Scott Manville:
It's wonderful to have you with us. I know that
many in the industry, including our Writers and
Producers at the TV Writers Vault, will find your
perspectives
truly valuable.
And many Producers and Format Creators could only
dream of the success you've had with America's
Funniest Home Videos.
Vin Di Bona:
I should say at the start, the success of AFV is
due much in part to the writing. Todd Thicke and
his staff add smart, often, counterpoint comments
that make an inherently funny video twice as
funny.
SM:
Collaboration in creativity always
helps. If I can roll back a bit- I loved growing
up watching “Battle of the Network Stars”
on the weekends with my Dad. Or hearing the
“Entertainment Tonight” theme playing in the
evening… Mom was cooking dinner, Dad was home from
work, the family was together… it was a good
feeling. A lot of us who grew up in the 70’s
should say thanks for the good feelings.
VDB:
I produced the last big Battle [“of the Network
Stars”] (Battle 19) and had the luxury of using
clips from all the previous shows…it was a blast
to produce. With Entertainment Tonight, it was
like being in The Wild West…a lot by the gut, and
a lot of experimenting.
SM:
I’d love to know how you came to developing and
producing reality-based TV back then, in a time
when programming must have been very narrow… with
only scripted series’, or live sports coverage,
and news. How did you discover what was
essentially "reality tv" in a
time where you really had no reference to work
from?
VDB:
I started a WBZ-TV in Boston…I was responsible for
producing a four hour special every month for two
years. The first hour was a documentary on
changing community needs followed by a live three
hour call-in show based on the issue of the
evening. I produced and directed both the
documentary and the live call-in as well. It was
a great experience. First and foremost, our
formats had to entertain. I did an hour
documentary for KCBS about the play Zoot Suit
and I convinced Gordon Davidson to let me shoot
parts of the play to include in the documentary.
SM: Seeing
how far reality programming has evolved, with
shows often pushing the envelope of privacy and
appropriateness, what do you feel about reality tv
today?
VDB:
Many thrive on obnoxious people in outrageous
situations…not my cup of tea…I believe in a great
format that offers tension and ways to solve
problems.
SM:
Do you have any favorites?
VDB:
“Battleplan” (Military Channel), “Shark
Tank” & “Iron Chef”.
SM:
One of my favorite shows that
you produced and
aired right at the thrust of the new reality boom
was
"The Big Moment."
[A family is given a limited amount of time to
master unique stunts or talents that they must
successfully perform on live TV to win cash].
I loved it. You had the reality aspect of it,
seeing the families at home with all the
frustration and fun of practicing, then the
pressures of the live performance, and the variety
of it all. Was it as fun to Produce as it was to
watch?
VDB:
It was a favorite of mine…loaded with challenge,
fun and tension….my favorite moment of all time is
the housewife who hasn’t been able to pull the
table cloth out from under the dishes all
week and gets it right on the show.
SM:
I remember that! Comedy being universal...
if I can ask about foreign markets.
During the past decade we’ve seen a healthy
exchange in formats-
Developing shows for foreign territories, and
adapting proven formats in foreign arenas for
domestic distribution. Have you taken any of your
shows overseas? Is that an area of exploitation
that you pursue with projects?
VDB:
We have been to London several times…offering
formats…some have sold, but none really
successful.
SM:
We've seen a huge evolution in television over the
decades, with so many changes. What hasn't
changed?
VDB:
A good idea still makes a breakthrough show!
Copycats always fade quickly.
SM:
What advice can you give to the aspiring format
Writer or Producer starting out in this Industry?
VDB:
Look at trends…check out the newsstands to see
what popular magazines report about.
SM:
How would you measure the amount of opportunity
there may be in Hollywood for new writers today,
versus aspiring writers and producers of decades
past?
VDB:
In our business, it has become increasingly more
difficult to become an entrepreneur…and to own
one’s own material & format. The sad news is that
today’s young writers have much less chance to
succeed than writers in the past…ideas have to be
sharper and more unique to cut through the maze.
SM:
So much of success is a result of overcoming great
challenges, or failures, especially in this
industry. Can you share with us any monumental
challenges you may have had to overcome, that we
may not know of, but that may have been a catalyst
in your ultimate success?
VDB:
When I sold my first network series (Animal
Crack-ups), that sale was the result of 138
pitches. My second show (AFV) was sold in
four minutes on the first pitch!
SM:
What do you look forward to experiencing, as your
career continues?
VDB:
Staying current, creating new family shows and
continuing to have fun.
SM:
Mr. Di Bona, It’s been a true pleasure. Thank you
so much for sharing your time with us. I can’t
wait to see more great shows from you.
VDB:
Good luck to all…if you believe in your projects…never
give up!
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TVWritersVault.com
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
VIN DI BONA
AND BRUCE GERSH DIVE INTO
FISHBOWL
WORLDWIDE MEDIA
Los Angeles, January
20 – Vin Di Bona, one of television’s most
successful producers, best known as the creator of
long running America’s Funniest Home Videos,
and Bruce Gersh, who has developed innovative
business opportunities across multiple platforms
while at The Walt Disney Company and the William
Morris Agency, have joined together to create
FishBowl Worldwide Media. Di Bona will serve as
Chairman and Gersh as President and CEO.
FishBowl Worldwide
Media will develop properties for film and
television as well as emerging platforms,
partnering with marketers, digital companies and
ad agencies in addition to the traditional
Hollywood creative community. The Company will
focus on projects that are novel, profitable and
creative with an emphasis on innovation and
building brand value.
“FishBowl Worldwide
Media provides me the opportunity to start a new
creative chapter focusing on projects that are
both commercial and, like AFV, years ahead of the
curve. As global media tastes change on what
seems like a daily basis, this is a perfect time
for identifying, reacting and capitalizing
on those short windows of opportunity and
who better to join with than Bruce Gersh, who has
been at the forefront of many of the changes
taking place.”
“I have long admired
Vin Di Bona’s acumen as both a creator and a
businessman and got to know him while I was at
Disney-ABC. He saw value in user-generated
content long before it became a buzzword and
recognized the importance of owning his own
content,” said Gersh. “As a result, FishBowl
Worldwide Media is investing in media while so
many other companies are cutting back.”
“FishBowl Worldwide
Media’s independence enables us to experiment with
new forms of development and explore innovative
business models for all facets of the
entertainment ecosystem – talent, studios and the
creative community - which is what is exciting
about the Company and differentiates it from so
many others,” said Gersh. “We are embracing all
platforms, not just the new ones.”
Vin Di Bona
Productions (VDBP) will continue to operate
separately as the production company for
America’s Funniest Home Videos. “Nothing will
change for America’s Funniest Home Videos
as a result of this move,” explained Di Bona.
“This is all about the future and expanding into
other areas.”
Vin Di Bona is a
four-time Emmy award-winning producer and
recipient of the prestigious George Foster Peabody
Award for his work in documentary programming. A
pioneer in comedic reality
television, producer/director Vin Di Bona is best
known for America’s Funniest Home Videos,
which launched in 1989 and is the longest-running
primetime entertainment show on ABC. In addition
to producing numerous reality based series (America’s
Funniest People, Show me the Funny, Extraordinary
World of Animals, Meet the Marks, Chicken Soup for
the Soul) and specials (I Survived A Disaster,
Big Moment), he has also ventured into scripted
entertainment with movies for television (Trump
Unauthorized, For the Love of Nancy,
Touched By Evil and Voices from Within)
and a sit com (Sherman Oaks). Prior to
opening his own shingle, Di Bona produced
Entertainment Tonight, McGyver and
Papal Spacebridge ’87. A 40-year
entertainment industry veteran, Di Bona received a
Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007. After
a four-year stint as Chairman for the Caucus for
Television Producers, Writers & Directors, Di Bona
was honored with the organization’s Chair’s Award
in 2008. To commemorate America’s Funniest Home
Videos’ contribution to the American culture,
AFHV became part of history in 2009 when The
Smithsonian Institution selected the show for
inclusion into their permanent entertainment
collections.
Prior to joining
FishBowl, Gersh was Senior Vice President,
Strategy and Operations, Intellectual Property at
the William Morris Agency where he worked with
clients to help develop new and innovative
business opportunities. His efforts included
developing a branded cable channel with Hasbro in
partnership with Discovery. Before WMA, Gersh
spent eight years at Disney-ABC, most recently as
SVP Business Development, Disney-ABC Television
Group. There he was responsible for all
traditional and digital media business development
programs across ABC Daytime, ABC Primetime, ABC
Studios, ABC News, Soapnet and ABC Family. In
2006 Gersh and the ABC.com team received an
Interactive Television Emmy for Outstanding
Achievement for Enhanced or Interactive
Programming: New Delivery Platforms for the
website’s Full Episode Streaming Broadband
Player. Before joining ABC, Gersh was a business
development consultant for NBC Enterprises. He
began his career at Arthur Anderson.
FishBowl Worldwide
Media is headquartered in Los Angeles and can be
found online at
www.fbwmedia.com .
