RadioandMusic
| 26 Apr 2024
Former Playboy TV producer Ken Francis III inks 'Buckwild' YouTube deal with Fullscreen, Inc.

MUMBAI: Former Playboy TV producer and CEO of Buckwild Entertainment, Ken Francis III, has signed a deal with Fullscreen, Inc., one of the largest YouTube multichannel network operators. Fullscreen Inc., will promote and monetize Francis' YouTube channel, "The Buckwild Show," an archive of exclusive behind-the-scene footage Francis has secured filming, interviewing and documenting the biggest names in hip hop over the past two decades, including Snoop Dogg, Run DMC, Black Eyed Peas, Pharrell, Bobby Brown, and Outkast. Francis' channel will feature classic episodes of ‘The Buckwild Show’ as well as his new show, ‘In The Lab’. The signing marks a milestone feat for Francis who was just released from federal prison less than a year ago.

An original and groundbreaking hip hop music video program, "The Buckwild Show" presents top name artists with sexy models. The series originally aired on Playboy TV in 2005 and has now been revamped for YouTube programming. Francis' other show, "In The Lab," goes behind the scenes of music productions, featuring footage of studio sessions with various top recording artists. Episodes also showcase the home studios of famous as well as up and coming artists. There is a "Check The Technique" segment where music producers reveal some of their recording tips and Francis' vintage footage of various celebrities in the studio is highlighted in the "Classic Clips" segment of the show.

"The Buckwild Show" channel will also incorporate current celebrity news into Francis' funny "Qwik Clips," a 'talking heads' spoof on topical subjects and current events like the Blake Shelton /Miranda Lambert and Ben Affleck/ Jennifer Garner relationship battles. There is exclusive archival footage of various artists like Kim Kardashian and Ray J, Quincy Jones, Jamie Foxx, Paris Hilton, Russell Crowe, Justin Timberlake and more. Additional content also includes history-making footage such as the attack on Dr. Dre at the Vibe Awards and other historic music events.

Francis' personal adventure in the hip hop industry is urban legend status. The television and video producer once captured and documented Hollywood's most intimate hip hop scenes with his lens. A pioneer underground video veteran, Francis' early productions included the now cult classics "Buckwild Beach Week," "Buckwild in Brazil," and "Buckwild 2001?. These DVD productions were the first to showcase the beauty of women of color back when the popular "Girl's Gone Wild" series was ignoring them.

It was also Francis who introduced hip hop programming to Playboy TV with his original series "Buckwild." The shows highlighted uncensored videos and interviews from the likes of Busta Rhymes, Lil' Jon and the Eastside Boys, the Ying Yang Twins,Jadakiss, Loon and Treach from Naughty by Nature. Real hip hop heads still own the Playboy TV DVD masterpiece "Snoop Dogg's Buckwild Bus Tour" a project directed and produced by Francis.

A 20-year entertainment industry veteran who worked his way up from an ambitious intern at Polygram Records to owning and operating the hip-hop industry's most sought-after video vixen modeling agency, Dimepiece USA, Francis furnished countless models for the music videos of superstar artists like Jay Z, Usher, Eminem, 50 Cent, Kanye West, Nelly, Missy Elliot and many others. It was the operation of Dimepiece USA which saw his eventual demise however when he was convicted for the agency's involvement in an international drug smuggling ring. Francis maintains his innocence to this day.

Cites Rob Martinez, international business development manager for Fullscreen Inc., "I have been a longtime fan of Ken's work. His virtual library of exclusive and original hip hop content is a gold mine. We are looking to position 'The Buckwild Show' as one of our top channels."

"My ordeal with the Feds and subsequent imprisonment was a very humbling experience after having such broad access to Hollywood's elite hip hop community," reveals Francis. "I believe the journey has enlightened me and given me the answers to some of life's hidden secrets. I have literally sat in a prison cell and dreamt of days like this."

"While incarcerated, I spent much of my time writing my memoirs and reading tech and business magazines. Once I realized the Internet was taking over the industry and moving toward original content, I knew I was sitting on a vast catalogue of prized footage I am more than thankful to be aligned with Fullscreen, the number one content provider in the marketplace. Securing this deal with them is a huge affirmation for me and a tremendous boost as I work to secure and reposition myself again."

Fullscreen, founded in January 2011, works with more than 50,000 content creators - including such YouTube stars as the Fine Bros., Connor Franta and O2L - who have an aggregate of 450 million subscribers and generate 4 billion monthly views. The Culver City, CA -based company has about 200 employees worldwide.