Gary Marsh
Title: President/Chief Creative Officer, Disney Channels Worldwide
Number of Years in Cable: 25
Education: UCLA
Best Advice in 7 Words or Less: Say what you mean; mean what you say.
 
Ben Pyne
Title: President, Global Distribution, The Walt Disney Company
Number of Years in Cable: 21
Education: BA, Princeton; MBA, Harvard Business School
Best Advice in 7 Words or Less: Do the right thing.
 
Albert Cheng
Title: EVP/Chief Product Officer, Digital Media, Disney ABC Television Group
Number of Years in Cable: 14
Education: MBA, Harvard University; SB, M.I.T.
Best Advice in 7 Words or Less: Find your passion; play your strengths.
 

Why Them? Never have kids’ love for Disney been more evident than this past year. Disney Channel recently celebrated its 100th week as the No. 1 network for kids 6-11 and tweens 9-14, a lofty milestone in a notoriously competitive market. Under Marsh’s lead, the channel also wrested away Nickelodeon’s record 17-year claim over the coveted 2-11 kids sub-audience. Those impressive stats are likely to continue as Pyne extends Disney’s reach among youngsters with the launch of ABC Spark and expanded VOD deals. Pyne’s also building on Cheng’s recently released WATCH Disney apps, which garnered 13 million downloads in nine months. Needless to say, the sum of these leaders’ efforts has worked magic for Disney. When each finds time to get away from it all, Pyne heads to sunny Santa Barbara, Marsh goes to Alisal Ranch, and Cheng heads to hometown Honolulu.

Marsh

Apple or Samsung? Old School—Blackberry

Beatles or The Rolling Stones? Beatles

The one thing I’d do differently if I could go back to high school: Ask out Sherry B.

Favorite decade? Always the current one.

I consider this person my mentor, and here’s why: Director John Rich—He taught me that “good enough”… isn’t.

The movie that should never be remade? The Godfather

The best piece of business advice I’ve gotten this year: If it hurts, stop doing it.

Celebrity, sports figure or politician I’d most want to have dinner with? Jon Stewart

Celebrity, sports figure or politician I’d most NOT want to have dinner with? Michelle Bachman

The biggest lesson I learned from my kid(s) this year was… today matters more than tomorrow.

Favorite vacation spot? Alisal Ranch

Pyne

On a Saturday afternoon, you can find me… golfing.

Favorite airport? Singapore

I watch the majority of programming on this device: Television

Favorite business and/or motivational book? True North

Favorite vacation spot? Santa Barbara

The biggest innovation in cable over the last year: Launch of WATCH apps.

Cheng

Apple or Samsung? Apple

Beatles or The Rolling Stones? Beatles

The one thing I’d do differently if I could go back to high school: Avoid “Miami Vice”-inspired outfits.

My peers would be surprised to learn that I… was an amateur songwriter.

Appetizer or dessert? Appetizer

Film fest or music festival? Film fest

The other subject I wish I’d picked for my college major: Applied Math

Favorite decade? This one

I consider this person my mentor, and here’s why: My Dad, because there is no one else like him.

Favorite airport? Seoul, Korea

I watch the majority of programming on this device: TV (surprise!), close second is the iPad.

My favorite Cable Show memory: Martha Quinn, MTV VJ

Netflix or Hulu? Amazon

If I could tell my 21-year-old self something today, it would be… you should have kept coding to create a mega consumer Internet company valued at $100B.

The day we get multiplatform measurement is the day I… say that we, as a human species, have truly learned patience.

I wish Congress would just… be comprised of at least 50% women, and we’d have a government that actually gets something done.

Favorite vacation spot? My hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii

The biggest innovation in cable over the last year: WATCH Disney Channels and Watch ABC ?

The Daily

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