Kevin Iwaki

Kevin Iwaki was born in Torrance, CA to Ken and Cindy Iwaki on November 12, 1986.
He attended University of Southern California (USC) and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cinematic Arts Critical Studies in 2009. He worked as an archivist and librarian at the Nickelodeon Animation Research Library. Here, he co-founded and established the Nickelodeon Animation Archive.

On January 10, 2017 Kevin was taken suddenly by paramedics and was admitted to the ICU for a bleed in his head and vomiting blood. Doctors diagnosed him with a sudden onset of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL). APL is a cancer when immature white blood cells accumulate in bone marrow, and lead to shortage of normal white and red blood cells and platelets in the body.
Despite aggressive medical care and being on life support, Kevin did not recover. Kevin was taken off of life support on January 13, 2017.

In Loving Memory of Kevin Iwaki

"For those who may not have known or worked with Kevin, his enthusiasm for Nickelodeon was contagious. He loved his work as an archivist and librarian. He would share his discoveries of amazing artwork from Nickelodeon's rich animation history as if he had found sunken treasure. You could see the fruits of his dedication and hard work in the material he compiled for many different projects, including the 25th Anniversary Gallery at Cal State Fullerton and most recently the opening of the new library here at the studio in Burbank. Kevin scoured thousands of boxes to find artwork to help inspire the "Hey Arnold!" and "Rocko" movie projects. In addition to supporting the Animation Studio Kevin's efforts also impacted groups based in New York. Whether it was compiling reference material for style guides or aiding our product development designers, Kevin was always quick to respond to questions regarding Nickelodeon's vast programming history. Stumped for knowledge on Invader Zim? Call Kevin. Need reference of Tommy Pickles from Rugrats? Kevin was always your reliable point person, supporting a global business enriching kids' lives around the world. His knowledge of all-things Nickelodeon was priceless and will be sorely missed. But more importantly, we will miss seeing his friendly smile and welcoming spirit.

One of Kevin's friends has created an email for all of us who would like to send messages to the Iwaki family. We'd like to encourage you and everyone who knew Kevin to drop an email at keviniwaki@gmail.com with contact information and personal messages so we could keep you informed.