JEN WATTS: A NEW J.K. ROWLING OR STEPHENIE MYER?

ASHLEY ELAINE YORK TALKS WITH THE CREATOR THE FAIRIES

Watts (l) and York (r) at her corporate store in Adelaide, SA

At a time when parents across the globe are questioning the pop cultural influences of music, fashion, and media on today’s youth, Jen Watts, 46, creator of THE FAIRIES, hopes her Aussie series for preschool girls keeps them right where they belong:  in the magical and innocent world of childhood.

I sat down with Watts to discuss her hit television show, the ups and downs of being a woman creator in the cultural industries, and her aims for her growing franchise in the future.

ASHLEY ELAINE YORK:  J. K. Rowling and Stephenie Myer reimagined the way young adults could engage fiction and storytelling, in general, when they created their respective HARRY POTTER and TWILIGHT franchises.  Did you hold similar aspirations when you conceived of THE FAIRIES in 1992?

JEN WATTS:  Absolutely.  My background was that of a singer, but not a really good one—not enough to reach any height of success.  But I still wanted to entertain people.  So when I later had a career as a corporate writer, converting their rubbish into something great, I realized my particular knack for writing material everyone could relate to.

YORK:  THE FAIRIES is aimed at very young girls, right?  And that particular market had not been targeted before that time.

WATTS:  Well, the light bulb really went off when my son was about five weeks old.  I had a first daughter, Abbie, who had just turned two, and I needed something to occupy her while I tended to my son.  One day, I remember I was watching a television show and suddenly realized, “I can do that—and better.”  There wasn’t anything on television for little girls at that time,  So, within a week, I registered THE FAIRIES, then started the Fairies .com website, and have spent the last nine years building up the brand.

The Pink Fairy Rhapsody

YORK:  Did your daughter inspire either of the lead characters:  the purple fairy Harmony or the pink fairy Rhapsody? 

WATTS:  Abbie was into wearing my heels and singing and dancing around the house.  I’m not a girly-girl—never have really been a pink girl.  But Abby was.  She wanted everything in pink.  So I realized I can’t make a little girl enjoy trains, if all she really wants to be is a dancing pink fairly.

YORK:  You were a hit across Australia almost from your first stage production. When did you decide to turn the live show into a television series?

WATTS:  A few years after we first started the touring shows in 1996.  In 1999 we produced a pilot of THE FAIRIES on DVD, and to date have sold over 50,0000 copies in Australia.

Even taking into account the success of the franchise in terms of direct-to-DVD movie sales and its ongoing live tour, because episodic television is far more expensive to produce and market networks are generally unwilling to bet on anything as novel as pink- and purple-clad musical fairies marketing to an audience of preschool girls.  Due to this industrial constraint, Watts knew it would benefit her to produce a track record before she could endeavor to get her first television series on the air.

Her hard work paid off in 2005 when the Australian network, Seven, told her she could have their 9 a.m. time slot if she self-produced the complete first series of THE FAIRIES in five months--by October 30, 2005.

WATTS:  When the offer came, we had no costumes, no locations, no sets or designs, and none of the infrastructure we needed to produce a television show.  But somehow we delivered 26.5 hours of programming by the deadline.

Like Watts, Tyler Perry made headlines in 2006 when he elected to self-produced the first season of HOUSE OF PAYNE.  It subsequently garnered high ratings on the US basic cable network TBS, after which Perry negotiated a phenomenal $200 million, 100-episode deal with the network.  The creator of THE FAIRIES had similar faith in her vision, spending 2.8 and 2.9 million, respectively, on the first two series of THE FAIRIES to get it on Seven--a sum the creator is just now beginning to recoup.

WATTS:  I wrote all of the episodes in the first series, 80% of the second, and 70% of the third.  I acted in the first two seasons, as well, playing Harmony in the original DVD.  But I didn’t enjoy seeing myself onscreen.  My dream of performing to children was cut out, right then and there.  I still sing on all of the CDs and DVDs, and write all of the lyrics.  They’re age-appropriate lyrics for little girls, uplifting and magical, the way they should be.

Indeed, Watts has achieved a staggering level of success in a relatively short amount of time, which is partially due to her her particular knack for tapping into what makes little girls tick. 

WATTS:  Children love pop music; they always have.  But their cognitive skills aren’t developed enough to comprehend the libretto of Lady Gaga’s songs, or even that of Taylor Swift or Katy Perry.  So they make up their own lyrics when they sing along.  I write lyrics that mean something to them.  When they sing along, they’re also learning important lessons about themselves, and about self-esteem, problem solving, decision-making, and the environment.

Indeed, these themes run through the myriad plots and songs written for the series--and are also summed up by Watts as “The 5 Fairy Friendship Rules.”

Worries over the hypersexualization of young people are at the forefront of recent works by Australian reporters and nonfiction authors alike.  In the August issue of Australia’s MADISON Magazine, investigative journalist Clair Weaver explores the negative effects of girls today who sing along with Lady Gaga’s "Love Game," chanting:  “Let’s have some fun, this beat is sick; I wanna take a ride on your disco stick,” or wearing T-shirts with age-inappropriate phrases pronouncing, “All Daddy Wanted Was a Blow Job.”

WATTS:  As a creator, I need to create a healthy product for little girls so they can stay little girls for as long as possible.  So I rely on consultants, a PhD in Childhood Development and a Past Head of Children’s Programming at Seven who look over every new song and script to ensure that they are appropriate for a preschool age group.

Moreover, Watts is far from naïve.  She realizes that ‘Girls will be girls,’ and will play ‘dress up’ in their mothers’ garments and dream of growing up as fast as possible—just like she did.  But figures it is up to her to find ways of channeling those little-girl fantasies into healthier imaginings.  Watts feels she can best do that through two mediums children are most drawn to today:  television and music.

Fairland

WATTS:  Little girls love pop music.  But most albums have the F word running through it.  It’s sad to have young girls listening to that.  Actually, I get mad that they have to.  But those are the songs radio stations play and kids listen to the radio.  I write different lyrics, those that envision a place we call Fairyland in which a fairy is born for every girl, and an elf for every boy.  A magical, beautiful place.  Children can assess that in their young minds.  Let’s face it, a lot of kids go through shit when they’re young, so I want to bring them to a place in their imaginations that is magical and wonderful.  It’s not real; it's imagination—fantasy.  But we purposefully bring fairies into the real world so that children can see and interact with them.  And who is to say they can’t?

The whimsical, childlike side of Watts is ever-present during our interview; still, from the outset it was made clear she doesn’t suffer fools lightly.  As an example, she has gone from expertly dodging a question so often asked of her—“Are fairy images all that good for little children to conceive?”—to the point that today, when asked, she won’t address the question at all.  This fair-skinned woman with a cute, short blond hairstyle comes across as anything but feminine and fragile.  She’s all woman, alright.  But of the variety that is strong-willed, driven, and only a little bit defensive.

It may very well be her thick-skinned nature that has adequately prepared her to fight with the big boys in an industry that turns a cold should to women creators.  Also, I surmise it has a lot to do with why she refuses to let the global media industries downturn of late affect the continued positive direction of her business.

Like the strategy of women’s blockbusters SEX AND THE CITY, MAMMA MIA!, and THE DEVIL WEAR’S PRADA over the last five years, Watts relies heavily on ancillary CD sales to boost and broaden the appeal of both her serial and the bottom line of her franchise.

WATTS:  For several years, the world of money dropped out of the TV business.  A lot of creators just handed over their television series to broadcast channels for the sole purpose of promoting their products.  But stations in Australia can’t sell in-program advertisements for P classified series--those with a target audience under 5 years--like THE FAIRIES, so they won’t pay much for them since they can’t recoup their investment.

Watts has repeatedly petitioned the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) to put THE FAIRIES on its national network; as of yet, they haven't taken her up on her offer--even though she believes “THE FAIRIES would fit perfectly in line with their brand of children’s programming.”  She has come up against the same resistance at Screen Australia—and with other national funders who are equally reticent to broadcast shows to a preschool audience.  “They prefer to back films like Snowtown about psychotic people in Adelaide,” Watts says.  The tinge of resentment and disgust not disguised in her delivery.

WATTS:  I’ve never been able to tick governments’ boxes.  I’m  too different.  So we haven’t gotten any governmental support in Australia.

Licensed merchandise of THE FAIRIES

The high-energy creator isn’t loosing any sleep over any broadcaster—or funders for that matter—who won’t support her products.  And maybe their resistance to invest has pushed Watts to go above-and-beyond to tirelessly work to bring her company in among the top five children’s brands in Australia today.  Watts has produced and distributes 19 direct-to-DVD specials, 10 musical albums, and stages live performances across Australia throughout the year.  Since 1999, she has opened two corporate and five franchise stores in her home country, and offers a growing line of licensed FAIRIES-related merchandise including:  costumes and swimwear, stationery, dolls, jewelry and hair accessories, linen and towels, novelties, and countless books and magazines—all targeted at little girls.  So, although her journey may have been tough at times, who is to say she didn’t fare better in the long run? 

WATTS:  Going private has its own rewards, no doubt.  I have no bureaucracy and no red tape.  I do what I want.  I surround myself with very clever people whose advice I take very seriously.  If we continue to create a base of magical entertainment that enchants little girls all over the world, then success will come.  We’ve already sold 500,000 DVDs, 700,000 books, and 78 thirty-minute television episodes.  We continue to be a top-rated show on Seven and Nickelodeon in Australia, and broadcast internationally in the UK, parts of Asia, and we’re dubbed in Arabic in the Middle East.  Soon we’ll release our first DVD in the US through NCircle Entertainment.  And we’ve recently acquired the Australian, New Zealand, and UK rights for our first feature film.

As our interview drew to a close, Watts hinted at her next big goal for the franchise:  to secure a deal to broadcast in Canada and the US.  After all, she is interested in extending her Australia and (to a lesser extent) UK success story and now wants THE FAIRIES to spread its wings.

She recently took her first steps by debuting the series on Kabillion Girls Rule, a free-on-demand TV channel available to over 20 million US households, on May 5, 2011.  In both May and June, THE FAIRIES ranked #1 among series with over 426,000 title views during those two months.  In addition, the franchise's contest of late ranked as the third most-popular of all time for Redbox kiosks in the US.  These two metrics indicate that Watts is well on her way to expanding her franchise into the American market.  Moreover, it showcases another quality that makes Watts a candidate for the ranks of success to which few other women creators have broached:  namely, her ability to sense the direction of changing global media industries and redirect her brand towards those new media horizons.

WATTS:  Our upcoming feature film is alternative content, which works well because cinemas are moving in a digital direction.  In the past, features had to be shot and delivered on film.  Now the whole thing is put on a big USB.  Since theatres need to get new people in seats, they’re putting on films at times that suit preschoolers—mornings and early afternoons.  Our first feature THE FAIRY PRINCESS WEDDING will be digital.  So that bodes well for us.

Watts certainly doesn’t have modest ambitions.

WATTS:  All I want is to be the #1 franchise for preschoolers in the world.

Oh, that’s all.

Rowling and Myer did it.  I’m betting Watts will, as well.

HIT LADIES' NITE REFLECTIVE OF MEDIACORP'S STRATEGY OF MARKETING TO A CONTEMPORARY SINGAPOREAN VIEWER

Singapore is a country rich in diversity.  It has four distinct national languages and cultures that together represent the republic.  This cultural mashup is used to produce the everyday local patois, Singlish, that leaves many visitors clueless in discerning the particular form of ‘English’ coming back at them in local conversations.

Yet it is also this fun and unique tapestry of mother tongues and distinctive South Asian personalities that MediaCorp offers to viewers of its six different local broadcasts: one in Tamil/Hindi, another in Malay, and two each in English and Mandarin Chinese.  It is these latter two which are far and away the most popular for the conglomerate, in no small part because the Singapore government mandates that Chinese residents make up at least 75% of the population.

(L-R) Fong, Gow, and York, c2001 York

I recently spoke with two Chinese-language research writers at MediaCorp, Evelyn Gow with Channel U and Lam Yen Fong with Channel 8, about the shows they're writing and their respective experiences working for a global media giant that adheres to a conservative social code in the content it broadcasts locally. 

Ashley Elaine York:  Can you tell me about the shows you are currently researching and writing? 

Evelyn Gow:  Well, definitely, it's LADIES' NITE, the show I’ve been working on for four months.  It’s a ninety-minute female variety show broadcast in Chinese on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. on Channel U.  It’s actually really popular with both women and men because we attract guys who want to better understand what their girlfriends are interested in.

This aim of the writers comes across in many aspects of the show's serial design, for it features two thirty-something female hosts--one married and one single--whose points of view and topics of interest mirror those of its broadly targeted viewers.

Gow:  What I love most about working on this show is what we talk about, which is very challenging.  That isn't the case with much of what's on television today.

c2011 MediaCorp

Ironically, at my initial screening of an episode of the program at http://video.xin.msn.com/watch/video/tips-for-ladies-11-fudge/1bbxapqa8, I surmised the potential reasons for the show's success had for more to do with its simplicity and popular appeal than the complexity of either its theme or format.  First of all, the hosts are beautiful and interesting women.  Also, Gow and her fellow writers structure the episodes into three relatable components:  fashion trends, healthy lifestyle, and a cooking segment, all of which appeal to both male and female fans of the show.  Gow went on point to these elements as potential reasons for the show's tremendous success.

Gow:  We target a wide range of viewers--we have to today.  Even the guests are carefully divided between men and women.  Still, the overarching aim of the show is to empower women to get the relationship advice they need for modern living.

Gow is confident in the show's success--not only because of its high ratings, but also because her friends regularly relay glowing reviews when they speak of it.

Gow:  It seems we offer advice on day-to-day living that is easily relatable to a wide ranging audience—and that's our main aim at MediaCorp.  We try to appeal to the masses.

Incidentally, this aim of MediaCorp ironically reflects a longstanding Western (specifically “middle American”) point of view in its programming strategy; yet it takes the degree of content restrictions and conservative appeal to a whole new level by politicizes the nature of every frame and each line of dialogue in every program it broadcasts.

The Singaporean Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts, a powerful government body, oversees all content and strictly mandates that shows fit within the narrow range of conservative social mores promulgated by the long-standing government officials.

The global hit SEX AND THE CITY, for example, was banned from Singapore broadcast for five years after its series premiere.  Finally, in the summer 2004,  amid historically low birth rates and a global ranking of  last among sexually active nations for the second year in a row, this ban was lifted--but not before the straight-laced censors at the Ministry tamed the series in myriad ways, including cutting out nudity and deleting sexually charged expletives in dialogue.

The shows' feminist themes undoubtedly chafe at the traditional role of women espoused by the conservative patriarchal mores of the Singaporean government as well as many other Asian nations.  Still, I raised my concern over whether the broadcaster (in this case HBO Asia) had the right to perform what amounts to significant content revisions on copyrighted scripts owned by the original writers and producers/broadcasters of the show.  Gow and Fong only admitted to being part of a Singapore that is currently in a state of flux.  And, when I used the example of local magazines (owned and operated by MediaCorp Publishing) enticing would-be buyers with stories on the local sex trades, the virtues of committed partners seeking sex outside of marriage, and how-to tips on nontraditional sexual positions that keep one's lover coming back to the chamber bed night after night, Fong offered her cultural insight.

Lam Yen Fong: Well, a person has to buy a magazine to read it.   It’s a choice--an adult choice.  But every household has a television; so children can watch whatever is on.  TV has to be more conservative than magazines--or even films.

There's also the time-honored tradition of protecting the bottom line to which all businesses--from MediaCorp to its Western counterparts--pay homage.  HBO (the distributor of SEX AND THE CITY) is a subsidiary of Time Warner, which also owns CNN.  It was this news arm of the conglomerate that ran repeated reports of the banning of this highly popular television show in Singapore until its Ministry caved under the pressure and started airing the series (albeit replete with edits) in 2004.

Gow:  I can’t comment on that show or the situation at another network.  What I can say is that local culture is changing.  For example, although most Singaporean viewers speak Chinese, our young people are more interested in Taiwanese culture and its language and songs today.  It’s all the rage in pop culture--to watch Taiwanese variety shows.  They learn all of the lyrics to the popular songs that way.  They're learning Taiwanese the same way we learned Hong Kong Cantonese years ago:  from watching TV.  So the cable stations broadcasting Taiwanese-language shows do divert younger viewers away from Mandarin Chinese broadcasts.

Fong:  To some degree, we’re keeping this more educated, younger Singaporean segment interested by airing quite a lot of American shows during the 10 o’clock hour.  Shows like CSI, HEROES, the new HAWAII FIVE-O, FRINGE, and many reality shows like AMAZING RACE, AMERICAN IDOL, SURVIVOR, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? and DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS!  American shows are really well received by Singaporeans.  But, we broadcast them in two ways.  We redo most of them in Chinese--we produce and shoot them here. We then air the original American version on Channel 5 and the Singaporean [Mandarin Chinese] version on Channel 8, so we get viewers interested in both formats.

I asked Gow and Fong to comment on another programming strategy at MediaCorp, specifically how advertising has affected both the content of the shows and their stars.

Fong:  Our most famous stars are women--always have been.  So all of the top shows cater to them.  They are paid more money and given more exposure by MediaCorp outlets than their male counterparts.

Gow:  It’s partly because of advertising because, let’s face it, we’re all attracted to beautiful people.  And advertising is all about beauty.  Just over the last two years, I'd say, we're seeing that change, with more guys in adverts than before.

York:  Is that because of the growing number of metrosexuals populating not only Singapore but Asia in general?

Gow:  Partly, but also because men are a growing segment of our targeted viewership.  Lady television stars are more so featured in commercials for household goods like furniture and appliances, and toiletries like sanitary products.  But males are advertising their own products more than ever before.  Advertisements prop up a star’s image, and they also prop up the shows they actors star in.

As to the age old question of whether it's content or advertising that's king, Fong summed it up beautifully.

Fong:  I keep hearing that content is king.  But no one is paying the king!

In Singapore and select Asian regions, watch back episodes of LADIES' NITE on http://video.xin.msn.com/search/ladies'.