Who Is Dan Schneider? Nickelodeon Honcho Worked With Jennette McCurdy

For Millennials and Gen Z, Dan Schneider projects such as iCarly, The Amanda Show, Zoey 101, and Victorious were a foundational part of childhood.

For almost 30 years, Schneider worked with Nickelodeon on some of its biggest tween hits. He even won Nickelodeon's first and only Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.

Jennette McCurdy, who starred as lovable rogue Sam Puckett in iCarly and reprised the role in Sam & Cat, appearing opposite Ariana Grande, worked closely with Schneider for seven years.

Both shows were created, written, and produced by Schneider.

Who Is Dan Schneider?

Dan Schneider, 56, is an American television producer, screenwriter, and actor.

He is best known for his work as a producer and for his role as co-president of the television production company, Schneider's Bakery, which has been behind the Nickelodeon shows Henry Danger, Victorious, The Amanda Show, Zoey 101, Drake & Josh, iCarly, Sam & Cat and more.

He started off as an actor, appearing in the 1980s sitcom Head of the Class as Dennis Blunden, and appearing in the films Making the Grade, Better Off Dead, The Big Picture, and Hot Resort.

Schneider co-hosted the second ever Kid's Choice Awards and went on to work with Brian Robbins (the president of kids and family entertainment for ViacomCBS) on All That, a sketch comedy show of kids starring the likes of Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Amanda Bynes, and Jamie Lynn Spears.

From 1996 to 1997 he served as an executive producer and writer for Kenan & Kel. He created The Amanda Show in 1999 which ran until 2002 and starred Amanda Bynes.

In the early 2000's Schneider was behind classics like Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, Victorious, iCarly, and Sam & Cat.

In 2018, Schneider stepped down from Nickelodeon after over three decades of working with the network.

Both Schneider and Nickelodeon released a joint statement announcing their separation, citing he was off to pursue "other opportunities and projects."

The statement read: "Following many conversations together about next directions and future opportunities, Nickelodeon and our longtime creative partner Dan Schneider/Schneider's Bakery have agreed to not extend the current deal.

"Since several Schneider's Bakery projects are wrapping up, both sides agreed that this is a natural time for Nickelodeon and Schneider's Bakery to pursue other opportunities and projects.

"We thank Dan and his Schneider's Bakery producers, executives, and social media team for their immeasurable contributions to Nickelodeon, and we wish them the best in their future endeavors.

"And Dan and Schneider's Bakery are proud of the work they did together with Nickelodeon and will always remain big fans of the network."

However, it soon transpired that Schneider had been investigated by ViacomCBS, the parent company of Nickelodeon, after allegations were made by co-workers of inappropriate behavior.

ViacomCBS found Schneider had been verbally abusive to members of staff during his time at Nickelodeon, but found no evidence of sexual misconduct.

Speaking to the New York Times in 2021, Schneider declined to comment on the investigation but did stand by his leadership style. He also shared he left the network after an "exhausting" period where he was required to deliver 50 episodes a year.

He shared: "I took a break to take care of a lot of stuff that I'd let go by the wayside for decades. Whatever I do next, I want it to outdo what I've done in the past."

Schneider also added he had never acted inappropriately with the teams and actors he worked with.

He stated: "I couldn't, and I wouldn't have the long-term friendships and continued loyalty from so many reputable people if I'd mistreated my actors of any age, especially minors."

Newsweek has contacted Schneider's representatives and Nickelodeon for comment.