Shout! Factory, a multi-platform media company, and Candid Camera, Inc. announced a strategic distribution alliance to bring the cross-generational, fan-favorite Candid Camera television library and Mister Candid Camera, the new documentary feature chronicling the life and career of comic visionary Allen Funt, to entertainment platforms in the U.S and Canada. The announcement was made today by Shout’s founders and CEOs Bob Emmer and Garson Foos; producer-host Peter Funt; Jordan Fields, Shout’s Vice President of Acquisitions; and Gene Pao, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Digital.
The alliance provides Shout! Factory and its multi-platform streaming service, Shout! Factory TV with exclusive digital and broadcast rights in the U.S. and Canada to the Candid Camera content library, including thousands of classic episodes produced between 1960 and 2013, as well as the new feature-length documentary Mister Candid Camera, written and directed by Peter Funt and produced by Brian Courrejou.
Shout! Factory TV plans to roll out Candid Camera, beginning with 100 classic episodes on its streaming platforms. Shout! Factory TV will announce additional news in the coming months.
"The word groundbreaking is often used too generously, but Candid Camera really invented a mischievous brand of comedy that leveraged our shared humanity, with all its foibles and delight in the absurd, for life-affirming laughs," said Shout's Jordan Fields. "We are thrilled to bring this funny and enduring TV series back to longtime fans and introduce it to a new generation. Peter's documentary is a loving and entertaining tribute to his father and the show that immortalized him."
“At its best, Candid Camera is a humorous study of human nature,” said Peter Funt. “I’ve selected the first 100 episodes to reflect that, and I’m grateful that Shout’s team appreciates the value of smiling in these stressful times.”
This content deal was negotiated by Shout’s Jordan Fields and Steven Katz, Vice President of Business Affairs, and Peter Funt on behalf of Candid Camera, Inc.
Candid Camera has the distinction of being the only entertainment program in TV history to have produced new episodes in eight different decades. Allen Funt launched the series in 1948 and, along with his son, Peter Funt, produced episodes on CBS, ABC, NBC, HBO, and TV Land. Candid Camera introduced the hidden camera concept to television, with Allen frequently cited as the inventor of reality TV. The show’s payoff, when unsuspecting people are told, “Smile, you’re on Candid Camera!” is one of TV’s most memorable taglines.