Janice Burgess

Who is Janice Burgess?

Janice Burgess is the former key person of Nick Jr.. She is the creator and executive producer of The Backyardigans, a CGI-animated series on Nick Jr. running from 2004 to 2008 about five high-spirited friends and their imaginative, musical journeys.

Burgess was the project manager for Ghostwriter at Children's Television Workshop. In that position, she co-ordinated the efforts of the magazine, outreach and teacher materials with the content and goals of the television show.

She joined Nickelodeon in 1995 as an executive-in-charge of production at Nick Jr. and later became vice president. In this capacity, she oversaw the production of Peabody and Emmy Award-winning Nick Jr. shows including Blue's Clues, Little Bill and Whoopi’s Littleburg. She was also co-executive producer of The Little Bill.

Burgess grew up in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated from The Ellis School in 1974.