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Gary Marsh, who just took over as pres/Chief Creative Officer at Disney Channels Worldwide, gave us his take on Disney's global strategy, the future of children's programming and, of course, how Disney manages to create such great synergies across its product lines. CableFAX inducted Marsh into its 2011 Program Hall of Fame on Oct 18 in L.A. For more insight from Marsh and other Hall of Famers, check out our exclusive video at cablefax.com. Now that you're fully in charge of Disney Channels Worldwide, what are your immediate plans? Across Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD, my primary focus will always be ensuring our content is of the highest caliber, that it models positive family values, and that it strives to entertain and inspire. That said, I will continue to challenge my team to experiment, with new forms of storytelling, to seek out new talent, and to embrace new technology in service of better serving our audience. What's your most important goal for Disney Channels Worldwide? Anne Sweeney taught me to take pride in our success--and then to use that success as a platform from which to move even higher; to disdain mediocrity, and to believe we can always re-invent or re-interpret something to make it better, more accessible, more relevant or more entertaining. Those have been my marching orders for years; they are not about to change now. What's the global strategy for Disney's kids TV brand these days? Over the last dozen or so years, we've emerged as a powerhouse in kids entertainment. Of course, it doesn't really matter how many markets we reach, unless we've got something the people in those markets want to watch. The good news is that nearly every one of our U.S.-produced properties has succeeded around the world. But what's even more exciting is the content development that's happening at the local level. For instance, Disney Channel India has produced their own Hindi-language adaptation of Good Luck Charlie ("Best of Luck Nikki") and it is their highest rated series. And our European animation team is producing multiple series that will fill our Disney XD pipelines around the globe. When you look at online video and authentication, how do you preserve your current business model while also taking advantage of new platforms? While we remain laser-focused on our consumers' needs, we have also been willing to experiment. As a content provider, we see any viable method of securely distributing our content as inherently good because it provides another touch point for viewers to connect with their favorite shows. Of course, determining which content to experiment with is vital, as is respecting our relationships with our existing distributors. Everyone lauds Disney for its attention to synergy. Has it become effortless at this point--or does that kind of coordination remain extremely difficult? At Disney, synergy is about maximizing those opportunities across multiple lines of business. So, Phineas and Ferb may begin as an animated television series. But through close collaboration with our other lines of business, it has grown to a massive consumer products business, a live stage show, multiple gaming and on-line extensions and millions of books. Even a feature film is in the works. But make no mistake: no amount of synergy can create demand unless the content is strong. [Look for an extended version of this interview at cablefax.com]