Around the Net

Disney's Ross Has An Ear for 'Tween' Talent

"Tweens" have made the Disney Channel a reliable profit engine for the Walt Disney Co., thanks to Rich Ross, senior vice president of programming.

Ross has led TV's pursuit of the 9-to-14-year-old tween audience, creating popular personalities and shows that dominate the age group's attention and have muscled their way into mainstream culture. The latest example is the Jonas Brothers. Before Ross' efforts, no network courted the age group, which influences roughly $43 billion in spending annually.

In creating programming for tweens, Ross also has helped launch the careers of many of today's most celebrated figures in young Hollywood. What's his secret? Ross is adamant about always including the families of the young stars. "From Day 1, they take a hands-on approach in bringing your family into the [Disney] family," says Dianna De La Garza, whose daughter, Lovato, stars in the Disney Channel's highest-rated series "Sonny With a Chance."

advertisement

advertisement

Read the whole story at Los Angeles Times »

Next story loading loading..