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Antonio Jackson
Variety Editor
A documentary that describes the untold stories of mistreatment towards young actors and staff that took place behind the scenes during the production of several shows, “Quiet One Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV”, was released on March 17, is.
From shows like “The Amanda Show”, “All That”, “iCarly”, “Drake and Josh”, and more, each series had a dark secret that was facilitated by their creator, Dan Schneider.
The first episode, Hidden in Plain Sight”, illustrates the experiences of two young Nickelodeon writers, Jenny Kilgen and Christy Stratton. Having landed the job of their dreams in a male dominated space of 1999, the two were under the impression that they were treated fairly despite that. However, as they described it, it was the total opposite. One of the first things Stratton and Kilgen had to face was that they were forced to share a salary, meaning their pay was cut in half from the start.
Schneider would also offer money for the two writers if they participated in humiliating actions.
One of which was eating two entire tubs of ice cream for $300. Stratton took Schneider’s offer, her reasoning being that she needed all the money she could get. However, she would never receive payment. Stratton would jokingly remind Schneider that he owed her already when offered money to do another “dare”, but Schneider would immediately scold her into silence for “insinuating that he doesn’t make good on his bets”.
This was one of many displays of power Schneider used to establish dominance over the employees under him.
Another gruesome detail that was brought to light by the documentary was the content that was used on television.
Throughout each episode of the shows Nickelodeon aired, there were several questionable scenes that raised concern during production. Countless scenes involving the actors/actresses feet, condiments being sprayed on them, and actresses wearing bikinis and acting in a provocative manner.
The most damning scene that was shown was a compilation of child actress turned pop star, Ariana Grande, doing extremely inappropriate acts. Grande was told to do things like pour water on her neck in a sexual manner and put her own feet in her mouth. The actions of Grande were obviously inappropriate to employees involved in production but since her character was written to be evidently “dumb”, no one spoke up to address it.
The most heinous situation that revealed was the scandal behind Bryan Peck. Peck was a close friend of Schneider, working alongside each other in several productions.
Peck would eventually become the dialogue coach for Drake Bell, making his debut for Nickelodeon in “The Amanda Show” and the hit show “Drake and Josh”.
Peck would meticulously craft a close relationship with Bell, inviting him to Disney World and showing up to Bell’s music shows.
Bell’s father and manager at the time, Joe Bell, would see through Peck’s malicious intent and try to keep him away from his son. However, Peck’s influence over Drake had already sunk too deep, causing Drake to fire his father as manager.
Eventually, Peck would sexually assault Drake several times when the opportunity presented itself. Fortunately, Peck would be charged and convicted for molestation, however this would not be enough to bring peace to Drake.
Bell’s mental health would slowly decline, eventually leading him to resort to alcoholism, losing his home to bankruptcy, and becoming the very thing that haunted his youth, a child predator.
“Quiet On Set” does an amazing job uncovering the truth to the masses about the dark side of Hollywood.
The documentary calls out the lack of support and protection for child actors and yearns for an immediate change.
“Quiet On Set” is available on demand, through streaming services Prime Video, Discovery Plus, Max, and more.
