Angela C. Santomero (born April 26, 1968) is an American television executive producer and co-creator of the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

children's television programs ''

Blue's Clues ''Blue's Clues'' is an American interactive educational television, educational children's television series created by Traci Paige Johnson, Todd Kessler, and Angela Santomero, Angela C. Santomero. It premiered on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block ...

'', its spin-off ''

Blue's Room ''Blue's Room'' is an American puppetry television series spin-off from ''Blue's Clues''. It was created by Traci Paige Johnson and Angela Santomero. The show aired on Nickelodeon as part of its Nick Jr. block, and originated as short segment ...

'', and its reboot ''

Blue's Clues & You! ''Blue's Clues & You!'' is an interactive educational children's television series developed by Traci Paige Johnson and Angela C. Santomero for Nickelodeon. Combining live-action and animation, it is a revival of the 1996–2006 ''Blue's Clu ...

'', as well as the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

children's shows '' Super Why!'', & ''

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood ''Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood'', also spelled ''Daniel Tiger's Neighbourhood'' in Commonwealth of Nations, Republic of Ireland, Ireland and Hong Kong, is an animated musical children's television series aimed at preschool children. It was creat ...

'', the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

series '' Creative Galaxy'', '' Wishenpoof!'', and the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

original series '' Charlie's Colorforms City''. Santomero has won a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

, a 2012

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for ''Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood'', two Television Critics Association Awards, and the 2018 World Screen's Kids Trendsetter Award. She has been nominated for more than twenty-five Emmy Awards and numerous Parents' Choice Gold and Silver Awards.

Early life and education

Santomero grew up in

Harrington Park, New Jersey Harrington Park is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,741, an increase of 77 (+1.7%) from the 2010 Uni ...

, where she attended Harrington Park Public School before attending and graduating from Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan in 1986. She received her bachelor's degree from

Catholic University Catholic higher education includes universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher education privately run by the Catholic Church, typically by religious institutes. Those tied to the Holy See are specifically called pontifical univers ...

, which later presented her with their Young Alumni Merit Award. She earned a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

child development Child development involves the Human development (biology), biological, psychological and emotional changes that occur in human beings between birth and the conclusion of adolescence. It is—particularly from birth to five years— a foundation ...

and

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

, with a specialty in instructional technology and media, from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. During graduate school, she was influenced by the research of Daniel R. Anderson, who studied the effects of television violence on children and later served as a researcher and consultant for ''

'', and "became fascinated with the idea that if television could have a powerful negative effect on kids, it could have an equally powerful positive effect on them..." She was also influenced by

Fred Rogers Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), better known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television s ...

, host of ''

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (sometimes shortened to ''Mister Rogers'') is an American half-hour educational children's television series that ran from 1968 to 2001. It was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. Its original incarnation, the se ...

'' and the researchers of ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...

''.

Career

Santomero worked as a researcher for

in the early 1990s, when the network was looking to create a new television show for preschoolers. In 1994, Santomero, along with director Todd Kessler and animator Traci Paige Johnson (a group that Nickelodeon executive Brown Johnson called a "green creative team"), created the "landmark" series ''

''. According to writer Diane Tracy, Santomero, Kessler, and Johnson did not possess traditional backgrounds of most producers of children's programs, but "did possess an amazing combination of talents, backgrounds, and personal attributes." Santomero served as executive producer and head writer, and designed the show's research and curriculum. She also produced and developed other ''

'' projects, such as the full-length movie '' Blue's Big Musical Movie,'' educational CDs and books based on the show, two ''

'' theatrical productions, which toured across the U.S., and the reboot ''

''. She was also the founder of a company called Out of the Blue Enterprises which later was renamed to 9 Story USA. In 2007, Santomero created the

program '' Super Why!''; she also served as executive producer and head writer. In 2011, she became host of PBS's ''The Parent Show'', an online series about parenting. In September 2012, ''

'', for which Santomero is creator, executive producer and head writer, debuted on PBS. After Fred died in 2003, "Kevin Morrison (CEO-Fred Rogers Co.) reached out to Angela and asked what show she would do to honor Fred's legacy". Her idea was an animated version of

' Neighborhood of Make Believe. This was the birth of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. On March 28, 2023, Angela C. Santomero left 9 Story Media Group as Chief Creative Officer, but she currently maintains her duties as the CEO of 9 Story USA. She is also the creator and producer of the Amazon original series '' Creative Galaxy'' and '' Wishenpoof!'', and the

series '' Charlie's Colorforms City''. Angela authored ''Preschool Clues - Raising Smart, Inspired and Engaged Kids in a Screen-Filled World'' (Touchstone 2018) with co-author Deborah Reber, and authored ''Radical Kindness - The Life-Changing Power of Giving and Receiving'' (HarperCollins Publishers 2019) with foreword by

Deepak Chopra Deepak Chopra (; ; born October 22, 1946) is an Indian-American author, New Age, new age guru, and alternative medicine advocate. A prominent figure in the New Age movement, his books and videos have made him one of the best-known and wealthi ...

Personal life

Santomero resides in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...

, with her husband Greg, an Emmy Award-winning designer/creative director, and their two daughters.

Filmography

Television

References

Works cited

* Tracy, Diane. (2002). ''Blue's Clues for Success: The 8 Secrets Behind a Phenomenal Business''. New York: Kaplan Publishing. .

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Santomero, Angela 1968 births Living people PBS people Catholic University of America alumni Teachers College, Columbia University alumni Nickelodeon Animation Studio people American women television producers American people of Italian descent Businesspeople from Greenwich, Connecticut Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan alumni People from Harrington Park, New Jersey Connecticut Democrats Television producers from New Jersey 21st-century American women American television show creators Businesspeople from Bergen County, New Jersey