28 | THE ‘TWEEN IDOLS
Gary Marsh
Title: President/Chief Creative Officer, Disney Channels Worldwide (pictured below)
Years in Cable: 23
Education: BA, UCLA
Best Advice in 7 Words or Less: Dare to be great.
Ben Pyne
Years in Cable: 20
Education: AB, Princeton; MBA, Harvard
Best Advice: Assume nothing.
Why Them? The Disney machine never sleeps, so we’re not entirely sure how Marsh and Pyne ever get caught up on their rest. Creating an empire of multiplatform ‘tween stars and hyper-marketing their various media endeavors has become par for the course for Marsh, who was the obvious choice this fall to replace Carolina Lightcap when she departed. Marsh is turning his attention back to the Disney’s roots with the launch of 24/7 tot channel Disney Junior next year, as well as pumping up boy-focused Disney XD and reinvigorating the Disney Channel Original Movie franchise. Pyne continues to log countless frequent flyer miles negotiating carriage for the Disney networks including ABC Family on multiple platforms, including authenticated services.
Music Man: Marsh is considered the “heart and soul” of Disney. It’s somehow only fitting that this man plays the accordion!
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My guilty television pleasure is: "Revenge"
