Joan Borsten Vidov was born on August 17, 1947, in Santa Monica, California. Her mother, Laura Borsten, was a pioneering female officer in the Navy's WAVES during World War II, retiring as a Lieutenant Commander. Her father, Orin Borsten, was a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, working as a publicist, television writer, and studio executive.
Joan graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in comparative literature and later earned a graduate degree in bilingual education. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama and then became a staff reporter for Israel's English-language daily, The Jerusalem Post, where she covered leading Israeli politicians, celebrities, and major news events.
From 1977 to 1985, Joan was a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times Calendar section, covering film production, politics, and interviewing numerous film directors and stars. She met her future husband, Oleg Vidov, in Rome while working for the Calendar section, and they married several years later.
In Los Angeles, Joan became vice president of US Operations for Carthago Films and later Chief Operating Officer of Just Betzer Films, which produced the Best Foreign Film Oscar winner, "Babette's Feast." In 1988, she and Oleg formed Films by Jove Inc., a California-based film production and distribution company.
The company acquired worldwide rights to most of the award-winning animation library of Moscow's Soyuzmultfilm Studio, financing the digital restoration and marketing of over 40 hours of animated films produced between 1936 and 1991. Joan served as Executive Producer with Oleg Vidov on several projects, including "The Animated Classic Showcase," "Masters of Russian Animation," and "The Adventures of Cheburashka and Friends." She also produced, wrote, directed, and narrated "Animated Soviet Propaganda."
Joan successfully defended the Films by Jove license agreement with Soyuzmultfilm Studios against state-supported Russian piracy until 2007, when a Russian oligarch bought the rights to the animation library.
