Ron Hart - Pink, Pink, Pink, Girls, Girls,Girls

 

 

I co-created a show for the Disney Channel, so I’m a pretty big deal [audience chuckle] to 12-year-olds. I think I ended up writing for television, because I grew up addicted to sitcoms. I wanted to be cool like Fonzie, tough like George Jefferson, funny like Alf and I wound up with a body like Norm from Cheers. [audience laughter] I write with a partner. Always for other people’s shows, we try to get our own shows on the air for years, and it never worked out. And all those disappointments, they snuffed out my passion for television. My dream job became just a job. 

 

When Disney Channel approached us, I wanted to write for them about as much as most adults want to watch them. But they were going to give us a shot. We needed them. They constantly studied their audience. So, we were like, “So, it’s a show about an older sister mentoring a younger sister.” And they said, “Actually, our research shows that kids are fascinated by twins.” [audience chuckle] So, we said, “So, it’s a show about twins?” 

 

I wanted them to love the show more than I wanted to love it myself. Now, this is how the process continued until eventually we were picking out a title for the show, and we pointed out to them there were a lot of kids’ shows like Austin & Ally, Sam & Cat, Bucket & Skinner. Could we just not name the show after two characters? So, in the summer of 2013, Liv and Maddie premiered. A show I created was on the air. I had the job I aspired to have my entire adult life, and I sucked at it. 

 

There were all these decisions to make, which color to paint the lockers, what kind of dress would Maddie wear to the prom? “Our research shows that Liv should have a best friend, or a dog. Which one?” I was supposed to be the guy with a vision, but it’s not like this show sprang out from a passion burning inside of me. I had no vision. But once we were on the air, it was time for us to become part of Disney Channel’s research, Focus-Group-Testing. 

 

We went to an office park, sat behind a two-way mirror, and watched middle schoolers shred my life’s work. [audience laughter] We did okay with the girls. We did okay. But they showed an episode to a room full of 12-year-old boys. They all took their hoodies and pulled them all the way over their faces. [audience laughter] They hated us more than broccoli. They told the interviewer things like, “This show is dumb,” and Disney Channel guy was just scribbling away next to me. I thought we were going to be canceled before I got my parking validated. 

 

But then, one boy, one brave, beautiful boy said, “I think Liv is hot.” [audience laughter] Now, the same actress played Liv and Maddie, but I was not about to judge this goddamn hero. [audience laughter] Because with the heart of a lion, he shrugged off all the other boys laughing at him and told that interviewer our show was funny. And that courage cracked a door open just enough for the others to come out. And they all admitted they watched the show too. Once they were out of the closet, the dam burst. They liked the little brother. The Halloween episode was their favorite.

 

One kid said he liked to sing the theme song to himself, but was afraid that other guys would catch him and tease him. They started quoting scenes to each other. These dudes weren’t just watching the show, they were fans. [audience chuckle] And Disney Channel guy had no idea what was going on. But I understood, because when I was 12, I was addicted to Laverne & Shirley. [audience laughter] But I would lie and say, “My sister likes that show.” 

 

12-year-old me could not say he liked a show about girls. But in that conference room, these 12-year-old boys’ minds were melting, because they realized they weren’t freaks for liking Liv & Maddie. One kid choked back tears and said, “I thought I was the only boy watching.” [audience laughter] And it struck a nerve for me.

 

For the first time in years, that spark of passion that had drawn me to television had fuel to the fire. As a producer, I don’t want boys to be ashamed to watch my show. As a human, I don’t want boys to be ashamed to watch stories about girls. I knew we had to tell the boys out there watching Liv & Maddie in their secret closets of shame that it was okay.

So, I came up with this episode. 

 

Listen to this crazy storyline. The little brother of Liv and Maddie is a secret fan of this girly show we made up called Linda & Heather. [audience laughter] His friends catch him singing the girly theme song and they make fun of him, but he has the heart of a lion and he tells them he loves Linda & Heather, and that cracks the door open just enough for all of his friends to admit they love the show too. 

 

The network didn’t think this was going to work, and I got to say, “Actually, our research shows that kids will relate to this story.” [audience laughter] But when it was time to write the speech where the little brother has to declare his love for Linda & Heather, I had to think about why I loved Liv & Maddie. And I realized I was proud of the show. It was funny, we had positive messages, our audience loved us. And the crew got excited for this Linda & Heather episode. The writers even told me they had taken it upon themselves to write the theme song to Linda & Heather. 

 

[clears throat] Pink Pink Pink, Girls Girls Girls, Glitter Glitter Glitter, Twirls Twirls Twirls! Together forever! We're Linda and Heather! Best Friends! [audience laughter] [audience cheers and applause and holler] 

 

It was so horrible, and it was exactly what I wanted. I had a vision and they were following it. I had learned how to run a television show by creating a fake one. I remembered why I was writing for television, because I loved it. It matters to people. It matters to me. I have a passion for my job again, because I co-created a show for the Disney Channel. So, I’m a pretty big deal to 12-year-olds.