'High School Musical' Mastermind Gary Marsh Named Chief Creative Officer of The Disney Channel

Gary Marsh, the Disney mastermind behind the High School musical programming for the mouse, can add one more notch to his belt today as he was promoted to Chief Creative Officer of the Disney Channel.  He formerly held the post of Disney Channel Entertainment President.

Says Ann Sweeny, co-chair of Disney Media Networks of his promotion, "Gary is the creative force behind Disney Channel's tremendous success and some of The Walt Disney Company's most heralded and popular franchises."

According to the Los Angeles Times, the job of Chief Creative Officer has remained unfilled since Rich Ross, the former president of Disney Channels Worldwide, became chairman of Walt Disney Studios in October. They write, "Ross helped transform the network from a sleepy cable backwater that ran old films and educational fare to a tween powerhouse and reliable profit center responsible for creating brands for Disney."  There is little doubt that Marsh will continue on this path.

With the promotion of March additionally comes the announcement that Carolina Lightcap, the senior vice president and chief creative officer of Disney Channels Latin America, will now become president of Disney Channels Worldwide. Lightcap is known for building Disney Channel Latin America into a leading network in the region.  Marsh will report to her.

High School Musical is an Emmy Award-winning American television film, and the first in the High School Musical film franchise. Upon its release on January 20, 2006, it became the most successful movie that Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) ever produced, with a television sequel High School Musical 2 released in 2007 and the feature film High School Musical 3: Senior Year released to theaters in October 2008. It is the first Disney Channel Original Movie to have a theatrical sequel. A fourth installment, High School Musical 4: East Meets West, has been announced to be in the writing stages and to premiere in Disney Channel in 2010. The film's soundtrack was the best-selling album in the United States for 2006.

High School Musical was Disney Channel's most watched movie that year with 7.7 million viewers in its premiere broadcast in the US.[6] In the UK, it received 789,000 viewers for its premiere (and 1.2 million viewers overall during the first week), making it the second most watched program for the Disney Channel (UK) of 2006. On December 29, 2006, it became the first Disney Channel Original Movie to be broadcast on the BBC. Globally, High School Musical has been seen by over 225 million viewers. The franchise has expanded onto the stage.  International tours of both High School Musical and High School Musical 2, directed by Jeff Calhoun, have made millions worldwide.