Women in Television: Janice Marinelli

By Andrew Krukowski

Who: Janice Marinelli, president, Disney-ABC Domestic Television

Why: Overseeing the domestic TV distribution arm of the Walt Disney Co., Ms. Marinelli has a large and profitable library from which to cull material. Her catalog includes “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost,” which were sold this year for the syndication market, and feature films such as “Pirates of the Caribbean,” which are sold for runs on broadcast and cable networks. Disney Family Movies, an upcoming subscription video-on-demand service, will provide subscribers 10 to 12 movies a month from the Disney vault. Disney-ABC Domestic Television also is making its way back into original scripted syndicated fare with “Legend of the Seeker,” produced by ABC Studios and “Xena, Warrior Princess” stalwarts Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, which Ms. Marinelli hopes will kick-start the genre. Ms. Marinelli and Disney-ABC now are preparing “Ugly Betty” and “Brothers and Sisters” for sale to the syndication market in the coming months. Ms. Marinelli said she’s already seen interest in both shows from cable buyers.

What: Ms. Marinelli is a sports fanatic, and has coached high school basketball and softball. “I think that’s what makes me so darn competitive,” she said. Rooting for the New York Giants and Yankees, she said she was disappointed to see former Yankees coach Joe Torre leave to helm the Los Angeles Dodgers. She said she went to more Dodgers than Yankee games last season because of the move.