Viacom Programming Exec Hunter Dies
By Ignazio Messina -- Multichannel News, 10/31/2001 11:45:00 AM
Laura Hunter, a nine-year veteran of Viacom Inc.'s Nickelodeon and TV Land, died of cancer Tuesday in Stanford, Calif. She was 39.
Hunter, who had been vice president of current series for the West Coast, was promoted to senior vice president of programming for TV Land in November 2000.
She was first diagnosed with cancer that same month, shortly after relocating from Los Angeles to New York, TV Land spokesman David Schwarz said.
'Laura Hunter's passing leaves a terrible void in our company,' Herb Scannell, president of Nickelodeon, TV Land and TNN: The National Network, said in a prepared statement.
'She was a kind and compassionate manager who was smart as a whip, always in charge, generous, dignified and, if you were fortunate to know her well, an incredibly funny person with a keen sense of humor,' he added.
Throughout her tenure at Nickelodeon and TV Land, Hunter played key roles in developing programming initiatives, including the vintage network's recent 50th-anniversary celebration of I Love Lucy.
She was also a driving force behind Inside TV Land: African Americans in Television, the network's upcoming three-part look at the historic role of African Americans in front of and behind the camera. The special is scheduled to air in February.
Hunter also played a pivotal role in the creation of Nickelodeon U.K. in 1993, the network's first international venture, Schwarz said.
She then moved to the Nickelodeon programming division as vice president of programming. There, she was responsible for all aspects of programming and media planning for the network, working closely with Nick general manager Cyma Zarghami. After three years in that role, Hunter expanded her career into production, moving to Los Angeles to be vice president of current series, West Coast for Nick. One of Hunter's many career legacies is the Kids Choice Awards, according to Scannell.
Prior to joining Nickelodeon, Hunter was an account supervisor at advertising agency Chiat/Day. Before that, the Los Angeles native held the same title at Young & Rubicam Inc.
Surviving are her parents, Dr. Lloyd and Jan Hunter of Los Angeles; and sisters Cynthia Lang of Woodside, Calif., and Elizabeth Hunter of Los Angeles.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, any donations be sent to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation at P.O. Box 650309, Dallas, TX 75265-0309.
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