A spokesperson for Dan Schneider is sharing his side of the story amid fallout from “Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.”
While the Investigation Discovery docuseries is set to conclude Monday, the former Nickelodeon boss’ team addressed some of the public criticism levied against the man behind production company Schneider’s Bakery.
“Dan expected and asked a lot from his teams. They worked long hours and consistently made successful shows. In the challenges of production, Dan could get frustrated at times, and he understands why some employees found that intimidating and stressful,” a spokesperson for Schneider told TheWrap. “In a career spanning 30-plus years, Dan worked with thousands of people, many of whom still tell him how much they enjoyed and appreciated working on his shows.”
The spokesperson admitted, however, that “some people did not have a positive experience, and he is truly sorry for that. Dan knows he should have done better and feels awful about anyone who saw him at his worst, instead of his best.”
Schneider was responsible for ’90s and ’00s Nickelodeon hits including “All That,” “Drake & Josh,” “Kenan & Kel,” “Sam & Cat,” “The Amanda Show,” “Victorious,” “Zoey 101” and “iCarly.”
The statement to TheWrap came the morning after TV writer and producer Amy Berg, Schneider’s former assistant, slammed her former employer as a “psychological tormenter” whom she held responsible for years of panic attacks.
Berg, who works as a producer and TV writer on shows like “Law & Order: Organized Crime” and “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” revealed Sunday night on social media that her “very first” job was working as Schneider’s assistant. She noted she wasn’t aware of any “physically inappropriate behavior” from her employer — separate allegations of which have been levied at the producer by former child stars including Drake Bell — but that he was a “f–king a-shole” who created a toxic work environment with domineering demands.
“He introduced me to panic attacks and the stress of working for him caused me to develop a significant heart arrhythmia,” Berg wrote. “I eventually had surgery to [mostly] correct the issue, but by that point I’d lost all of my 20s. He stole those years from me.”
Nickelodeon’s former president of content and production Russell Hicks issued a statement of his own on Monday following the Sunday premiere of “Quiet on Set” and the allegations therein.
“Dan Schneider is one of the most prolific producers of hit television in the kids and family entertainment business. Dan’s shows transcend children’s television and are staples on many streaming platforms today, enjoyed by both kids and their parents,” Hicks stated. “Dan cared about the kids on his shows even when sometimes their own families unfortunately did not. What people seem to be forgetting is the fact that the network has a talent management department that is keeping tabs on everything that is happening and going to every event these kids go to.”
“There is a standards and practices group that reads every script and programming executives looking at every episode. Add to that every day on every set, were the parents and caregivers and their friends watching every single frame of footage and listening to every joke,” Hicks continued. “Every single thing that Dan ever did on any of his shows was carefully scrutinized and approved by executives at Nickelodeon.”
Day 2 of “Quiet On Set” lands on ID and streams on Max on Monday at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST.
