Spirit W | I grew up with Disney: Devika Prabhu

After spending close to eight years at Sony Entertainment Television Pvt Ltd, Devika Prabhu, a  go-getter with a dynamic personality, joined Disney India where she was assigned the role of handling several key responsibilities such as Strategic Planning & Research, On-air Presentation, Media Planning, Production Management and Operations.  Prior to her varied roles in TV channels, she  was with Initiative Media (a division of Lowe Lintas India) as Media Manager, evolving media strategies for clients such as UDV, SBI Mutual Fund, Shaw Wallace, the Birla Group of Companies, and Bombay Dyeing, among others. She has completed her Post Graduation in marketing from NMIMS, Mumbai University and holds a Master of Commerce (Banking & Finance) degree from Mumbai University. She began her career with Hutchison Max Ltd (now Vodafone-Essar), handling customer churn and corporate relations.

In conversation with Adgully, Devika Prabhu, Director Programming, Kid's Channels, Disney India spoke about their upcoming kid’s reality talk show Captain Tiao, plans related to it and her role in this latest initiative.

Our conversation began with Prabhu sharing about her professional journey. She said, “I have always been associated with television and the journey has been truly wonderful. It’s extremely exciting to work in an industry that is so dynamic. We have to constantly listen to our viewers and deliver on our promise of bringing content that is fresh, engaging and entertaining. What also makes this profession interesting is that you get to experience the brands and content both as a programmer as 

Briefing us about the upcoming show she shared, “Curiosity is the hallmark of childhood and our new show - Captain Tiao epitomizes this in a wonderfully engaging format that will appeal to kids and their families alike. We have historically seen Sunday mornings as a band where the entire family can come to enjoy shows on TV together as a unit. Captain Tiao will be launching on March 2nd 2014 and air every Sunday at 10.00 am.”

Captain Tiao delivers on Disney Channel’s proposition of expressing yourself and following your dreams with this energetic, humorous, insatiably curious Disney Channel star. Captain Tiao will meet with a broad range of popular celebrities, coming from different avenues of life including Bollywood, television, sports and more and address innumerable and often humorous questions, typical of childhood.

Captain Tiao is the first of its kind reality talk show for children. On asking how  the idea of coming up with a show like this originated, she said, “We are constantly talking to our viewers through our content, while keeping alive the Disney Channel promise of Express Yourself, Believe in Yourself and Follow your Dreams. The idea in fact originated from these values. Kids, today, are extremely curious by nature and often have a collection of questions that go unanswered. We, at Disney Channel, recognize this spirit and taking from this insight, are providing them a platform to express themselves.”

The show features Captain Tiao who represents the voice of present generation kids, and as a host asks many spontaneous questions. It will certainly be entertaining to watch the reaction of the different personalities to Captain Tiao’s innocent, uninhibited questions that they otherwise may never be asked.

For any new concept, research is of prime importance. So what kind of research was conducted on this genre before executing this thought?  “The format of a talk show is not overtly structured and as such allows for more free flowing conversation which is the USP of this show.  The texture of the show is rooted in curiosity and expression typical of childhood and that is why we have a child host representing the workings of a kids mind, the way they view things, process information or infer situation. It will be extremely interesting for our viewers to see how different personalities interact with a child, react to his innocent questions and approach an interview from a child’s perspective,” she said.

Disney Channel is committed to bringing wonderful stories that can appeal to the entire family and often brings them across through formats that can bring the entire family together. Speaking about  how  a show like Captain Tiao will increase the audience base and subsequently help in the growth of the channel Prabhu avers, “At Disney Channel, we are committed to providing wholesome family entertainment with wonderful narratives and endearing characters.”

The success and the phenomenal response from families across the nation to Disney’s earlier shows such as ‘Best of Luck Nikki’, ‘The Suite Life of Karan and Kabir’ etc and innovative formats such ‘Disney Q: The Family Mastermind’, short format animation such as Mickey Mouse Shorts encourages the channel to bring engaging content and varied formats that bring families together.

Discussing about trends she has noticed in the kids genre when it comes to programming and executing a show, she explained, “We believe that every story, irrespective of the format, that can entertain viewers from 2 to 80, has to have the ability to reach out to the viewer and build a deep emotional connection at every level of engagement with the entire family. Kids undoubtedly play an integral role as the core audiences. But today, there is a need to address them along with their families. And one has to think of a wonderful narrative weaved in with endearing characters which has to be presented in a manner and language that is locally relevant and appeals across age groups . Live action is a very important content expression that has the ability to reach out to the entire family. Through our live action series, we have the opportunity to tell our stories in a fun, locally relevant manner that appeals to the family as a unit, with the kids at the center of it and the response has been truly overwhelming.”

The local texture and local faces who converse with the kids and families bring in a better connect to this unique talk show. 30 kids and families have won their consumer campaign– Jet Set Go and their Birthday book initiative on Disney Junior and more. “Another interesting trend is that kids, today, are always looking to strong characters to who they can relate to, who represent them and be their voices. For instance, Mickey Mouse in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse appeals to a 2 year old while a Captain Tiao to a 9 year old boy and Dolly in Best of Luck Nikki to a 15 year old girl!” she added.

Commenting on the competitive market she has noticed for the kid’s genre in today’s scenario she said, “We believe that wonderful stories with engaging narratives have the ability to reach out to kids and families alike. However, an interesting aspect that has emerged is that the concept of “One size fits all” in children’s entertainment cannot not hold true anymore and understanding this perspective, our bouquet in the Kids Network addresses the entertainment needs of each segment in this genre.”

Disney India has properties like Disney Junior which reaches out to the youngest members of the family along with their parents and caregivers, bringing in a Disney experience of magical, musical and heartfelt stories and characters, while incorporating specific learning and development themes designed for kids age 2-7. Hungama TV, where the core philosophy is to create an experience for kids centres around unbridled fun, enthusiasm, excitement and the third channel Disney XD, hyper-targets boys but also reaches out to girls with complete action filled series and movies and is home to all the marvel content while Disney Channel brings in the best-in-class stories and characters that are loved by kids and enjoyed and trusted by parent.

On the personal front she spoke about her stint at The Walt Disney Company (India) and her contribution to its growth and evolution since she came on board.  She said, “I grew up with Disney, which launched my love for music and movies. At home, we had a show reel with songs from many classic Disney movies like Peter Pan, The Jungle Book, and Robin Hood, which I watched and sang along with every Sunday night until I was seven. My first coloring books were also Disney-related, so being a part of The Walt Disney Company is where I belong.”

When asked to share the 3 mantras she believes in to be successful and excel in this industry, she says, “The first is, Ear to the ground – It is extremely important to listen and understand the audience expectations and provide an experience through content and initiatives that can help build an emotional connection with them. Second being - Not afraid to explore – In this dynamic industry, one needs to experiment and explore fresh and innovative concepts that can engage your target audiences. Yes, you may not succeed always but that’s always a part of the learning curve and third is, Carry your team with you – It is equally important to build a team and motivate them. I genuinely believe that you can only grow, as an individual and as a professional, when you provide your team with an opportunity to grow.”

“It’s exciting to work for a market that is so dynamic and the most satisfying part is that our content is designed to appeal to everyone in the family and it is a delightful challenge to provide engaging, inclusive and responsible content to kids at varying life stages in the 4-14 year age group. Their entertainment needs are naturally varied, and with the four channels that we have, it is something that we aim to satiate,” she concluded.