How two childhood friends turned insecurities into a multimillion-dollar multimedia empire

Their friendship started at a weight-loss camp, when they were 12, battling insecurities and clueless about what fate had in store for them. Nearly two decades on, Zach Sage Fox and Omri Dorani are co-founders of a multimillion-dollar multimedia company that is pioneering new-age out-of-the-box campaigns that have helped businesses leverage film, TV and social media as powerful tools to reach their target audiences.  

Fat Camp Films, the company the duo founded as teenagers, grew out of a shared obsession with movies. Under Fox and Dorani’s leadership, Fat Camp Films has emerged as a leading youth-driven content studio with a mission to make empowering films and TV series for streamers and social media platforms. Fat Camp Films has produced various viral video content that have helped businesses generate over one billion views and more than 10 million followers on social media. 

In the film and TV space, the duo have produced award-winning feature films for large international streamers, with Fox and Dorani writing and directing. Last year, Fat Camp Films even got an offer for their first show on HBO Max. The company has also partnered with top media brands and produced dozens of viral digital shows that have logged over a billion views. 

From insecurities to inspiration 

“The whole point of naming the company Fat Camp was to wear our insecurities on our sleeves. The average kid who goes to a fat camp would probably never mention it again. But we were like, how do we take insecurity and turn it into inspiration?” explains Zach.  

Having built the company from the ground up, the duo say it has been a storied journey since they started making videos 15 years ago, reflecting on the trials and triumphs that have shaped their success, and the unbreakable bond that allowed them to transform a shared dream into a thriving media empire. 

“Fat Camp Films has emerged as a real disruptor in the industry, creating the kind of bold and exciting creative content that is helping brands stand out in a crowded marketplace and delivering key messages that really engage and resonate with audiences,” says Omri. “There's not many other companies that are doing all the things that we're doing. We're basically doing two things at once. We're making films and TV shows and we're also into branded content, blending creativity and marketing in a way that effectively connects with audiences." 

Zach and Omri got their first big break when they were just 17, when an internationally acclaimed children's television channel handed the best friends a development deal. The duo delivered a hit prank show that Fox hosted for the network and the rest, as they say, is history. While the company found huge success creating the kind of content that resonated with clients and their target audiences, the duo say the Covid pandemic was a critical period that prompted Fat Camp Films to pivot to new methods of content creation and distribution, ultimately emerging stronger and more relevant in a rapidly changing media landscape. From there, while Fox was still in college at the Ivy league UPENN, the duo made their first feature film which starred a slew of major celebrities alongside Fox himself. They may have been the youngest filmmakers to write, direct, and produce a movie in Hollywood history, which helped them land a distribution deal with Hulu, where it became a top trending teen comedy. 

“We had three huge projects that had to be completely paused during the pandemic. But our company was built for moments like this,” says Zach. “We had several digital properties that we were developing. We developed our own original series that we were doing totally on digital, partnering with dozens of brands. And this is not slowing down. In fact, since Covid, we’ve ramped up our projects. Amidst the challenges the industry has faced, we believe there's always a better, modern and smarter way to do things and overcome any hurdle.” 

Preparing for the future  

When the duo started their journey as young entrepreneurs, the concept of influencer marketing was not even invented yet. “But we were already doing edgy man-on-the-street videos, we did a music parody, we did a lot of different stuff. We were like part of that Borat-inspired kind of era,” says Zach.  

So when social media came along, the transition was remarkably smooth for Fat Camp Films, the duo say. Their innate understanding of storytelling and connecting with audiences allowed them to adapt quickly, integrating social media platforms into their strategy and enhancing their reach. 

“We’ve built a strong presence on social media both for our own digital assets and for the brands we work with. We have 30 active social media platform based series that air multiple days a week. Social media has been an integral part of our strategy to create original content and a really major platform for us to create engagement with our audience,” says Omri.  

“Now social media is bigger than film and television. I'm sure in five or 10 years, with new tools like artificial intelligence, there'll be a new facet of content that will come out. And we really just always try to be on the pulse of what's new. What are the young people talking about? How we can get involved, rather than trying to stick with old conventions.” 

Fat Camp has been savvy about finding big IPs they can adapt into hit series. Most recently they scored the rights to turn Kickstarter into a fresh finance TV show with Mark Wahlberg’s production company Unrealistic; are turning the viral card game What Do You Meme? into a game show with EOne; and shopping a dating series with James Corden’s studio, Fulwell73, producers of The Kardashians. 

Media contact 

Name: Zach Sage Fox 

Email: [email protected]