Disney machine working for Jonas Brothers
The company, with its eye on a new potential franchise, is using its array of media tools to boost exposure of the band.
The alley behind the theater erupted into shrieks Wed- nesday night after band members stepped out of the stage door and walked to their cars. A crush of girls pressed up against the razor-wire fence; some lobbed roses and stuffed animals over the barrier. Then the screaming mob dashed into the street for one last glimpse as the police-escorted motorcade drove off.
A scene from "A Hard Day's Night"?
Nope. This is Jonas mania, not Beatlemania.
The Jonas Brothers are the youthful heartthrobs whose self-titled album has gone platinum. They are the latest beneficiaries of Walt Disney Co.'s tween-targeted star machine and could be the company's next creative franchise -- in the mold of "High School Musical" or "Hannah Montana."
Disney Radio and the Disney Channel helped propel the musical careers of the brothers Jonas -- Nick, 15, Joe, 18, and Kevin, 20 -- before the band was even signed in December 2006 by the parent company's label, Hollywood Records.
The exposure has turned the Jonas Brothers into a national media sensation. Last week, the brothers made appearances on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," "Jimmy Kimmel Live," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards and on a taping of "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
Now, Disney is throwing the full weight of its television group behind the Jonases' first movie, "Camp Rock." The TV movie will premiere June 20 on the Disney Channel and air over successive evenings on ABC, on cable channel ABC Family and online at Disney.com.
"This is a moment where the platforms of the television group combine to launch a potentially valuable new franchise, " said Anne Sweeney, president of Disney-ABC Television Group.
Television has long propelled the careers of cute, harmonic boy bands. The Fab Four crossed the Atlantic for their fateful Feb. 9, 1964, appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." The Osmonds got their start on "The Andy Williams Show."
The Disney Channel reincarnated "The Mickey Mouse Club" in 1989, launching the careers of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and half of 'N Sync: Justin Timberlake and J.C. Chasez.
Since the January 2001 debut of "Lizzie McGuire," the Disney Channel has become a powerful creative engine for its Burbank entertainment parent, producing a string of bankable names such as the Cheetah Girls, "High School Musical" and "Hannah Montana." The latter two are each expected to reap $1 billion in retail sales this year.
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