Eric Coleman (producer)

Eric Coleman (born February 24, 1968) is an American television producer. Since 2008, he has been the senior vice president of Disney Television Animation (owned by The Walt Disney Company).

Eric Coleman
Born (1968-02-24) February 24, 1968[1]
NationalityAmerican
OccupationTelevision producer, senior vice president of Disney Television Animation
Years active1992–

Biography

Coleman enrolled in Duke University, where he majored in English literature. In his junior year, he stayed for six months in Florence, Italy, to absorb himself in art; in London, he stayed another six months for his literature studies. After he graduated with a baccalaureate, Coleman continued to travel, moving from Southeast Asia to Australia, while staying in Nepal and New Zealand. Wanting to work in a creative industry after he returned to the United States, Coleman sat in on a job fair, where he networked with and took advice from those in the field, including an executive of MTV. Afterward, Coleman got a job as an assistant to the vice president of animation at Nickelodeon. At their animation studio, he worked from 1992 to 1993 on The Ren & Stimpy Show and Rugrats. His liking of animation came from the way it combines "so many art forms", he said, among which are "painting and graphic design, writing, music and acting".[1]

Nickelodeon promoted Coleman to manager of development from 1995 to 1997, before serving as coordinator of current series since 1993. For the network, he helped develop SpongeBob SquarePants, on which he found that the qualities of a character in a show are more important than its concept. Coleman also learned that taking risks "if the fundamentals are solid but it just seems unusual or uncertain"[1] is necessary in taking pitches. Later, he became executive in charge of production from 1997 to 2003, and vice president of animation development and production from 2003 to 2008.[1] Among the most popular shows on the network he had supervised include SquarePants and Avatar: The Last Airbender.[2] In 2007, he was conominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for the latter show.[3]

By then a veteran of Nickelodeon, Coleman left the network to work for Disney Television Animation,[4] where he was hired as senior vice president of the studio on February 4, 2008, replacing Meredith Roberts, who moved to DisneyToon Studios to serve as its general manager and senior vice president.[2] Coleman described the vision of his studio as "looking for people who can create specific and authentic characters".[1] In 2010, he approved Gravity Falls, created by Alex Hirsch, as a series on Disney Channel, as well as a second season of Fish Hooks.[4] Since then on the network, he has helped develop Wander Over Yonder, Star vs. the Forces of Evil, and Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero.[1]

References
  1. Walsten, Jessika (December 16, 2013). "Disney TV Animation's Mover and Shaker". Broadcasting & Cable. NewBay Media. 143 (46): 23. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013.
  2. Ball, Ryan (January 30, 2008). "Disney Snags Nick Exec Coleman (sic)". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on August 25, 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  3. Andreeva, Nellie (August 23, 2007). "Emmys Produces Names". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on June 13, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  4. Andreeva, Nellie (December 7, 2010). "Disney TV Animation Builds Exec[utive] Team and Gets Pickups for Gravity Falls, Fish Hooks". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
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