The gig: President of Disney Channels Worldwide. Lightcap, who grew up in Buenos Aires and spent much of her television career in Latin America, oversees 94 channels that are available in 169 countries and 33 languages.
Tuning in: Growing up in Argentina, Lightcap's favorite show was "Charlie's Angels." She and her friends would play detective, with her portraying Sabrina, the brainy character played by actress Kate Jackson. "In Latin America, you would watch all these shows dubbed — and the dubs are typically made in Mexico for the whole region," she said. "So the funny part is when we played 'Charlie's Angels,' we spoke in Mexican Spanish." (That would be like American kids imitating a British accent).
Textbook romance: Lightcap initially pursued a career in journalism. At age 20 she was hired as a sub-editor on the international desk at Reuters, where she translated stories into Spanish. During a three-month hiatus to study in New York City, she met the man who became her husband. He was sitting behind her in a political science class and offered her a mint — and the rest, she said, is history. "It was one of those 'You make plans, and God laughs' " moments, she said.
Media 101: Lightcap joined News Corp. in 1993 to help launch the Fox Latin American Channel. It was a three-month-long adrenaline rush, in which she worked 18-hour days. "It was crazy," she said. "But the great part was I really got to learn about the channel business from the bottom up." Lightcap climbed the ranks at News Corp., from coordinator to executive director.
The Wonderful World of Disney: The experience with Fox Latin American prepared Lightcap to head Disney's Latin American expansion. "I kept getting calls from headhunters and telling them, 'No, I don't want this. Call me when you get the Disney Channel job,' " Lightcap recalled with a laugh. The call came. She joined the company in 2000 and extended Disney's reach throughout Mexico and Central and South America, adding channels in 19 countries. "It was so obvious that it would do so well in the region because the Disney brand is very deeply ingrained."
Usted habla español?: Lightcap worked to give the Disney Channel programs a local feel. Disney used voice-over talent in each country because of the differences in how, say, Spanish is spoken in Mexico and Colombia. Lightcap went one step further with "High School Musical," launching a reality show, "El Desafio," to audition hopefuls for the casts for three Latin American versions of the feature film. "We found the Disney Channel audience as the most loyal and followed these kids all the way," Lightcap said. "Some of them, after the movie premiered, became hosts of Disney Channel."
Locally abroad: Lightcap is encouraging production outside of the United States. "We're trying to keep everybody informed, so if a show from one country can travel to even two or three countries, it's an even bigger win for us," she said. Take "Jake & Blake," a half-hour live-action show that originated in Argentina. It's a story of twin brothers who were separated at birth: one becomes a pop star, the other a teacher. Naturally, they switch roles. The show is now airing in Europe too.
Bedtime stories: The 24-hour preschool channel premieres in 2012, taking the place of the 10-year-old SoapNet. "What we found in research is most of the channels have their preschool programming in the morning, but that most of the preschool viewing actually takes place between 5 and 9 p.m.," Lightcap said. "If you think about it, it's all common sense. When moms need to get the older kids ready for school for the next day, to get dinner ready, the household organized … you want to be able to sit your kid in front of the TV set and have them watch it."
Focus group of one: As the mother of a 3-year-old girl, Lightcap has a special appreciation for preschool programming. "I feel like I know this segment well, because this is what I'm watching the most right now," she said. "And what I suffer when I can't watch."
Los Angeles Times
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