December 1, 2008

CableFAX: 72. The Incubator: Gary Marsh

Gary Marsh
Title: President, Entertainment, Disney Channels Worldwide
Last Year: #5
Age: A tad higher than our demo...
Education: U of CA, Los Angeles, BA, Communication Studies

Why Him? As the driving force behind so many of Disney Channel’s multimedia stars, Marsh is a pop culture patriarch of sorts. A gifted musician who can play by ear, his influence is felt as much in helping the likes of Miley, Selena and Ashley cross over into the music industry as in overseeing TV hits like Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place.

Little Pals: Marsh helped mastermind spin-off The Suite Life on Deck and Phineas and Ferb.

The Year Ahead:
With boy-focused Disney XD on the way, not to mention High School Musical 4 and a new Demi Lavoto series, Marsh will continue to wield pop culture power

Favorite Restaurant: Tamarind (Great Indian food in London)

Unnecessary Luxury I Like Most: Opposing thumbs

Fave Show Not on Disney: The Daily Show

Last Book Read: Knuffle Bunny 2 by Mo Willems

Favorite Part of My Job: Finding/launching the Shia LaBeoufs and Miley Cyruses of the world

Cable’s Biggest Challenge: Staying ahead of the content curve

Best Business Advice Received: "No one ever gets fired for spending too much  money on a great  success.  And no one ever gets promoted for saving money on a colossal failure."

Disney Is Preparing For The Future By:  Hiring and retaining the smartest people on the planet 

My Philosophy Of Life Is: Do it well, or don't do it.

My Favorite Word Is: "Going Rogue"

The Trait I Most Admire In People Is:  Honor

Favorite Sports Team(s):  East High Wildcats, of course 

Hero: Colin Powell

CO

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