Gary Marsh
President, Entertainment, and Chief Creative Officer, Disney Channels Worldwide
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Gary Marsh is President, Entertainment, and Chief Creative Officer, Disney Channels Worldwide.
Disney Channels Worldwide is the global kids and family TV business of The Walt Disney Company and comprises a total of 94 kid-driven, family inclusive entertainment channels and/or channel feeds available in 163 countries in 32 languages. They span Disney Channel, Playhouse Disney, Disney Cinemagic, Hungama, GXT, Radio Disney and Disney XD brands. The group's multiplatform strategy includes subscription video-on-demand and content-rich broadband websiteDisneyChannel.com -- which ranks as the #1 kids entertainment website among Kids 6-14.
Marsh is responsible for leading the effort to create world-class Disney-branded programming for kids and families around the world. He oversees the development and production of an entire slate of original programming for Disney Channels Worldwide – both live action and animated – with original programming teams based in Burbank, London and Japan.
He also manages the Worldwide Programming Strategy, Planning and Acquisitions teams, Original Movies, Original Series, Casting, Talent Relations and Production for Disney Channel U.S. and Disney XD. In addition, he oversees the development and production arms of Walt Disney Television Animation.
Marsh is the executive in charge of Disney Channel's extraordinarily successful original programming slate that includes the hit series "Hannah Montana," "Phineas and Ferb," "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody," "Sonny With A Chance," "Wizards of Waverly Place" and "That's So Raven," among many others.
In addition he oversees the blockbuster Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) franchise, comprising over 75 titles, including the smash musical hits "High School Musical" and "High School Musical 2,""Camp Rock," and "The Cheetah Girls 1, 2 and 3."
Soundtrack and music sales from the projects and talent that Marsh has developed at Disney Channel have exceeded 50 million units. In fact, the quadruple-platinum-selling soundtrack for "High School Musical" (the #1 selling album of 2006) made history as the first ever TV movie soundtrack to reach #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
Marsh also supervises development and production for Playhouse Disney, the popular preschool programming block which includes "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," "Handy Manny," "Secret Agent Oso," "Little Einsteins" and "My Friends Tigger and Pooh."
From 2001-05, Marsh was Executive Vice President, Original Programming and Production, Disney Channel. He was Executive Vice President, Original Programming, from 1999-2001, and Senior Vice President, Original Programming, from 1994-99. He joined Disney Channel in 1988 as Executive Director, Programming, and was promoted to Vice President within months.
Throughout his tenure at Disney Channel, Marsh has supervised projects that have garnered the highest industry and critical acclaim, including multiple Emmys and Humanitas Prizes, plus Peabody, NAMIC, Gabriel, Women in Film, Parents' Choice and , New York International Film and Television Festival Awards. He was also a 2005 Honoree of Girls Incorporated, which recognizes industry leaders who are excellent role models for girls and young women.
Prior to joining Disney Channel, Marsh was Director of Movies and Miniseries at Columbia Pictures Television. He was previously Vice President, the Garth Group, a consulting firm in New York City, where he specialized in creating media for political campaigns. His clients included New York Mayor Ed Koch and Walter Mondale.
Marsh is a Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles.
He and his wife, Jody, and their daughter, Zoey, reside in Sherman Oaks, California.
Disney Channels Worldwide is part of the Disney-ABC Television Group.