John de Mol Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John de Mol Jr.
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De Mol in 2006
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| Born |
Johannes Hendrikus Hubert de Mol Jr.
24 April 1955 The Hague, Netherlands
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1973–present |
| Known for |
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| Spouse(s) |
Willeke Alberti
(m. 1976; div. 1980)Els de Mol
(m. 1986) |
| Children | Johnny de Mol |
| Relatives | Linda de Mol (sister) |
John de Mol Jr. is a famous Dutch TV producer and businessman. He is known for creating some of the world's most popular TV shows. These include Big Brother and The Voice. He also helped start big TV companies like Endemol and Talpa. In 2023, his wealth was estimated to be around US$1.8 billion.
Contents
Creating TV Hits
John de Mol became very successful by making television programs. He is a master at coming up with new ideas for shows that people love to watch.
The Start of Endemol
From 1997 to 1999, John de Mol developed the very popular reality TV show Big Brother. He did this with his own company, called John de Mol Produkties. In 1994, his company joined with another big TV company to form Endemol. Even after joining, his company still worked on its own projects.
For Endemol, he produced many well-known shows. These included Fear Factor, Love Letters, 1 vs. 100, and Deal or No Deal. In 2000, John de Mol sold his part of Endemol. But he stayed on as the creative director until 2004, helping to guide new show ideas. In 2005, he was named one of the 500 richest people in the world by Forbes Magazine.
Utopia
In January 2014, Endemol launched a new reality TV show called Utopia. This show featured 15 people who had to build a brand new community. They lived on a rural property and worked together to create their own society.
Building Talpa Media
John de Mol also decided to start his very own television station. He wanted to call it "Tien," which means "10" in Dutch. However, another TV company already had a similar name, so he couldn't use it.
The Talpa TV Channel
Because of the name problem, his channel had to launch under the name Talpa. "Talpa" is a Latin word for "mole," which is "mol" in Dutch. This was a clever nod to his last name. Later, the name issue was fixed, and the channel was finally renamed Tien.
Even with popular shows like the Eredivisie football league, the station didn't get good ratings. So, in 2007, John de Mol decided to close Tien. He sold the channel to RTL Nederland, but he kept a part of that company. He also sold Radio 538, a radio station he bought in 2005, to RTL Nederland.
Talpa's New Focus
The name Talpa stayed as the name of his main company. This company managed all of John de Mol's businesses. It also continued to produce many successful shows for the RTL network, like Ik Hou van Holland.
Buying SBS
In 2011, Talpa worked with a Finnish media company called Sanoma. Together, they bought the Dutch parts of SBS Broadcasting. This deal meant John de Mol sold his shares in RTL Nederland. But he kept ownership of Radio 538 and its other stations, Radio 10 Gold and SLAM!FM.
The Voice
In 2010, John de Mol launched a brand new singing competition show called The Voice of Holland. It was a huge success in the Netherlands. The idea for the show was then sold to many other countries around the world.
The Voice (of America) started on NBC in the United States on April 27, 2011. John de Mol was one of the main producers. In The Voice, the first auditions are "blind." This means the judges sit with their backs to the singers. They can only hear the voice. If a judge likes a voice, they push a button and turn their chair around. This special idea, created by John de Mol and Dutch singer Roel van Velzen, makes the show "all about the voice." After these blind auditions, the judges (who become coaches) train their singers. They compete in battles and public voting rounds until only one singer is left. That person is then named "The Voice."
Personal Life
John de Mol was once married to the singer and actress Willeke Alberti. Their son is the actor Johnny de Mol. For a few years, he was also partners with Luv' singer Marga Scheide.
Outside of television, John de Mol also manages a large investment fund. At one point, this fund owned parts of the car company Spyker Cars and the phone company Versatel. John's sister, Linda de Mol, is also a famous TV presenter and actress. She has appeared in some of Endemol's shows, including the original Dutch version of Deal or No Deal, called Miljoenenjacht (Hunt for Millions).
See also
In Spanish: John de Mol para niños
