Rich Ross has a Mouse ear for 'tween' talent

"In the 20 years I have known Rich, he has always been recognized for his ability to spot talent," said Kevin Huvane, managing partner at Creative Artists Agency, who represents Cyrus. "Rich knows intuitively what is relevant to the marketplace and is tremendously savvy at building programming that resonates with audiences. In doing so, he has helped launch a generation of stars."

The actors and their parents describe him as remarkably approachable and concerned, and his personal touch was on display at the February film premiere of "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience." He greeted by name not only proteges such as "Hannah Montana" costar Emily Osment and Madison Pettis, who appeared opposite Dwayne Johnson in Disney's movie "The Game Plan," but also the Jonases' head of security and a Disney photographer.

As the band's black SUV pulled up to the El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, Ross bristled with boyish enthusiasm. "About to be the bedlam," he predicted, flashing a broad smile as the crowd erupted in screams.

A TV for his room

Ross grew up in the 1960s in Eastchester, N.Y., at a time when most families had a single television set in the den and parents fretted about their children's exposure to the "idiot box." At the age of 9, he requested what then was considered taboo: a television for his room. He still remembers meeting his father's train one night and seeing him carrying a large TV box. When Ross ripped it open, he discovered not a television, but a puppy.

"I looked at it and said, 'This is a dog. Where's the TV?' " Ross said. "I was sort of inconsolable. So, within a couple of months, they got me the TV."

Each night, Ross would do his homework watching shows such as "Mayberry R.F.D." and fall asleep hearing "The Merv Griffin Show" echoing through the ventilation system from the den. He grew to share his father Marty's love of comedy and a curiosity about the New York end of the industry. While other kids at summer camp were reading Sports Illustrated, he received Daily Variety.

Merv Griffin would end up giving Ross his big break in television -- albeit indirectly. The entertainer's bookkeeper was a friend of Ross' mother, Harriet, and she arranged an interview for the 19-year-old Ross with Griffin's representative, the William Morris Agency in New York, where he was hired to work in the mail room.