Craig Gerber is an American executive producer and creator of children's television programming, best known for Disney Junior's Sofia the First and Elena of Avalor. Gerber is often credited and praised for creating shows that deal with blended families, breaking gender stereotypes, difficulty fitting into society and representation of Latin culture.
Early life
Gerber was raised in outer suburban New York. His mother and father divorced when he was eight years old. His father remarried and had another son while his mother had a boyfriend who had a daughter of his own. Having a family that was not “together” made Gerber feel like uneasy, but after he discovered that these kinds of families were more common than he thought, he was inspired to create Sofia the First.
Gerber was approached by Nancy Kanter, a writer at Disney Junior who asked him for an idea for a children's show revolving around a princess during her childhood. He was determined to give a modern spin of the classic “fairy tale” element of the pitch. Thus, in November 2012, Sofia the First was created. When Gerber was stuck in traffic while driving in Los Angeles, he immediately looked at his childhood and found inspiration with his own home life to create a show with a family that many children could identify with. Growing up in a Stepfamily, he wanted to emulate how it is normal this type of situation is for people. In the program, he provides the young princess with a stepsister, stepbrother, and stepdad; something that is a new territory for her. Gerber's then three-year-old son, Miles, was also an influence for him, constantly making believe, sometimes even as a princess, which led him to provide a character that he could relate to. The character that Gerber created, Princess Sofia, was designed to be a role model for both boys and girls. Gerber stated in an article “In a world where many young girls want to dress up as princesses, Sofia could serve as a positive role model, displaying traits and learning lessons that young girls will retain long after they trade in their gowns for other costumes.” Kind, courageous, bold, and curious are just a few of the qualities Gerber wanted to give Princess Sofia in order to make a positive character. He explains “To that end, Sofia is very adventurous, and bold, and courageous, and curious. She has a big heart, and she’s always ready to try new things, and she’s always ready to stand up for what she believes in or what she thinks is right. By the way, I think these are good qualities for both girls and boys to follow. And so there’s a feminist message. There’s also a message for both boys and girls, saying you can do anything you set your mind to if you keep trying and don’t give up – that life is an adventure.” Another important element he wanted to provide her with was to make her flawed. Sometimes she could mess up dealing with issues of sibling rivalry, sharing, or trying a new thing. This was a very important message Gerber wanted to provide to his young viewers. Gerber describes Sofia's faults as “Sofia’s biggest flaw is that she is too trusting. It will take her a long time to learn this lesson.” Along with creating the show, Gerber has also co-authored many of the program's storybooks. These books include Sofia the First: The Curse of Princess Ivy, Sofia the First: The Floating Palace, and Sofia the First: The Enchanted Feast. He has also co-authored a book based on his new program Elena of Avalor called Elena and the Secret of Avalor.
Creation of Elena of Avalor
With a heavy focus on exploring Latin and Hispanic culture, magic, mythology, folklore, music, food, and customs, following his success with Sofia the First, Gerber went on to create Elena of Avalor in June 2016. He was aware that there had been many Disney princesses of color, but not one of Hispanic roots. Gerber was careful not to state what country she is exactly from, but rather incorporate the “influence” of the location. He stated “What Disney really does well is create fairytale kingdoms,” he explained. “It makes it very inclusive—you don’t have to pick just one nationality. No one really asked if Arendelle was Norway or Sweden, it’s just inspired by a Scandinavian country. The idea for us was that we wanted Avalor to be more broadly accessible.” When Sofia the First had first launched, there was some confusion as to whether Princess Sofia was the first Latina Disney princess or not. This derived from Sofia's mother, Queen Miranda, appearing to be Hispanic with darker skin and features. This was a false statement made by a producer which has since been disproven by Gerber and a few more members of the Sofia the First crew. Gerber explains in an interview with ABC news: “What the experience from Sofia showed me was what a demand there was for a Latina princess,” Gerber said. “That a misstatement that was made by a producer could snowball virally into this announcement that was never made. And Sofia was not Latina and never meant to be the first Latina princess. But it did really illustrate the fact that people really wanted a Latina princess, and I think it certainly bubbled in my mind and was part of what inspired me to come up with this idea.”
Critical reception
Gerber has been noted for his representation of many different relatable situations children and individuals can go through. Marjorie Galas of Variety 411 praises his view on Princess Sofia's home life in Sofia the First, stating “A child of divorce himself, Gerber knew the blended family life and the adaptation to new surroundings and routines was relatable to a vast majority of the population, and the lessons that come from adaptation were bountiful.”
Personal life
A native of New York City, Gerber currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and three sons, Miles, Desmond, and Beau.
