How Disney Is Rebuilding Its Star-Making Machine
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- Disney Kids & Family president Ayo Davis tasked EVP Charlie Andrews and SVP of talent and casting Brenda Kelly Grant five years ago with rebuilding Disney's star machine, with the strategy now spanning worldwide searches for "Descendants," "Zombies," "Cheetah Girls," "Percy Jackson," and the upcoming "Coven Academy."
- The new Disney roster spotlighted in Variety's Young Hollywood Issue includes Malachi Barton, Kylie Cantrall ("Descendants: Rise of Red"), Liamani Segura ("Camp Rock 3"), and Leah Jeffries ("Percy Jackson").
- Brenda Kelly Grant says "the audition room just doesn't tell the whole story anymore," with Disney scouting for multi-dimensional talent who can act, sing, create content, and command audiences on social media.
- Disney pairs young stars with TikTok and other platforms symbiotically, with the "Worlds Collide" concert tour cited as a record-breaking success fueled by fans filming live moments that went viral and pulled in other ticket buyers.
- Signed talent gain access to Disney's Becoming program for extra training in acting, singing, dancing, and other performance arts, plus ongoing music development through The Music Group while filming.
- Disney retains talent across its full portfolio — Milo Manheim will star as Flynn Rider in Disney Studios' live-action "Tangled" while remaining a "Zombies" producer, and Selena Gomez returned to the Disney family in 2021 via Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building" before rejoining Kids & Family as producer and star of "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place."
- Malachi Barton will continue in the "Zombies" franchise and star in "Coven Academy" from "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" creator Tim Federle, debuting on Freeform on Oct. 1 before streaming on Disney+, Hulu, and Freeform on Demand the next day.
Why it matters: Disney is converting its Kids & Family division into a self-sustaining star factory by combining worldwide casting, the Becoming training program, on-set mental health resources, and multi-platform retention so young talent never defects to competitors. With franchise extensions like "Coven Academy" premiering Oct. 1 on Freeform, the company is positioning to monetize the same stars across Disney Channel, Hulu, and FX for years.
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