Tucsonan makes career of family

Peter Murrieta is the executive producer of the hit Disney series. For the last three years, he's been involved in every aspect of the show, from the writing to the casting (actors, not spells).

And now he's turned the tween smash into a television movie: "Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie" premieres Friday night on the Disney Channel.

In his youth, Murrieta was a Sabino High School student, making magical memories of his own in the Jack in the Box parking lot at North Sabino Canyon Road and East Tanque Verde Road.

"That was the biggest hangout," Murrieta said in a phone interview from his studio bungalow last week. "We would blast music from our car cassette players and get into trouble. I'll drive by it when I come home and go, 'Wow. I can't believe we used to think that was the most amazing place in the world.' "

Murrieta took interest in telling tales very young. He came from a family of storytellers. He loved listening to his dad talk about his life living in Mexico and hearing his uncle tell jokes at family gatherings.

As he grew older, Murrieta began thinking of ways he could turn the family's knack for spinning yarns into a career.

Then fate intervened.

He was attending the University of Arizona, participating in the sketch-comedy troupe The Comedy Corner, when Chicago's Second City touring company performed in town.

Murrieta was impressed — so much so that he hit the road shortly after to audition, traveling halfway across the country in a loaner car with his Army duffle bag.

He took classes at Second City and managed to make the cut, which was no small feat. The company had an impressive roster of graduates at that point, including Billy Murray, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Harold Ramis and Mike Myers.

"I must have been a really good writer, because I was a really bad actor," he said. "I was good enough because they put me up on stage."

After five years, Murrieta decided to take a stab at television. Together with his wife, he hit the road and headed to Los Angeles.

His first job was writing for NBC's "Hacienda Heights," a drama he was contracted to work on for six episodes. Before his first day on the job, the studio decided they only wanted a pilot.

"I had already closed my deal," he said. "I sat around in my office for 13 weeks just writing for myself, doing whatever I wanted."

He eventually earned other gigs, including work on Christina Applegate's "Jesse," "All About the Andersons," and the ABC series "Hope & Faith" with Kelly Ripa.

He was meeting for a writing gig on the WB Superman drama "Smallville" in 2001 when the opportunity to create his own series, dubbed "Greetings from Tucson," fell into his lap.

"I was at the meeting and told some of my stories growing up," he said. "When I left, my agent called and said, 'They want to buy that pilot you pitched them. Something about your dad and family. You've got to call them back.' It was very lucky."

The show, revolving around a mixed-race family much like Murrieta's, ran for one season on the WB.

Similar influences can be found on "Wizards of Waverly Place," a show he's worked on since 2007.

When he took on executive-producing, it was called "The Amazing O'Malleys." Murrieta renamed them the Russos and made the family — two brothers and a sister with wizardly powers — mixed race as well.

"The contentious relationship between the siblings is reminiscent of 'Greetings from Tucson' or my sister and I when we were kids," he said. "I had never done a show for tweens. I thought I was helping out on a pilot. This was going to be my summer job. Here I am three years later."

"Wizards" turned out to be a mega-hit for Disney. It has an army of followers, the same kids who watch "Hannah Montana" and listen to the Jonas Brothers.

It has been popular with critics too. It was nominated for its first Emmy earlier this year for best childrens program.

"It's something I never dreamed I would get," Murrieta said. "I always thought that went to people who did much cooler things than me."

With the show so successful, Murrieta and his team were tapped to create Friday's made-for-television movie.

The film takes the Russo family to the Caribbean, where the kids learn to be careful what they wish for.

"I think we were lucky that they thought enough of our show to make a movie out of it," Murrieta said. "We were very excited to do that, to go on location and take our characters out into the world."

Murrieta's job keeps him busy, but not too busy.

He still finds time to teach classes at his own improv company on the weekends and always has time to take his 12-year-old son to baseball practice. "I'm blessed to be living the life that I've always wanted," he said.

ON TV

"Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie" debuts at 8 p.m. Friday on Disney.