Angela Candace Santomero, also known as Angela Santomero (born April 26, 1968), is an American television executive producer and co-creator of the long-running Nickelodeon children's television programs '' Blue's Clues'', its spin-off '' Blue's Room'', and its reboot ''

Blue's Clues & You! ''Blue's Clues & You!'' is a live-action/computer-animated interactive educational children's television series developed by Traci Paige Johnson and Angela C. Santomero for Nickelodeon. It is a revival of the 1996–2006 ''Blue's Clues'' tele ...

'', as well as the PBS children's shows ''

Super Why! ''Super Why!'' (stylized as ''Super WHY!'') is a CGI-animated superhero preschool television series created by Angela C. Santomero (who also created ''Blue's Clues'') for PBS Kids and aimed for preschoolers ages 3 to 6. Produced by New York ...

'', '' Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood'', &

Rosie's Rules ''Rosie's Rules'' is a children's animated television series that premiered on October 3, 2022 on PBS Kids and on TVOKids on October 11, 2022. The show is produced by 9 Story Media Group and its animation division Brown Bag Films. Plot The s ...

the Amazon Studios series ''

Creative Galaxy ''Creative Galaxy'' is a children's animated science-fiction web television series that premiered on Amazon Video on April 19, 2013 and ended on June 4, 2019. Production In February 2015, it was renewed for a second season and premiered on Septem ...

'', ''

Wishenpoof! ''Wishenpoof!'' is an animated streaming television series which aired for two seasons, from February 5, 2014 to May 9, 2019. The series was created by Angela Santomero and stars Addison Holley as Bianca, a young fairy girl who grants children's ...

'', and the Netflix original series ''

Charlie's Colorforms City ''Charlie's Colorforms City'' is a children's streaming television series created by Angela Santomero, based on Colorforms, and presented by Tyler Maxwell. The show educates children about colors, shapes, and size; the show is co-produced for Netfl ...

''. 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 Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

, a 2012

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for ''Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood'', two

Television Critics Association Awards The TCA Awards are awards presented by the Television Critics Association in recognition of excellence in television. There are eleven categories, which are presented every summer towards the end of the organization's summer press tour. Due to ...

, 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 in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,664,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 univ ...

, which later presented her with their Young Alumni Merit Award. She earned a master's degree in child development and psychology, with a specialty in instructional technology and media, from Columbia University. During graduate school, she was influenced by the research of

Daniel R. Anderson Daniel R. Anderson (born 1944) is an American psychologist and a professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Anderson specializes in developmental psychology and was involved in the creation of children's television series includ ...

, who studied the effects of television violence on children and later served as a researcher and consultant for '' Blue's Clues'', 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, host of '' Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' and the researchers of '' Sesame Street''.

Career

Santomero worked as a researcher for Nickelodeon 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 Todd Kessler is an American film and television writer, producer and director. Among his credits are showrunner and co-creator of Nickelodeon's preschool series ''Blue's Clues'' and director and producer of the feature film ''Keith''. Career ...

and animator

Traci Paige Johnson Traci Paige Johnson (born April 21, 1969) is an American animator and voice actress best known for creating the Nick Jr. television series, ''Blue's Clues'' (1996–2006), its spin-off, ''Blue's Room'' (2004–2007), and the reboot series, ''Bl ...

(a group that Nickelodeon executive Brown Johnson called a "green creative team"), created the "landmark" series '' Blue's Clues''. 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 produced and developed other '' Blue's Clues'' projects, such as the full-length movie '' Blue's Big Musical Movie,'' educational CDs and books based on the show, two '' Blue's Clues'' 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 9 Story USA (formerly Out of the Blue Enterprises) is an American children's television company based in New York City, founded by the co-creator of the Nickelodeon preschool live action/animated series ''Blue's Clues'' (hence the company's nam ...

which later was renamed to

9 Story USA 9 Story USA (formerly Out of the Blue Enterprises) is an American children's television company based in New York City, founded by the co-creator of the Nickelodeon preschool live action/animated series ''Blue's Clues'' (hence the company's nam ...

. In 2007, Santomero created the PBS program ''

''; 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, '' Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood'', 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 Fred Rogers' Neighborhood of Make Believe. This was the birth of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. She is also the creator and producer of the

Amazon original In 2013, Amazon.com began distributing original television shows through its Amazon Prime Video service, some of which are developed in-house by Amazon Studios. Original programming Drama Comedy Animation Adult animation Anime Kids & fa ...

series ''

'' and ''

'', and the Netflix series ''

''. Angela authored ''Preschool Clues - Raising Smart, Inspired and Engaged Kids in a Screen-Filled World'' (Touchstone 2018) with co-author

Deborah Reber Deborah Reber is a young adult fiction and non-fiction writer. She previously worked in children's television. She is the author of several books, including the recently published ''In Their Shoes''. She also contributes to the teen self-help ...

, 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 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 wealthiest figures in alternati ...

Personal life

Santomero resides in Greenwich, Connecticut, with her husband Greg, an Emmy Award-winning designer/creative director, and their two daughters.

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