HITN Learning’s Vice President of Creative Development and Production honored as Culture Catalyst for digital media and technology at the Innovation & Inclusion Awards 2018
Brooklyn, NY – HITN, the leading Spanish-language network that offers educational and entertainment content to more than 44 million households across the United States, announced today that Erica Branch-Ridley, Vice President of Creative Development and Production at HITN Learning, was honored for her leadership in the area of digital production by the Digital Diversity Network at their “Innovation & Inclusion Awards 2018”, an annual program that honors the achievements of leading professionals in digital and technological fields across the country.
“This award is a well-deserved acknowledgement of Erica, and our talented HITN Learning team’s work,” said Michael D. Nieves, President & CEO of HITN. “We continue to stay up to date with the latest technological advances that offer Spanish-speaking families the highest quality bilingual children’s products and digital tools that both educate and entertain.”
Erica supervises the development of multi-platform educational products at HITN Learning, the division of HITN responsible for developing its interactive, bilingual initiatives for children. This month, Erica’s team will release HITN Learning’s newest product, the Cleo & Cuquin Explore and Learn App. The app includes a host of engaging games, activities and videos including augmented reality experiences, targeted at pre-school age children to help enhance kindergarten readiness skills. Previously with HITN, Erica spearheaded development of 15 Pocoyo Playset Apps under a Department of Education $30 million Ready to Learn Grant.
“We are proud and excited to see Erica receive this award for her work,” remarked David Rust, General Manager of HITN Learning. “Her leadership and experience are key to the creative development process for our multi-platform educational products and award-winning apps for children.”
Before joining HITN, Erica worked at Sesame Workshop, where she led the digital strategy for The Electric Company and went on to serve as Vice President of Production for Sesame Learning. She also spent time at Viacom as Senior Director of TV Land/Nick at Nite Digital. In addition, she was Senior Producer at Nickelodeon Online, where she created the first fully interactive experiences for Dora the Explorer, Blues Clues, Little Bill and many other notable kids shows. Erica has received numerous accolades, including two Interactive Emmy Awards.
This year’s winners of the Innovation & Inclusion Awards 2018 were honored at a gala in New York City on October 18th, attended by more than 200 professionals from across the country.
