Dear NYWIFT Community,
New York Women in Film & Television mourns the loss of longtime member and past Board President Linda Kahn, whose decades-long career shaped the trajectory of so many beloved brands and characters in children’s media.
Linda was most recently President of Linda Kahn Media LLC, a global consulting firm dedicated to forging strategic business and creative partnerships in all aspects of children’s media as well as entertainment for general audiences.
Formerly Senior Vice President of International TV Sales & Merchandising for Scholastic Media, Linda established Scholastic Media’s presence in the highly competitive global market, developing and directing all sales and strategic international opportunities in television, video, interactive, character licensing and promotions.
From left to right: Linda Kahn, television executive Anne Sweeney, actress Susan Lucci, actress Lee Grant and comedian Sandra Bernhard at the 2004 NYWIFT Muse Awards. (Photo by Peter Kramer/Getty Images)
Linda led Scholastic Media’s international consumer products and promotional activities including those for WordGirl, Maya & Miguel, Clifford The Big Red Dog, I SPY, Horrible Histories, Stellaluna, The Magic School Bus, Animorphs, and Goosebumps. She also spearheaded the branding and distribution of the Scholastic Video Collection, creating a new consumer video line based on the award-winning Weston Woods library of classic best-selling children’s picture books.
Prior to joining Scholastic Media in 1995, Linda spent 12 years in senior executive positions at Nickelodeon and MTV Networks. As Senior Vice President of Nickelodeon’s International Program Sales, she initiated and built Nickelodeon’s television syndication and format sales worldwide. Kahn introduced Nickelodeon’s original series including Rugrats, Ren & Stimpy, and Doug to the global children’s television market. She worked with networks around the world to customize Nickelodeon’s popular game show formats to local markets. Previously, as Vice President of Acquisitions for Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite, Linda pioneered program acquisitions for Nickelodeon and was instrumental in the launch of Nick at Nite.
Meryl Streep and Linda Kahn during 2003 Muse Awards, where Streep accepted the award on behalf of Emma Thompson. (Photo by Mychal Watts/WireImage)
Linda was Board President of New York Women in Film & Television from 2003-2005. Under her tenure, NYWIFT re-designed its then relatively new website, and honored luminaries including Whoopi Goldberg, Emma Thompson, Lee Grant, Ellen Kuras, Bonnie Hammer, and more at the Muse Awards.
She was also most recently on the board of BAFTA New York, and you can read more about her international work on their website.
In July 2008, the NYWIFT Archive Project interviewed Linda about her extraordinary career in her Scholastic Entertainment office downtown. Thanks to member Jennifer Klein who conducted the interview, and Michelle Cordray who shot it.
Watch the interview on YouTube
Her infectious smile and generous spirit will be missed.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Lopez
Executive Director, NYWIFT
