By Nadia Rivas
Nickelodeon was the channel we all loved with amazing shows that made our childhood like Drake and Josh, Icarly, Zoey 101, and more. They all had one thing in common, which was their director and producer Dan Schneider. Quiet on Set is a documentary that uncovers the toxic culture behind the most iconic shows of the late 1990s and early 2000s. The documentary shows how vulnerable childhood actors are and how, in Hollywood, it’s so easy for harassment to be normalized. Nickelodeon has formally come out, expressing that they take their complaints very seriously. In response, Schneider was dropped from Nickelodeon in 2018 and has expressed his deepest regret about his behavior. He says, “I owe some people a pretty strong apology,” but this goes beyond Nickelodeon programs; it shows that there isn’t enough protection for these kids in the industry.
There have been numerous predators on these shows, such as:
Brain Peck: Brian Peck was a dialogue coach on The Amanda Show and All That. He was convicted of sexually abusing a minor in 2004, during the time the child’s name was kept a secret for security purposes. Still, later, actor Drake Bell, who starred in Drake and Josh, came and spoke publicly about the assault and his experience enduring it. Peck was charged with 11 counts of abuse, but was sentenced to only 16 months in prison. Bell, who was 15 at the time, describes the trauma he endured from Peck’s assault.
Jason Handy: Handy, a production assistant on shows like The Amanda Show and All That, pleaded not guilty to lewd actions on a child and the distribution of sexually explicit material in 2004. Hardy served 6 years in prison and was registered as a sex offender.
Ezel Channel: A freelance animator at Nickelodeon and was accused of bringing a bunch of boys over, molesting them, and showing them pornography.
There was a hostile work environment that was created by producer Dan Schneider and consisted heavily of sexism. Multiple women who worked on these shows displayed a pattern of sexist behavior on set that the men were inflicting. Schneider consistently demanded women give him massages and would show them pornography. The doctumentary scrutinize how close Schneider would get to these girls.
This documentary is a must-watch if you grew up with these shows. Although it’s sad and disgusting to watch these grown adults prey on innocent kids who were hopeless, it delves into how these kids gave up their childhood so we could have one.