Well-known and respected throughout the education, research, and entertainment communities, Cheryl Gotthelf is an accomplished curriculum and content developer, brand builder, qualitative researcher, and marketer of children’s media products that are entertaining, educational, and relevant to children’s lives. Her practice sits squarely in the space where entertainment, education, and play intersect and she is devoted to the creation of the highest quality media experiences for children and families across all platforms and for global audiences.
A trusted leader, educator, and qualitative researcher, Cheryl’s work has placed her at the helm of launching all aspects of brands like Nickelodeon’s Noggin, Clifford the Big Red Dog (PBS Kids), The Magic School Bus (PBS Kids), Maya & Miguel (PBS Kids), I Spy (HBO Family), Dear America (HBO Family), The Octonauts, (Disney Jr., Amazon Prime, Netflix) and The Mr. Men Show (Amazon Prime). She is well-versed in re-imagining heritage brands and in all phases of developing and launching new content.
Her consulting practice includes work on IP such as American Girl’s (Amazon Prime), Barbie’s Dreamtopia (Amazon Prime), Highlights for Children, Jelly Ben & Pogo (PBS Kids), Lego Life, L’il Stompers (NBC/Universal), Luna, Chip & Inkie, (Knowledge Network), Pocoyo (Cartoonito), Team Mekbots (NBC/Universal) The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That! (PBS Kids), Talking Tom Heroes: Suddenly Super (Epic Story Media) and Thomas the Tank Engine (PBS Kids). She also works closely with clients on developing entirely original content and content for platforms like Cartoonito, PBS KIDS, HBO Max, and NBCUniversal. She has served as Mattel Creations’ child development and educational consultant for new series and their development slate and has consulted for Common Sense Media on brand development and strategy as well as educational content. Whether it is television, digital, books, toys, or consumer products, Cheryl helps clients figure out a property’s emotional and functional meaning in the lives of children and families. She is known for building brands recognized not only for their educational quality but also for their entertainment and business success.
Cheryl has held senior-level executive positions at ABC Television, Sesame Workshop, Scholastic Media, Nickelodeon’s Noggin, and Chorion (now Silvergate owned by Sony). In addition to her commercial work, she has served as Principal Investigator on several informal math, science, literacy, and multi-cultural initiatives funded by the National Science Foundation, The Carnegie Corporation, The Department of Education/Ready to Learn, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS. With a Master’s Degree in Developmental Psychology and Education from Columbia University, Teachers College, she has studied with some of the world’s most prominent scholars including Dr. Herbert Ginsberg and Dr. Dorothy Strickland.
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