America’s Funniest Home Videos Creator Sets Up New Venture

LOS ANGELES: Vin Di Bona, the creator of America’s Funniest Home Videos, is teaming with former Disney and William Morris Agency executive Bruce Gersh to set up a new film and TV production venture, FishBowl Worldwide Media.

The company, led by Di Bona as chairman and Gersh as president and CEO, will develop properties for film and television as well as emerging platforms, partnering with marketers, digital companies and ad agencies in addition to the Hollywood creative community. The focus will be on content that is "novel, profitable and creative with an emphasis on innovation and building brand value," a company statement said.

“FishBowl Worldwide Media provides me the opportunity to start a new creative chapter focusing on projects that are both commercial and, like AFHV, years ahead of the curve,” said Di Bona. “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," Gersh added. "He saw value in user-generated content long before it became a buzzword and recognized the importance of owning his own content. 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. 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. Di Bona is best known for America’s Funniest Home Videos, which launched in 1989 and is the longest-running prime-time entertainment show on ABC. Other credits include series such as America’s Funniest People and Extraordinary World of Animals, specials like I Survived A Disaster, and the TV movies Trump Unauthorized and Touched By Evil, among others. 

Gersh was most recently the senior VP of strategy and operations for intellectual property at the William Morris Agency. Prior to that he spent eight years at Disney, most recently as senior VP of business development for Disney-ABC Television Group.