and day-to-day management of the network. Zarghami was promoted to general manager and executive vice-president in 1997.
In 2004, the position of president of Nickelodeon Television was created for Zarghami, where she oversaw production and development for the network, along with marketing, programming and creativity.
After the resignation of Herb Scannell on January 5, 2006, Zarghami became president of the newly formed Kids & Family Group, which currently includes Nickelodeon, Nick@Nite, Nick Jr., TeenNick, Nicktoons, TV Land, CMT, and CMT Pure Country. She has received extreme negative reception from fans for to the network’s drop in quality in early years but her reception is slowly turning positive on the Nicktoons subsidiary.
Zarghami was named Women in Cable Telecommunications' Woman of the Year for 2006.
Personal life
Zarghami lives in New York City with husband George Obergfoll, a stage manager, and three sons Liam, Wyatt and Ethan. She formerly served on the board of the Children's Museum of Manhattan.
Zarghami donated the maximum of $2,300 to Hillary Clinton's campaign for President in 2007. She had previously contributed to John Kerry's campaign in 2004.