Industry Standard 29: Jeff Apploff

Jeff Apploff started as a nationally touring stand-up comedian in 1990 and performed at comedy venues throughout the world with such notable comedians as Larry The Cable Guy, Bobby Slayton, Jackie Mason, Gilbert Gottfried, Dom Irrera, Bobcat Goldthwait, Carrot Top, Jim Breuer, and the late Richard Jeni, Mitch Hedburg, and Bill Hicks.  He went on to create, produce, direct, and perform in the successful comedy tour, “The Disciples of Comedy” with several members of Sam Kinison’s “Outlaws of Comedy,” performing to sold-out audiences in theatres ranging from 2,500 to 3,800 seats. Apploff also negotiated several sponsorship contracts for the tour with numerous national advertisers including, Showtime, Budweiser, and Don King Productions. He later went on to produce the “Eddie Griffin Wanted Tour.” In 2003, Apploff changed his career and created an unscripted romantic relationship series entitled, “Secret Admirer,” which was bought and development by NBC.  In 2005, Apploff created and executive produced an unscripted dramatic comedy series, entitled “Face the Family,” which was picked up by Lifetime Televisionand premiered in 2006.  A year later, he founded his own company (Apploff Entertainment, Inc), where he immediately created and executive produced “Don’t Forget the Lyrics!,” a primetime network musical game show series for FOX hosted by Wayne Brady, which was sold in syndication to over 95% of the country a few years later. In 2011, Apploff signed a “first-look” deal with Fremantle Media (“American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent”) where, for the next few years, he was commissioned to executive produce several shows, including the UK smash hit, “Take Me Out” for FOX in which George Lopez hosts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.