Ian Chernichaw is a creative director with over 25 years of experience in children’s media and has worked with some of the most iconic brands in the industry, including Nickelodeon, Sesame Workshop, and MarcoPolo Learning. From an early age, he seemed destined for a career in children’s media.
“I really feel like it was what I was meant to do,” he revealed in a conversation with FUTURE NOW Founder & CEO Peggy Kim. “My mother is a fine artist, photographer, and painter, and my father was in the entertainment industry. He was an executive producer and director. So, I’ve always been drawn to the arts—no pun intended.”
Chernichaw’s passion for art began in childhood when he spent his free time making miniature clay characters from Sculpey, paper-mâché creations, and developing photography in his mother’s darkroom in the basement. He also loved watching cartoons after school, but nothing compared to Saturday mornings. “There was no feeling like waking up on a Saturday morning [to watch cartoons]” he told attendees.
Chernichaw turned his passion into an internship with Nickelodeon the summer between his junior and senior years of college. He joked that “a lot [of the internship] was sitting around playing solitaire at the computer in the supply closet.” But, he was proactive and showed initiative by talking to people in the office and volunteering for assignments.
“It was important to always walk around and ask people, ‘Can I do anything for you?’” And, doors began to open for him. He got to work with writers, producers, directors, animators, and art directors. He even had the opportunity to work on storyboards, edit videos, and create rough animations for on-air promotional campaigns as he ran around “doing whatever they needed,” including prop and wardrobe runs.
Chernichaw made such an impression that, when one of the assistants went on vacation, Nickelodeon hired him for a two-week gig after college. “That two weeks turned into almost ten years at Nick.”
He officially began his professional career at Nickelodeon On-Air Promotions as an executive assistant, assistant production coordinator, and art department assistant. Then, an opportunity at a little show called Blue’s Clues opened up.
Chernichaw jumped at the chance and soon became a model maker for the groundbreaking preschool show. The shift from working in live-action production to an animated series took some getting used to, but as he pointed out, “The storytelling is something that's very similar in each. You're always trying to tell a story.”
For anyone looking to transition from working in live-action to animation or vice versa, Chernichaw recommends having portfolios of your work ready to go. “Work on your own projects, work on your own films, work on your own videos, just create content, create artwork, have a nice reel. Have a nice portfolio,” he advised.
So, what exactly did Chernichaw do as a model maker at Blue’s Clues? “Everything that you saw [on the show], we made,” Chernichaw explained. “We had an art room. It was like an arts and crafts room. It was incredible. We had fabrics, we had popsicle sticks, we had clay, we had paint….Everything that you saw in Blues Clues was actually designed and built out of clay, out of popsicle sticks, out of all the arts and crafts materials because…we wanted the kids to feel like they could make the things that they see on screen themselves.”
Chernichaw’s years of sculpting clay in the basement during his childhood finally paid off.
That said, it wasn’t just Chernichaw’s artistic skills that helped him land the gig, it was his persistence. He made a point to visit and speak to the Blue’s Clues team whenever he had some free time, following up with them, even though putting himself out there didn’t come easily to him.
“Naturally, I'm a shy person. I'm an introvert. I have to force myself…to seem like I'm this confident guy,” he admitted. And when you are interviewing for a job, that is not the time to be timid. “You definitely have to talk about what you've done, what your strengths are… don't feel shy to show off.”
Even on the job, Chernichaw would always make sure to make the most of it. “I always have that fear…‘Am I going to be let go?” he admitted. “So I would just make the most of every day that I was there, especially early on. I would work most nights. I would stay late after everybody would go home. I would stay there to get a better grasp on things, to learn the software, and just to get a better idea of what was going on. And then back early in the morning.”
His determination to succeed and commitment to his job “gave me the skills… and understanding that I needed to move up the ladder.” His passion was evident to everyone, and he was eventually promoted to Senior Art Director.
In that role, Chernichaw was in charge of two teams (aptly named Salt and Pepper after the characters in the show), each assigned to different episodes. The teams would present art and models for the episodes, take his notes, and tweak as needed; these designers and model makers created model sheets for the characters, the backgrounds, and all the artwork.
Chernichaw also directed a digital design team explaining, “We cut all of the elements that we created in Photoshop and set them all up to be ready for the animators who worked in After Effects,” referring to the production process.
He oversaw everything from storyboards to animation. No two days looked the same, and he enjoyed it that way. “That keeps things interesting and exciting.”
As the senior art director, Chernichaw had to provide constructive criticism to team members, which could sometimes be challenging. “Artists tend to… get really attached to their work because you're proud of what you're doing,” he said.
“I learned early on that you could really care about your work, but you could also separate that from your feelings… I cannot get upset when things change, because things just change all the time, and people do have difficulty with that, especially people earlier on in their careers.”
On a show like Blue’s Clues or Sesame Street, Chernichaw was responsible for maintaining the visual consistency of the show and ensuring that individual styles didn’t impact its overall look. He would remind his team that they were hired to create work in the style of the show and that following directions was essential. While each person’s style brought something unique and valuable, his role was to ensure all artwork stayed on-brand. Chernichaw explained that accepting this kind of feedback and learning to compromise were crucial to fostering a healthy work environment. It didn’t mean that one shouldn’t advocate for their own ideas, quite the opposite. Those ideas could be used to enhance the greater vision, but it was important to always keep the show’s visual integrity in mind.
Chernichaw has experienced significant success in his career, but despite his varied experience and skill, he still battles with imposter syndrome on many new projects. “I always get nervous,” he confessed. “I always feel, to a certain extent, that I have to pretend.”
So how does he combat that? It all goes back to that proactivity. “If I go into a project that I'm not too familiar with, I will work overnight. I'll learn it. I'll watch the tutorials… I'll do whatever I can in order to learn whatever I need to know… to fulfill that task.”
Sometimes, when feeling shy or nervous about an interview or talk (it happens to the best of us!), Chernichaw finds that preparation helps steady his nerves. That way, “I'm not going into it blind.” He explained that he does extensive research on the company and the people he’s interviewing with-their background, where they went to school, their job experience. With a laugh, he added, “I stalk people before an interview, because I just want to know everything, and that… helps calm me down.”
Even between jobs, Chernichaw stays proactive by honing his craft. Recently, he taught himself Adobe Character Animator to assist with an animated podcast he created with a friend, which ultimately led to a freelance gig that he might not have gotten without that skill. “It's all about learning and… adding to your toolkit of information,” he said.
Before the conversation ended, Chernichaw offered attendees a piece of advice that has guided him throughout his career: "You can’t be afraid… to take risks. Don't be afraid to make decisions." Acknowledging his own tendency, he continued, "A lot of people have trouble making decisions because they're scared they're going to be wrong."
Chernichaw has never let fear hold him back from taking action, and this proactive approach continues to serve him well today. As he put it, “It's better to just make a decision” rather than to make no decision at all.
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