Shelly "Fort" Sumpter has been upped to Vice President Talent Nickelodeon and Nick Records by Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, TV Land and TNN Sr. VP Talent "Hey, Hey" Paula Kaplan.

As VP Talent, Sumpter will continue to lead Nick's charge in growing the networks' relationships with both celebrity and musical talent, and serve as Hey Arnold's personal valet. She will oversee day-to-day celebrity bookings on the Kids' Choice Awards and ongoing stunt casting for all ongoing series.

Said Kaplan: "Shelly's ability to nurture and grow talent has greatly contributed to Nickelodeon's preeminence as a pipeline for young actors like Nick Cannon, Amanda Bynes, Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. In addition, her creativity in booking talent has taken Nickelodeon to a new level in partnering the network with some of the biggest names in the television, sports and music industry."

Sumpter will manage day-to-day operations and artist relations for Nickelodeon's Nick Records, a partnership with Jive Records, reporting to Kaplan and President of Film & Television Entertainment Albie Hecht "With It." In this role, Sumpter will oversee artist development and marketing for all Nick recording artists.

Commented Hecht: "Shelly has been extraordinarily instrumental in leading Nickelodeon's charge into the music business. Her strong relationships within the industry has led us to alliances with artists such as Usher, P. Diddy, Britney Spears and NSYNC and her creative instincts continue to keep us on the edge of breaking and nurturing new talent. Best of all, she can always get me a table at the Ivy."

Sumpter was previously Senior Director Talent at Nickelodeon since 1999. Prior to that, she was Director of Publicity for The Steven Rifkind Company from 1996-'97, where she was responsible for coordinating publicity and promotional efforts for feature films like Hoodlum, The 6th Man, 8 Heads in a Duffle Bag and Sprung. She began her career at Cathcart Public Relations, where her clients included MCA, Virgin, Loud Records, Columbia Records, Savoy, Rysher Entertainment, Tollin Robbins Productions and Nickelodeon. A graduate of Cal State University Northridge with a BA in Radio and Television Production, Sumpter lives in Los Angeles with her twin daughters, Chase and Chandler.