Cristiana Nobili

April 2008

Who would have thought that the simple idea of a showing a group of middle-school kids walking in the halls between classes, talking about all sorts of tween triumphs, trials and tribulations, would lead to a format that has been successfully produced in major markets around the world? That is exactly what happened with Quelli dell’Intervallo (QDI), a short-form series produced by Disney Channel Italy. QDI has been produced in Spain as Cambio de Clase, in Germany as Kurze Pause, in France as Trop la Classe and as As the Bell Rings in the U.S., the U.K., Australia and Singapore. The success of QDI, which has been on the air for three years in Italy, goes well beyond the ratings it captures in country after country. It has helped the international Disney Channels create a system of producing short-form programming, and of sharing ideas and production know-how. Cristiana Nobili, QDI’s co-creator and the director of production at Disney Channel Italy, talks about this “little engine that could” phenomenon.

TV EUROPE: How did the idea for QDI come about?

NOBILI: A few years ago, when we were thinking about what new shows we could offer our audience, we analyzed the ratings data and realized that among the favorite shows for our core target—8- to 14-year-olds—were comedy formats, but [these shows] were all aimed at adults. We were confident we could tackle any genre as long as we reflected the creative and quality attributes associated with the Disney brand. So we decided to go for one of kids’ favorite genres, the sitcom, and to depict exclusively the world of tweens with their daily life, their classmates and their problems in a fresh, fun and carefree way. From this initial idea, QDI was born.

TV EUROPE: Did you ever imagine QDI would be picked up as a format for channels in other countries to produce?

NOBILI: No, absolutely not. It was a huge pleasure to see the ratings increase day by day, first on our channel, then on the Disney Channels in Europe and finally in the rest of the world.

TV EUROPE: What has made the format so successful?

NOBILI: Kids immediately recognized that QDI is a fast-paced, contemporary show that was made especially for them. Our audience also realized that kids just like them were the main protagonists in realistic story lines that they could have easily lived through themselves. Kids especially appreciated the fact that in the episodes of QDI there were themes and problems that they could relate to, and that these problems were faced and solved with humor in such a way as to render them less dramatic.

TV EUROPE: How does it feel to know that the American version, As the Bell Rings, is such a big hit on Disney Channel in the U.S.?

NOBILI: Obviously we are so happy and proud! And furthermore, our American colleagues were able to adapt the format and make it much more relevant to the sensibilities of their audience. This, in fact, is one of the strengths of QDI—although it is a very well-structured format, it lends itself to be easily adapted for various audiences.

TV EUROPE: Is the creative atmosphere at Disney different from other places you have worked?

NOBILI: Yes, totally different. I consider myself very lucky to be working at Disney, because it is one of the few companies, at least here in Italy, that allows—actually it requires—that people constantly experiment with new content and new visual languages. This also makes it possible to create new concepts that can then become pilots, and if they are considered good enough, they can become international formats. And all of this is done without lowering the level of quality of the work we do. This is a demanding yet stimulating challenge that repeats itself daily.

TV EUROPE: What future projects are you working on?

NOBILI: Here at Disney we are constantly working on new projects. At the moment we are developing new short-form programming that can be aired on all the Disney Channels in the world, because the success of QDI has triggered within our production system an international process of creating and producing short-form series. And if these series are produced in other countries, our channels will be more relevant and more in tune with the local sensitivities of each of their audiences.

TV EUROPE: What do you enjoy most about your work?

NOBILI: I most enjoy the possibility of creating and experimenting with new content and new ideas, and to work with a team in which each member is actively striving to reach a goal shared by all.