Exciting News!

I'm going to be quite busy over Thanksgiving break because I have some important plans for the development of my research.

First of all, I intend to watch at least six hours straight of the Disney Channel (which is not accessible at Brown), so I can re-familiarize myself with the formatting and become introduced to any new faces. I can also get a sense, first hand, of how they advertise and promote their music along with their movies and TV shows. How often do they play music videos? What music do they use as the soundtrack to their commercials? What stars recur most often?

I have also scheduled an interview with the editor-in-chief of Tiger Beat, which is the publication I interned at over the summer. I am going to focus on the media perspective when I talk to her, including topics and stars often covered and why. Then, it is also important for me to ask about the fans, and the magazines continual interaction with them. What kind of responses do they get, and to what (or to who?) Afterwards I am going to meet with my old boss, the photo editor, and ask her about the visual representations of stars in the magazine. How does Tiger Beat choose to portray the different genders and ages of the musicians and actors? How might this conflict with a PR representative who wants them to grow out of the Disney image? What does this say about moral awareness in tween and Disney culture?

Finally, I have an interview with the head of Original Movies for Disney Channel. I think he is going to be a really valuable source because he can give me a business/corporate perspective. How did the concept for High School Musical come about? Why does he think it was so successful? How did it effect their revenues, their focus? How often does he come in contact with Disney Records? Does Disney have the intention to cross-pollinate their stars before they even hire them, or is that a happy coincidence that happens to occur again and again?

I think I am going to try to focus my research on the intersection of morality, business, and cliché to create success.