Backgrounder

HANNAH MONTANA

400 North Brand Blvd.
Suite 900
Glendale, CA 91203

(310)-452-0929 – corporate@disney.com — Disney.com

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

 

Neda Farr, Public Relations head

Phone: (408)-890-8185

Email: nfarr@usc.edu

 

BACKGROUNDER: THE NEW CABLE SHOW TO DEBUT ON DISNEY CHANNEL, HANNAH MONTANA

 

March 2006

 

Disney Channel

 

Disney Channel, founded in 1983, is the nation’s leading cable network and most popular youth channel in the world. Disney Channel is a unit of the Walt Disney Television subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company. The channel premieres an array of original first-run television series, theatrically released and original made-for-TV movies and select other third-party programming.

 

Disney Channel has the world’s largest, most efficient, and fastest production team and operates in 15 countries. The corporation is under the #1 entertainment conglomerate, Walt Disney Company. As of January 2006, Disney Channel is available to approximately 97.8 million pay television households (81.4% of households with at least one television set) in the United States.

 

Disney Channel is committed to providing youth with the utmost quality content that makes them laugh, smile, and learn important life lessons. Disney Channel provides relatable content that builds a child’s esteem and encourages them to follow their dreams! They attempt to include every minority and unexpected representation to the screen in order to make underrepresented minority children feel inspired. Inclusion of all genders, races, and sexual orientations is mandatory for the Disney Channel.

 

Disney Channel, as one of the biggest entertainment, accessible, and influential companies in the world, understands the need for quality television that teaches young individuals valuable information about the world and life around them. They have a large roster of original television shows, made-for-TV movies, and other third-party programming geared and oriented to set children up for success. They promote education and healthy relationships to create a mental bridge in adolescent minds.

 

Our mission is to be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information. Using our portfolio of television shows and films to differentiate our content, services and consumer products, we seek to develop the most creative, innovative and profitable entertainment experiences and related products in the world.

 

Hannah Montana

 

Hannah Montana is an American comedy television series with an emphasis on musical elements. The show is created by Michael Poryet, Rich Correll, and Barry O’Brien. The plot follows a young high school student, Miley Stewart (portrayed by Miley Cyrus), who is actually living a double life as a world-famous singer and songwriter. Stewart is an average schoolgirl by day and a sensational popstar, Hannah Montana, by night. Hannah Montana’s staple is her straight blonde hair, while Miley Stewart has long brown waves. Soon, her closest friends discover her alter-identity and are included in her mysterious shenanigans to keep her two lives separate. Each episode covers Stewart/Montana’s daily life along with her father, Robby (played by Billy Ray Cyrus), her elder brother Jackson (played by Jason Earles), her best friends Lilly Truscott (portrayed by Emily Osment) and Oliver Oken (played by Mitchel Musso). Every episode will air with an Intro featuring Hannah Montana transforming back and forth between her two personas while singing along with “Best of Both Worlds”, the shows debut single.

 

 

The Challenge

 

To develop a show that will be exciting to the child or teenage viewer and also satisfy the parents. The show has to be educational, inspiring, including of all minorities, engaging, witty, relatable, musically acclaimed, and hilarious. Content must be original and newsworthy. The show aims to be in the top three highest-rating television series on the Disney Channel. A weekly viewing of 2 million must be reached in order for the seasons to be renewed and for the show to be lucrative for all parties.

 

Development and Production

 

The series will be produced by It’s a Laugh Productions and Michael Poryes Productions. The pilot will air on Disney Channel on March 24, 2006. The estimate viewing of the pilot is 5.4 million views. Disney Channel expects the show to garner the highest ratings for the channel of all time due to the excitement of the characters and the fame of Billy Ray Cyrus. Disney Channel aims for the television show to run at least three seasons and at least 20 episodes per season.

The first soundtrack album has already been recorded and will be deemed “Hannah Montana.” The album will be released during episode 15. If viewership reaches or exceeds expectations, Miley Cyrus will embark on a “Best of Both Worlds” Tour in the fall, after the completion of the first season. This music tour will be used to support and expand viewership of Hannah Montana.

 

 

In focus groups conducted in February, the series premise received generally favorable reviews from the selected child audience. Critics praised the plotline and overall arc and plot twists the writers have provided for the season. A majority of the adults involved in the focus group claimed the show would be their “guilty pleasure.”

 

Miley Cyrus will be the primary focus of the show, therefore the marketing and publicity surrounding her during and after the show will be expedited.

 

Advertising will be executed through television commercials through Disney Channel, billboards in every major city in the United States, radio ads in every capital city in America, and magazine advertisements. Ads will include Miley Stewart and Hannah Montana side-by-side to give the populace a feel for the plot and a chance to become intrigued.

 

A new page will launch on the Disney Channel website all about Hannah Montana. There will be games, infographics, quotes from the cast, and trailers for every upcoming episode to air that week. There will also be reels, bloopers, and the funniest moments from the show. Children can sign up for an email list with the supervision and permission of their parents.

News Release 2

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Miley Cyrus to start a podcast to speak with LGBT youth

 

 

LOS ANGELES, May 3—Miley Cyrus is creating a podcast, to debut on June 12, that emphasizes and furthers her work with her charitable establishment, The Happy Hippie Foundation.

 

Cyrus will be bringing multiple celebrities on her show to discuss the social politics surrounding the LGBT community and the dire situation of these members being kicked out of their conservative homes to live on the streets.

 

Such celebrities include: Lauren Jauregui, member of the pop group Fifth Harmony and avid supporter of LGBT rights; Liam Hemsworth, Cyrus’ husband and volunteer for the Happy Hippie Foundation; Halsey, a bisexual pop singer who has voiced her personal stories with domestic abuse; and Selena Gomez, a pop singer and fellow Disney actress.

 

Along with the plethora of celebrities who will be featured in discussion on Cyrus’ podcast, she will be bringing the homeless youth she has saved through the Happy Hippie Foundation on the show to talk about their story and why they think that the public needs to know about this issue.

 

“It was evident in our current climate that there are unaccounted youth that are suffering. There are hundreds of parents out there, no, thousands, who refuse to love their children if they are gay. I came out to my mom when I was 14, and guess what? I got lucky.” Miley Cyrus emotionally speaks in regard to her upcoming project. “I am bringing a new child onto my show every week starting in June to voice their pain and shed light on the situation. This needs to end now. We at the Happy Hippie Foundation are doing everything we can to protect and save these children after they are kicked onto the streets, but we need to start working towards preventing this. Parents: listen to my podcast.”

 

Cyrus is not only targeting LGBT members, but parents as well. She wants parents everywhere, whether or not they are conservative or liberal, to listen to her podcast so that they can educate themselves and spread the word. Her main goal is to make the parents aware of the tragedies happening in their neighborhood, so they can voice concern or help convince the parents of an LGBT youth that their son or daughter is still a human being.

 

Cyrus is heavily targeting young members of the LGBT community to cross the message that they are not alone. Many of the LGBT youth she works with at the Happy Hippie Foundation are on suicidal watch, and a majority of them are depressed or have anxiety. Cyrus feels that the podcast will aid the LGBT individuals listening that they are in this battle too and can persevere—there are hundreds of these persons in not only America but also the world!

 

 

Cyrus will be hosting a news conference one week from today, on May 10, to discuss her upcoming podcast.
At this news conference, Cyrus will be announcing the name of the podcast and a list of the date and time of when each celebrity will be featured on the show.

 

Cyrus will be bringing her husband, Hemsworth, to the event. Both Cyrus and Hemsworth will give an introduction of the podcast and will open to questions. One of the most successful youths, Molly Hillard, from the Happy Hippie Foundation will be in attendance to also answer questions and share her story and why she believes this podcast is so important.

 

The news conference will be held on the Happy Hippie Foundation campus in Culver City, CA. Attendees of the conference will be able to ask questions, receive free merchandise promoting the new podcast, and meet and privately talk with Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth, and Molly Hillard to receive quotes and pictures. The conference will be held at 12 pm PST; coffee and lunch will be provided.

 

Supplementary information on the Happy Hippie Foundation and what Cyrus has done for Hillard and other youths at the foundation can be found at https://happyhippiefoundation.org/.

 

About Miley Cyrus

Miley Ray Cyrus is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After playing minor roles in the television series Doc and the film Big Fish in her childhood, she became a teen idol starring as the character Miley Stewart on the Disney Channel television series Hannah Montana in 2006.

 

About The Happy Hippie Foundation

The Happy Hippie Foundation is an American non-profit organization founded by entertainer Miley Cyrus on September 17, 2014 and officially launched to the public on May 5, 2015. The foundation focuses on youth homelessness, the LGBTQ community, and other vulnerable populations.

 

Contact

Neda Farr

nfarr@usc.edu

(408)-890-8185

 

 

 

Fact Sheet Infographic

News Release 1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth tie the knot, but donate their wedding budget to charity

 

 

LOS ANGELES, Mar. 3—After 11 long years of dating and multiple break-ups and reconciliations, Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth finally get married! But that’s not the best part; they donated every penny that would have been spent on their ceremony to an LGBT relief charity.

 

The two lovebirds had a private and secretive gathering of their closest family members in Cyrus’ Hollywood Hills home yesterday. They had absolutely no decorations, no food or drink, and no clothing that was not pre-owned. They didn’t even pay for the ordained minister—he is a family friend!

 

Cyrus donned a silky and flowy cream-colored dress that she announced was “vintage” in her Instagram post last night. Hemsworth appears to be wearing a suit and tie with no special elements—it could be his suit from high school prom for all we know! Hemsworth also created an Instagram post but did not comment on his clothing choice.

 

In their Instagram posts they speak about their love and passion for giving back. Cyrus is especially close with the charity Equality Federation, a charity advocating for LGBT community members’ rights. A representative for the foundation said that Cyrus and Hemsworth donated shy of $1 million.

 

Here’s what Cyrus said in her Instagram caption:

 

“Wow! I can’t believe how unbelievable happy I am on this day. I fulfilled two lifetime goals—one to marry the man who is so perfect for me and the world in every way. And two to donate enough money to the Equality Federation to make an outstanding difference in the organization. I know today is about me but everyday is about your LGBT friends. Don’t forget to call, text, write, and do whatever you can to make a difference for them. Today I did that. Cheers to me and Liam and cheers to every gay girl and guy out there!”

 

Her caption follows a picture of the two in a loving embrace in front of the altar, surrounded by their four dogs. Both their faces are lit with radiant smiles.

 

Several of Cyrus’ and Hemsworth’s family posted videos of the ceremony and intimate party following the wedding. Noah Cyrus, Miley’s younger sister, posted an oh-so-adorable video of the couple dancing to the tune of “The Climb” by the bride herself! Noah Cyrus consequently posted a photo of the two sharing their wedding kiss in front of the minister and self-made altar and a photo of the gorgeous wedding cake.

 

Tish Cyrus, Miley’s mother, posted on her Instagram story that she baked the wedding cake from scratch. Tish captioned the photo of the wedding cake with the words “All it takes is a little bit of flour and milk laying around in the fridge! So glad everyone loved the cake I baked and that my daughter is married to the man of her dreams!”

 

Later snaps from the night show the couple eating the cake while their close family members give speeches. There is a photo of Hemsworth’s mother, Leonie Hemsworth, giving an emotional speech with tears in her eyes. Cyrus’ father, Billy Ray Cyrus, also speaks candidly about his love and well-wishes for the couple. It does not appear that Cyrus nor Hemsworth had bridesmaids or groomsmen.

 

It’s been a long and tumultuous road for the pair. They first met on the set of The Last Song (2010) as they play each other’s romantic interest in a Nicholas Spark’s world. Cyrus and Hemsworth were dating, they were engaged, they were broken up, they were back together, all through a long 11 years. Many of Cyrus strongest work was released during the period of time when the pair was broken up in 2013, with her release of the album “Bangerz”.

 

 

Cyrus had been affiliated with Equality Federation long before her relationship with Hemsworth. Cyrus came out to her parents as pansexual when she was 14 years old, and the following year started to volunteer at Equality Federation. She is an advocate for the saying “You love who you love,” which is posted on all her social media channels.

 

Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth will not be holding a press conference at this time. All media inquiries can be deferred to Cyrus’ publicist, Neda Farr (408)-890-8185.

 

About Miley Cyrus

Miley Ray Cyrus is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After playing minor roles in the television series Doc and the film Big Fish in her childhood, she became a teen idol starring as the character Miley Stewart on the Disney Channel television series Hannah Montana in 2006.

 

About Liam Hemsworth

Liam Hemsworth is an Australian actor. He played the roles of Josh Taylor in the soap opera Neighbours and Marcus in the children’s television series The Elephant Princess. 

 

About Equality Federation

Equality Federation is a social justice, advocacy and capacity building organization serving and supporting state-based lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy organizations in the United States.

 

Contact

Neda Farr

nfarr@usc.edu

(408)-890-8185

 

Bio 2

The Early Days of Miley Cyrus: Biography

 

Miley Cyrus is one of the most notable and popular musicians of our generation. She is known for her many musical phases and uninhibited will to be herself and forever original. She has performed under two aliases: Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus. She became a cultural icon through her role on the Disney Channel Show, Hannah Montana.

Cyrus’ most recent musical venture has been the most authentic and real version of the singer since her period of attempting to break away from her Disney star image. “Younger Now” is an album with a mixture of pop and country influences featuring her Godmother, the iconic country star Dolly Parton. “Younger Now” represents Cyrus’ newfound phase of happiness and utter bliss, because she has overcome the turmoil of emotional trauma from the lashing of her child star days. Prior to “Younger Now” is Cyrus’ most raunchy and R-rated album, “Bangerz.” “Bangerz” is the most high-paced and ill mouthed of Cyrus’ work. She is overly sexual and possesses the “Hollywood party girl” persona to represent her absolute tear-away from the pristine Disney star image and to display her distress regarding the separation with her fiancée, Liam Hemsworth. Before “Bangerz” was Cyrus’ debut album after Hannah Montana. Per the name, it is noticeable to see that Cyrus is no longer the goody-two-shoes that she played on the television show. The turning point in Cyrus’ career comes with the music video she created for the song “Can’t Be Tamed.” In the video, Cyrus wears black lingerie comprised of raven feathers and sensually dances in a cage. She repeatedly chants that she can’t be held down by an image, and can be as sexual as she wants. This video was made when Cyrus was a mere 17 years old. Before “Can’t Be Tamed,” she was playing the characters Miley Ray Cyrus and Hannah Montana and released music for the series.

Miley Cyrus changed the entertainment landscape when joining the cast of Hannah Montana as the main character at the prime age of 12 years old, and auditioned for the role at just 11 years old. The casting directors of the show remarked that Cyrus had an amazing voice and acting ability. The series premiered in March of 2006 on the Disney Channel program. It quickly became one of the highest rated channels on cable television. The momentum of the show rolled onto her and she became the most successful teenager at the time. She toured with The Cheetah Girls as Hannah Montana only four months after the television show’s air date and released a soundtrack from the first season one month into the tour. Three million copies were sold worldwide. Cyrus is the first actress in Walt Disney Corporation’s history to have a combination of a film, television, consumer product, and music deal.

In 2007, Cyrus took her career to the next level and became affiliated with Hollywood Records to release four Hannah Montana albums. She also collaborated with her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, that year for the single “Ready, Set, Don’t Go.” The singer then began one of her most successful tours as Montana, the Best of Both Worlds Tour.  Ticketmaster officials commented that “there [hadn’t] been a demand of this level or intensity since The Beatles or Elvis.” The tour’s success led to the theatrical release of the 3D concert film Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert (2008). While initially intended to be a limited release, the film’s success led to a longer run.

The actress and singer the public recognizes today as Miley Cyrus was born on November 23, 1992, under the name Destiny Hope Cyrus. Her mother and father lived in Tennessee at the time and gave birth in Franklin, Tennessee. Her mother, Tish Cyrus, deemed the nickname “Smiley” because Cyrus smiled abundantly as a child. That nickname soon transformed into Miley, and she henceforth legally changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus. In 2001, her father took her to see the Mirvish production of Mamma Mia! at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Ontario, Canada. Cyrus grabbed his arm and told him, “This is what I want to do, daddy. I want to be an actress.” She began singing and acting lessons at the Armstrong Acting Studio in Toronto that year, where she learned the amazing skills she utilizes everyday.

Bio 1

Neda Farr Biography

 

Neda Farr is an entertainment industry professional and a revolutionary visionary for a nobler direction for the Los Angeles commerce landscape. She is an activist for inclusion of all body types and races in the entertainment industry and strives to give visibility to more films and more talent through her work with her self-made company Premie.

 

Farr has changed the entertainment industry’s landscape with the founding of her company, Premie, by offering a new channel of distribution for cinema. The entrance of this business offers hundreds of production companies the opportunity to debut their film if they do not have the standing to premiere in movie theaters or festivals. Movies are premiered online for the first time ever and therefore the illegal pirated movie market has been eliminated because of Farr’s work. It is extremely difficult for movies to enter the theater landscape due to the monopoly of Disney, Sony, and Universal Studios. Theaters will not accept indie films or small-budget productions. Premie aims to premiere these films and give them 50% of the royalties. Films that are entered in festivals, albeit being indie and locally-sourced, are granted little to no monetary benefit. Farr’s work on Premie is completely changing the movie distribution scene and beginning a new era after the reign of Netflix and movie theaters.

 

Neda Farr has been working tirelessly as an advocate for body positivity and curve inclusion in the modeling and social media worlds. She has approached dozens of talent agencies with the persuading words to close the gap between “normal” and “plus-sized” models. She works with Arsenic Management to bring modeling photos to the public that raises awareness that every model, no matter their size, is “normal.” This topic has become taboo after the domination of fashion stylists and designers who refuse to create pieces for the populace who possesses a greater clothing size than US 4. The fashion world has a majority of extremely thin models who they attempt to enforce are the only normal body standard. Farr is actively campaigning against these designers and expressing that it is not okay to promote eating disorders and body dysmorphia. With the entrance of more “curvy” models who enable a broader and healthier representation of women comes powerful change. Farr advocates for this notion through her social media channels including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat. She has received major acclaim for her online presence and is creating waves of societal transformations through her work.

 

Farr is currently a Public Relations sophomore at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California and uses her education as a platform for her visions. She has interned at More/Medavoy Management, Hollywood Casting and Film, and a music producer at MTV and iHeartRadio. Her upcoming work will be at Untitled Entertainment and StudioCanal Productions in the summer of 2019. She has learned the ins and outs of the entertainment industry and strives to use this expertise to create her own agency one day.

 

Farr has expressed her career goals to be in the business side of entertainment. She was inspired to join the world of Hollywood after visiting Universal Studios at just 9 years old. The Mummy film exhibit at the park showed her that extreme beauty and grace can be expressed through film. The graphics and CGI are so realistic that she wondered how exactly a team of people could develop such intense visuals. Thereafter she rode on the Universal Studios World-Famous Studio Tour. It was there where she learned about the actors, directors, and producers that have shaped the entertainment industry since the early 1900s. Her favorite movies and actors history was splashed across the studio lots. The props and sets that were used to make the most iconic pieces of art in her mind were laid out in front of her. It was the most inspiring moment of her life. From then on, her career path had been shaped for her. She was inspired to join film, management, and leadership clubs at her high school to learn more about the entertainment industry and how to be a powerful woman in modern society. She frequents Universal Studios today and uses it as a place to think and be inspired.

Final

Youtube Videos

https://youtu.be/wzDGpX785Ew

https://youtu.be/G8RLdBQa3Zw