Susan MacLaury and Albie Hecht – Founders
Albie Hecht and Susan MacLaury at the 2010 Emmy awards for War/Dance
The Academy Award-nominated husband and wife team are the co-founders and driving force behind the non-profit production company Shine Global and Emmy winners for its first film, WAR/DANCE.
Albie Hecht, co-founder and Chairman of the Board and noted as one of the most influential and innovative people in entertainment, has created numerous hits, has been nominated for two Academy Awards, guided franchises into household names and introduced groundbreaking entertainment for people of all ages. As former president of Nickelodeon Entertainment as well as the creator and president of SpikeTV, Albie became a recognized industry leader. While at Nickelodeon, he oversaw the development and production of SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Blue’s Clues and the live-action hit All That.
In addition to television, Hecht also produced some of Paramount’s hit films including Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, which received four Academy Award nominations as well as The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. He was nominated for an Oscar as the producer of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, which was also a Golden Globe Nominee and he was the executive producer of The Rugrats Movie, which was the first non-Disney animated feature to cross the hundred million dollar mark.
He is now the founder and CEO of Worldwide Biggies, a transmedia company which has done such projects as The Naked Brothers Band and The Video Game Awards. He also produced the television series Bar Karma for Current TV – an innovative show in which the audience helped to create the story via online community resources. Recognized for these accomplishments, Hecht was also named to Hollywood Reporter’s Top 50 Digital Power Innovators in 2008.
Dr. Susan MacLaury, PhD, LSW, is the Executive Director of Shine Global. As such, she was an Executive Producer of the Academy Award nominated and two time Emmy Award-winning WAR/DANCE and THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA. She is working in the same capacity for Shine Global’s current projects, including INOCENTE. She also directs the outreach and advocacy for all of Shine’s projects.
Susan is dually degreed in social work administration and health education. For more than twenty years she has directed educational and prevention programs for adolescents in New York and New Jersey. She has also provided extensive staff development to teachers, counselors, and healthcare providers working with adolescents nationally. She currently teaches at Kean University.
Susan is the author of “Student Advisories in Grades 5-12: A Facilitator’s Guide,” now in its second printing, as well as producer of the short form documentary, “Project Highroad.”
Together, Susan and Albie are building on Shine Global’s impressive achievements with future projects that empower exploited children around the world.