Cyma Zarghami: My mom is Scottish and my father is Iranian. They met in Scotland where my dad attended medical school and she was a nurse. They moved back and forth between Scotland and Iran and I was born in Abadan. Shortly thereafter, we moved again, first to Canada and finally to New Jersey. I was in the 3^rd grade. I haven’t spent much time in Iran and 1976 was probably the last time we were there. We have family in Shiraz and my dad goes back and forth as often as he can. We feel very lucky though to have all of our family around and close to us by.

Shabnam Rezaei: Did you watch a lot of cartoons growing up?

Cyma Zarghami: I don’t remember that much actually. Definitely shows like the Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, that sort of thing.

Shabnam Rezaei: What did you study in college and how did you end up at Nickelodeon?  

Cyma Zarghami: I went to the University of Vermont and I was an English major. I thought I was gonna be a teacher, then a writer, then I just needed a job so I moved to New York and became an assistant here (Nickelodeon).

I was lucky and stumbled into it. When I first came to Nickelodeon it was very small. When you looking for your place in the world you either have a passion for something or you find people that you love or a product that you love. I found people and product that were fantastic. I have been here for 24 years.

Cyma Zarghami: Passion goes a long way so knock on every door until you get someone to open the door. Any way in is a fine way, so being an assistant for example, is not a bad way in. Being a Production assistant or whatever is the right idea. Persevere.

Shabnam Rezaei: What trends do you see in the kids’ space?

Cyma Zarghami: In general, in the kids’ space, we tend to follow trends that adults follow as well. When game shows were big, at the time of Jeopardy and Family Feud, we created Double Dare. Same is true in the online world. Social networking is big with sites like facebook so the kids’ version of that is casual gaming. The millennial generation is happier. They like their parents more than the previous generation. I think this is because you often have two working parents or a single parent and kids like spending time with their parents. They are also both materialistic and altruistic so they want to do good but they are mostly just happy and that means their entertainment will be different than the past. Cynicism is out and optimism is in. That’s why SpongeBob does so well.

Shabnam Rezaei: Did Digital kill the TV star?

Cyma Zarghami: No. People spend the same amount of time watching TV but the rest of their time has changed to surfing, playing games, and IM’ing with friends. The more we can connect online, the more successful we can be as a brand. TV will not be replaced. Kids will always love fantasy, escapism, characters they can relate to and good storytelling. It will eventually become mobile.

Shabnam Rezaei: What about the revenue impact if it goes all mobile?

Cyma Zarghami: Our business is built on advertising revenues, affiliate fees with cable operators, consumer products and the digital stream, so have multiple streams. The balance of those will shift over time. That’s everybody challenge. How do we maintain or replace the TV ad part.

Cyma Zarghami: I’d have to take four. I have 3 sons and a husband so that would be it.

For more information on Nickelodeon programming, please visit www.nick.com.

PersianMirror Quikfacts:

Full Name: Cyma Zarghami

Favorite City: New York

Favorite Dish: A good New York Strip Steak

Favorite Drink: Californian White Wine

Currently Reading: No time to read (other than my son’s books)