Extraordinary Me: Celebrating Real Kids with Real Stories on Nickelodeon

"A celebration of what makes kids shine, in their own extraordinary way."

Blacklist Creative partnered with Nickelodeon to create Extraordinary Me, a live-action interstitial series spotlighting real kids achieving remarkable things, all inspired by their passions. Designed for broadcast and social, each episode offers a joyful, stylised portrait of children who are living proof that being yourself is your greatest superpower.

The Mission

Nickelodeon wanted more than content. They wanted impact. The goal? Create a feel-good series that would:

• Celebrate real children whose stories could inspire others

• Reflect Nickelodeon’s core values of individuality, optimism, and empowerment

• Deliver an authentic, diverse representation of kids

• Work across multiple platforms

• Feel emotionally resonant, fun, and distinctly Nickelodeon

Strategic Approach

The foundation of Extraordinary Me was authenticity. Every decision — from casting to editing — was made to amplify each child's personality, passions, and achievements while staying rooted in Nickelodeon’s bold, energetic tone.

We approached the series as micro-documentaries meets Nickelodeon storytelling:

• Real stories: No scripts, just conversations. We let the kids speak in their own voice.

• Relatable heroes: We selected children not just for their accomplishments, but for their enthusiasm, humility, and unique spark.

• Kid-first design: Visual identity, pacing, and tone were designed to feel joyful, fast, and full of personality,  just like the kids themselves.

The Build: From Casting to Colour Grading

Casting & Development

We conducted a UK-wide search for children with compelling, positive stories — from athletes and coders to conservationists and artists. Our casting process emphasised inclusivity, looking beyond traditional metrics of success to find kids who were passionate, kind, curious, and driven.

Each story was developed in close consultation with families and guardians, ensuring that the content would be respectful, appropriate, empowering and most of all fun!

"We didn’t cast characters. We elevated kids being their true selves with a Nickelodeon twist."

Child Safeguarding & Compliance

Working with children in the UK required careful compliance with broadcast and child protection standards, which we embraced as part of the creative process:

• Child Performance Licensing: We secured local authority licenses for each child, in line with UK regulations.

• Chaperones: Every shoot was supervised by chaperones to ensure child welfare at all times.

• Working Hours Compliance: Filming schedules were carefully constructed to remain within allowable working hours for minors, depending on age at the time of shooting.

• Risk Assessments & Safeguarding Protocols: Every location and scene was fully risk-assessed, and all crew were briefed on child protection practices.

• Consent & Collaboration: We ensured clear communication and signed consents with parents/guardians at every stage, encouraging their involvement throughout production.

This process not only met legal obligations, it built trust, comfort, and stronger performances on set.

Filming & On-Set Experience

Each episode was filmed in an environment familiar to each child, whether that was their living room, theatre stage, karting track, ski slope or wildlife reserve, helping them feel comfortable and confident. Interviews were conversational and open-ended, creating space for genuine moments of humour, reflection, and joy.

Our small, experienced crew helped create a relaxed and playful atmosphere, making each shoot feel more like a fun hangout than a formal production.

Post-Production & Nickelodeon Branding

This is where the series truly came alive. Our post-production process translated each child’s personality into vibrant, stylised storytelling that aligned with Nickelodeon’s brand identity.

• Motion Graphics: Custom-designed animation added energy, humour, and visual storytelling elements to complement what the kids said on screen.

• Sound Design: Fun, expressive music and sound cues were layered in to enhance tone and emotional moments.

• Colour Grading: Each episode was treated with cinematic grading to enhance a premium look and feel.

• Edits That Move: Pacing was fast, fresh, and varied to hold attention, with playful cutaways, bold transitions, and clean structure.

"We didn’t just tell stories, we let the kids lead the narrative. Post-production was where their personality exploded onto the screen."

What’s Next?

We gained Nickelodeon’s faith and trust that we can confidently create amazing content. This led to further projects with Nickelodeon, such as two original online series Operation Pawsome and Heroic Hounds as well as entrusting us with their hero brand Spongebob’s 25th anniversary, where we created bespoke content with kids too.

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Want to inspire a generation of extraordinary kids?

Let’s talk. At Blacklist, we know how to bring real stories to life, and turn everyday heroes into icons.

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