Byron Allen Folks, better known professionally as just Byron Allen, is a television producer and former comedian, who founded and is the chairman and chief executive officer of television production company Entertainment Studios Inc.
Founded in 1993 under the name CF Entertainment. Entertainment Studios is a fully integrated global media production and distribution company with 8 HD networks, many first-run syndicated shows, over 5,000 hours of HD programming, a film distribution company, a podcast network.
The company produces and distributes first-run television series for U.S. television syndication. It earns revenue by giving the show to independent television stations for free in exchange for 50% of the available advertising time for each episode. The company is currently distributing 32 television series, making it the largest independent producer & distributor of first-run syndicated programming for broadcast television globally.
In 2009, Allen became the first television entrepreneur to own and launch a portfolio of 24-hour digital cable and satellite channels simultaneously. The 8 networks include JusticeCentral.TV, Pets.TV, Cars.TV, Comedy.TV, ES.TV, Recipe.TV, MyDestination.TV, Automotive.TV. They broadcast a mix of original program content and syndicated programs that the company distributes for broadcast television through its Entertainment Studios Networks subsidiary.
“We have a factory mentality. We focus on cost, cost, cost, and driving it down, because we know the more we spend, the higher the rating has to be. I think of us as the Walmart of television, he told BusinessWeek.com in 2013.”
Mr. Allen is a founder of The National Association of African American-Owned Media (NAAAOM). Mr. Allen attended the University of Southern California.
