- J. D. Roth
Infobox Person
image_size = 150px
name = J. D. Roth
caption =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1968|04|20,
birth_place =Cherry Hill Township, New Jersey ,USA
death_date =
death_place =
occupation =television personality ,actor ,game show ,voice-over performer,television producer ,narrator
spouse =
parents =
children =J. D. Roth (born
April 20 ,1968 , inCherry Hill Township, New Jersey ) is a two-timeEmmy Award -nominated Americantelevision personality ,actor , a former popular children'sgame show , avoice-over performer on many television programs, and atelevision producer of reality shows. Roth is currently theannouncer and co-creator of the adult reality show "The Biggest Loser " onNBC . He also hosts ABC's fall 2008 series "Opportunity Knocks".His previous hosting jobs include the Fox adult reality game show "
Unan1mous ", the children's reality show "Endurance" on NBC and theDiscovery Kids Channel, and the children's game show "Fun House" which aired both in syndication and on Fox.Roth is also the CEO of 3Ball Productions, a television production company based in
Manhattan Beach, California .cite web | title=J. D. Roth Biography | work=3B Productions website | url=http://www.3ballproductions.com/bios.html | accessdate=October 10 | accessyear=2007]Roth and his wife Christine are the parents of two children, Cooper and Duncan.
Early life
Raised in the Philadelphia suburb of city-state|Cherry Hill Township|New Jersey, Roth first acquired an interest in acting when he was ten, and has been working on
commercials and being in-front and behind the camera ever since. In a 1996 interview, he said that he worked 22 commercials in his first year of acting. At age 11, he booked himself an audition for a children's show at a New York nightclub, winning a spot along with others including future starsSarah Jessica Parker ,Rick Schroeder , andRicki Lake .cite web | date=1996-08-21 | author=Ellen Gray | title=The new `Jonny Quest' is full of ideas for children's programming | url=http://www.newstimes.com/archive/aug2196/tvf.htm | publisher=Knight-Ridder Media | archivedate=1997-04-30 | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/19970430170024/http://www.newstimes.com/archive/aug2196/tvf.htm| accessdate=15 June | accessyear=2007]After being a finalist on "
Star Search ", he made numerous guest appearances on "Charles in Charge ", "As the World Turns ", "The Equalizer ", and "Tales from the Darkside ". After graduating fromCherry Hill High School East in 1986, and before producing reality television, Roth's first television exposure was hosting the kids'game show "Fun House", which was the most popular children's show in the U.S. at the time. During its three-year-run, he also traveled across the country hosting a live version for children.Television productions
In 1991, after his "Fun House" stint, he went on to host the magazine
video game series, "GamePro TV ". The following year, he started his own production company, Slam Dunk Productions. He initially produced and hosted the short-lived children's game show "Double Up" onNBC . He emceed several other game shows, including the first season of "Masters Of The Maze " for Family, and two of the six seasons of "Zooventure", a children's game show taped at theSan Diego Zoo and aired onAnimal Planet . "Zooventure" aired in seven countries. Roth also produced a game show version of theword game "Mad Libs" for theDisney Channel with veterantelevision personalityDick Clark , who worked with Roth behind-the-scenes. He remarked that children would sometimes write in asking what grade he was in because of his youthful voice. In 1996, he took on the titular role of "The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest ", having been a childhood fan of the classic series. He found the show educational, a quality he admired whose absence he criticized in other shows billed as such. While hosting "Zooventure", he hosted his first adult game show, "Sex Wars", in syndication."Moolah Beach"
In 2001, he formed 3Ball Productions, along with Todd A. Nelson. Roth produced and hosted his first children's
reality show , "Moolah Beach ", as a 30-minute weekly show for Fox as part of itsFox Kids lineup. It was later shown onABC Family as an extended 60-minute show in the summer/fall of 2001 for 13 episodes. After ABC chose not to continue the series, Roth took the show concept toNBC andDiscovery Kids as "Endurance"."Endurance"
A spinoff entitled "Endurance" began on
NBC and theDiscovery Channel in 2002. Renewed in 2007 for a sixth season, "Endurance" has been much more successful. Roth, who serves as creator, host and executive producer for this show, was nominated in 2006 for twoDaytime Emmy Award s for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series. In 2007, "Endurance" was nominated for a Daytime Emmy as Outstanding Children's Series. The show was cancelled after its 6th season."Opportunity Knocks"
On September 23, 2008 ABC premiered "Opportunity Knocks", a new gameshow hosted by Roth.
Other productions
While not working on "Endurance", Roth serves as
narrator onNBC 'sweight loss reality show , "The Biggest Loser ", (withCaroline Rhea and, later,Alison Sweeney ), which he also co-created and produces. He also producesreality show s "Breaking Bonaduce ", with formerchild star ,Danny Bonaduce onVH1 and "Beauty and the Geek " on theCW Network , alongsideAshton Kutcher (of "That '70s Show " fame).He also hosted and co-created "
Unan1mous ", which premieredMarch 22 ,2006 . Unlike "Endurance", this show was not a ratings winner and was not renewed.Other credits include:
* "Walt Disney World Inside Out" alongsideBrianne Leary &George Foreman (1995)In September, 2006, the Dutch company Eyeworks Group announced that it had acquired a 50-percent ownership of 3Ball Productions.
References
External links
*
* [http://www.3ballproductions.com 3Ball Productions] – official website
* [http://www.eyeworks.tv Eyeworks Group] – official website
* [http://www.hollywoodfutures.org/videos/producers.htm An interview of J. D. Roth conducted by Streaming Futures]
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