PASADENA, Calif. -- When Paula Hart looks at what's available on television these days, she isn't particularly happy -- for a couple of reasons.
First, she doesn't see much that she'd want her children to watch. And, second, the mother of seven -- from a 2-year-old to 23-year-old "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" star Melissa Joan Hart -- doesn't see much that she wants her children to star in."That's why I started Hartbreak Films. There was nothing on television that we could sit there and watch as a family," Hart said. "When I was growing up, that was a family activity. It was something we did. We ate dinner together as a family and we would then watch TV together."
She sure didn't set out to become a television producer.
"I followed in my children's footsteps," Hart said. "They got into show business first and then I didn't like the projects that were necessarily coming their way and decided to develop my own for them. Now I've branched out and do projects that my children aren't necessarily involved in, but we do try to stay within the realm of family television or family programming."
Hart said it all began when her daughter, Melissa Joan Hart, decided at the age of 3 that she wanted to be on television.
"So I brought her on auditions and she started working consistently," Hart said. "Then I started managing her career as well as my other children's. Then my family grew, my business grew and I went into producing about six years ago."
Her first project as an executive producer was the made-for-Showtime movie "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" -- a project that became the weekly "Sabrina" series that Melissa stars in today.
" 'Sabrina' was one of the first things that we decided was a good thing that families could sit and watch together," Hart said. "And I have to tell you that when I started 'Sabrina,' it was like pulling teeth with the network to keep family values in there. And I'll always maintain family values in everything I do."
Among her other projects is the upcoming Disney Channel movie "Up, Up and Away."
"I think what's important with the Disney Channel is that they recognize the importance of family programming, which is what my company specializes in," she said. "I find that the networks are abandoning family programming. They really don't care about families anymore, and that's why I've come to the Disney Channel. I'm going to do several projects with them because they do embrace the family and that's very important to me."
Not all of the projects will include members of her family. (Not all of her seven children are in the business. Her 13-year-old daughter, Emily, has a small part in "Up, Up and Away" and provides the voice of young Sabrina in the upcoming UPN cartoon series based on the character Melissa Joan plays in the ABC sitcom.)
The Hart matriarch said she's not at all surprised that families are fleeing the broadcast networks.
"What are they going to tune in to?" she asked. "Our Friday night on ABC, where 'Sabrina' has had its home for the past three seasons and for this upcoming fourth (season), is a safe haven for families. And Procter and Gamble and Johnson & Johnson, both companies have backed 'Sabrina' and never had a problem with advertising on our show because they know there will never be anything questionable.
" 'Sabrina' is a pure entertainment show. I don't know where else you're going to find that in any other night on network television. I believe that's why families are tuning in to cable television."
Hart is in development on projects at both Disney and the broadcast networks, but she's skeptical about the networks.
"I just have to tell you that it's really tough to try and get something that has good family values on television today," Hart said. "It's really nice to have a home at the Disney Channel and be able to develop projects that you can believe in."