Dan Signer talks about developing the Disney Channel’s newest hit, “A.N.T. Farm”

Jim Hill

13 years ago

You’ve heard of products that were made in China? Well, how
about projects that were made for China. To be specific: China
Anne McClain, the 13-year-old actress and singer.

“A.N.T. Farm” star China Anne
McClain. Photo by
Bob D’Amico. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights
reserved

China first came on the Disney Channel‘s radar thanks to her scene-stealing
appearances on Tyler Perry‘s House of Payne. The Mouse thought that McClain had
the making of a sitcom star. So they commissioned a pilot for this diminutive
performer that didn’t quite work. Which is why Disney then turned to Dan
Signer.

“And who’s Dan Signer?,” you ask. Well, Dan has kind of a
unique pedigree when it comes to situation comedy. Signer was born and raised
in Toronto, Canada. Where – while he attended Forest Hill Collegiate Institute
and then graduated from University College at the University of Toronto – Dan believes
that his formative education, at least when it comes to comedy, came from those
thousands of hours that he spent in front of the family TV set.

“I watched reruns of all of the classic sitcoms – I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Taxi
– plus great sketch shows like SCTV. Plus lots and
lots of cartoons,” Signer remembered.

But when Dan finally got down to LA, there just weren’t a
lot of jobs available in the sitcom world. Which is how Signer wound up working
in reality television instead.

“My first real job in show business was working on a reality special called ‘When
Good Pets Go Bad,’ “Dan continued. “I then continued to work in low-paying
production jobs on other reality specials, including one for Fox called ‘Conspiracy
Theory: Did We Land on the Moon?‘ “

It wasn’t exactly the job that Dan had been dreaming of when
he first began watching Dick Van Dyke reruns as a kid. But at least Signer now had his foot in the
door. Which is why – as he worked on those reality specials – Dan did
everything that he could to learn about how TV was made in the modern age.

“And the whole time that I was working that reality television
gig, I was also writing sample sitcom scripts. Always looking for the next
opportunity to further my career,” Signer said. “Which – as it turned out – was
also with Fox Television, working on situation comedies like “Stacked’ and ‘Quintuplets.’
“

And then – from there – Disney eventually beckoned. Dan
joined the writing staff of “The Suite Life with Zack & Cody” midway
through its second season. And the producers of that Disney Channel show were
so impressed with Signer’s efforts that – when “The Suite Life on Deck” was
spun off out of that show – Dan was asked to come along on that comedic cruise.

Which brings us back to “A.N.T. Farm.” Which – as the
creator and executive producer of this It’s a Laugh Productions show – Signer was
supposed to tailor around China Anne McClain’s many talents.

China Anne McClain on the set of the
new Disney Channel series, “A.N.T. Farm.” Photo
by Bruce Birmelin. Copyright
Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

“The girl had so much confidence. She can nail a joke. She can sing. She can
play instruments. It’s like China was some sort of child prodigy,” Dan recalled.
“And that’s when it hit me: Why not build a show around a child prodigy?
Someone who’s got all of this natural talent & ability but is still challenged
when she’s sent off to high school at the age of 11?”

So while Ms. McClain was off working for the Disney Channel
farm team (Translation: With the hope that viewers might take an early liking
to this talented tween, It’s a Laugh Productions had China play Tina, an
angel-in-training on the Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place trilogy, Wizards vs.
Angels), Signer threw himself into researching the world of child prodigies.

“And – as it turns out – there are all sorts of child
prodigies. I learned about this one kid who was the grand master when it came
to playing Guitar Hero. He actually took off time from school so that this kid
could then compete professionally at this video game,” Dan laughed.

And once he learned that there were all sorts of child
prodigies … Well, that’s how Signer decided to cast his “A.N.T. Farm” (FYI: The
“A.N.T.” in this title of this new Disney Channel series stands for “Advanced
Natural Talents”). Looking for just the right pair of performers for China Anne
to bounce off of.

“Sierra McCormick is – in a lot of ways – just like the
character she plays, Olive Doyle. During her audition, the topic of tigers came
up. And Sierra immediately began rattling off fact after fact after fact about
those big cats,” Dan stated. “And as I heard her continually talking about
tigers, I thought ‘That’s just how Olive would sound.’ Which is how Sierra got
that part.”

And when it came to casting Fletcher Quimby, Jake Short had just the right mix
of coolness and nervous energy to make his character the sort of artist that
boys would actually like.

(L to R) Jake Short, China Anne
McClain and Sierra McCormick. Photo by Bruce Birmelin.
Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

“And once I had my core three … Well, the best part of setting a show in high
school is new students come and go all the time, substitute teachers periodically
appear. There are always ways that you can introduce new elements which can then help
keep your show fresh,” Signer said. “But the real key to having a successful sitcom
is to make sure that you cast just the right actors as your lead roles. And
that’s just what did with China, Sierra
and Jake.”

And clearly the folks at the Disney Channel seem to agree. Given that – based on
the strength of the first few “A.N.T. Farms” that Dan & his creative team
produced – Mouse House executives quickly bumped up their first season order
from 13 to 21 episodes.

“We’ve just finished up working on Episode 13 and are now about to get started
on Episode 14,” Signer said when we spoke on the phone last week. “And we’ve
got some genuinely fun shows in the mix for Season One. Like an ‘A.N.T. Farm’
version of ‘Ocean’s Eleven.’ Where each of these child prodigies uses their own
unique talents & abilities to help pull off a caper at school.”

Which – you’ll have to admit – is a definite departure from the types of
stories that the Disney Channel used to tell on “Hannah Montana.” Which is a
deliberate choice on Dan’s part.

“I think – early on – when the Disney Channel was first
getting into sitcoms, you could take advantage of the fact that kids weren’t
really all that familiar with the form. It was that much easier to entertain
them back then,” Signer said. “But now – thanks to the success of shows like ‘Hannah
Montana’ and ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ — today’s kids are far more familiar
with the sitcom formula. Which is why you now have to work that much harder to
stay ahead of that audience. Put together plots that entertain and surprise
them.”

And when I say “them,” I mean adults and children. According to Disney Channel
internal surveys, a surprising number of families are now sitting down together
to watch shows like “Good Luck Charlie” and “Shake It Up” (which, FYI, is now the
No. 1 show – year-to-date – with tween girls).

“This is why I always make a point of never writing down to the audience. I
figure that – if Mom & Dad are actually out there watching these shows with
their kids – they can then explain some of the more obscure jokes and references
to them . Which is why I always try to make the audience reach up a bit,” Dan
continued. “Besides, ‘A.N.T. Farm” isn’t a kid’s show. It’s a show about kids.
Smart kids. Child prodigies. Which is why these kids are going to tell smarter,
sharper jokes.”

But that said, Signer still sees “A.N.T. Farm” with
universal appeal. After all, who among us doesn’t remember the initial terror
associated with going to high school?

“I mean, everyone remembers what it was like when they were a freshman. When
the seniors were all so huge and you couldn’t find your way around the school.
That’s just the sort of feeling that I’m trying to tap into with ‘A.N.T. Farm,’
” Dan explained. “Only on our show, it’s Chyna who’s constantly pushing Olive
& Fletcher. Trying to get them to leave the relative safety of the A.N.T. Farm
class room. Get out and try & take advantage of every opportunity that comes
their way in high school. Because – in spite of their age and their size –
Chyna believes that Olive & Fletcher can genuinely accomplish anything.”

Which – when you think about it – is a pretty great message for a TV show to
put out there for kids. And given that last Friday’s series premiere of “A.N.T
Farm” was the No. 1 TV telecast with Kids 6-11 for the week of June 13^th
… It would appear that a lot of people out there share this sentiment.

So if you’d like to see the sitcom that Dan Signer built around
China Anne McClain, be sure and catch “A.N.T. Farm.” Which airs on the Disney
Channel on Friday nights from 8:30 – 9 p.m. ET / PT.

Your thoughts?