JD Roth

JD Roth was born to be in the television business. A natural performer and producer, JD was fascinated with the medium from the time he could talk, especially by the variety hosts and game shows that would serve as the precursors to today's prolific "reality" genre.

JD got his start in front of the camera as a child actor, between the ages of 11 and 18 landing more than 250 national commercials, as well as sitcoms, after-school specials and soap operas.

JD's big break came in 1988 when he signed on to host the syndicated kids' game show, "Fun House," which grew into a megahit and inspired him to tap his natural executive-producing talents. JD conceived the idea to take "Fun House" on the road as a live event designed to complement the taped TV episodes; he would go on to produce and host a four-year tour to more than 70 cities across America. Not only did "Fun House" solidify JD's passion for producing TV and for thrilling audiences, it was also fortuitous, as JD hired as tour manager a young Todd Nelson who would become his closest friend and, later, his 3 Ball Productions partner.

Todd and JD went on to help launch Discovery Networks' new channel, Animal Planet, with the kids' competition show "Zooventure." In addition to producing the series, the two raised the "Fun House" bar by producing an even bigger live tour for the show, visiting more than 100 cities around the world. They also created and produced for Fox Kids the hit show "Moolah Beach" (which JD also hosted) and the hit series "Endurance" for Discovery Kids, which aired as part of NBC's Saturday morning kids' block.

In 2001 JD and Todd formed 3 Ball Productions with the mission to produce television with the same passion, fun and excitement as their previous hit shows, but with new concepts and high-stakes storytelling that could also be transformational, both for cast and audiences.

3 Ball's NBC primetime hit "For Love or Money" answered this call in 2003, running for four seasons and becoming the network's number one show in the key Adult 18-49 demographic. 3 Ball followed the breakthrough dating series with what would become the cornerstone of NBC's programming: the reality franchise juggernaut "The Biggest Loser."

JD and Todd, and their extended 3 Ball company, continued on a hit streak with the series "Beauty and the Geek," also executive-produced by Ashton Kutcher, which launched on the WB in 2005 and migrated to The CW network in 2007. 3 Ball also maintains a powerful presence in the cable world with such series as "Breaking Bonaduce" and "The Pick-Up Artist" (VH1), "Hammer Time" (A&E), "Fourth and Long" (Spike), "The Fashion Show" (Bravo), "Groomer Has It" (Animal Planet), and "Scott Baio is 45 and Single," among many others.

JD's philosophy for reality television is simple, though not easy: produce shows that ask a simple question and that offer people an opportunity to change their lives.