Banijay Group’s reality TV house Bunim/Murray Productions (BMP), producers of longstanding franchises Real World, Project Runway and Keeping Up with the Kardashians, is repositioning for the future with the elevation of president Gil Goldschein to chairman and CEO, and a reorganization that will spur further growth, it was jointly announced today by Banijay Group CEO Marco Bassetti and current BMP chairman and founder Jonathan Murray. Murray remains on board in a creative capacity and will be segueing to a new role as executive consultant that will allow him more time to develop series and documentary passion projects, and oversee some of the company’s longest running series.
Goldschein, who played an integral role in the company’s fiscal and production growth over the last 14 years, will lead the company as it moves forward. He has consistently expanded the breadth and scope of BMP’s offering, having launched BMP Digital, BMP Latin, BMP’s documentary division and most recently its New York office. Goldschein, who previously served as general counsel, has negotiated a number of development and production deals, including the deal to produce Emmy Award-winning Project Runway and partner with Ryan Seacrest Productions to produce Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Over the past seven years, Goldschein has been instrumental in maintaining the company’s focus and guiding the internal greenlight process together with Murray, leading to the sale and production of more than 30 new shows across 14 networks and driving a 300 percent increase in revenue. Goldschein played a key role in expanding BMP’s global footprint by negotiating Banijay Group’s acquisition of the company in 2010. Goldschein will report to Bassetti.
“I am confident that Gil is the one person who can ensure the company that Mary-Ellis Bunim and I founded 28 years ago continues to grow and thrive,” said Murray. “As for myself, I want to focus more on making television and documentaries and less on managing the company.”
Restructuring for the future
Under Goldschein’s leadership, Jeff Jenkins, currently EVP of Entertainment and Programming, adds development to his title, becoming EVP of Development and Programming. Jenkins assumes creative and development responsibility for all docu-series and celeb-reality series.
Julie Pizzi, who began her career at BMP, returns as EVP of Development and Programming, assuming creative and development responsibility for all format series. She will focus on increasing the development of original BMP formats and the production of existing BMP and Banijay formats in the U.S. She is currently co-president at PB&J Television, which will now enter into a production pod deal with BMP.
Current EVP of Original Programming and Development Scott Freeman will be transitioning to the newly created role of EVP of International, responsible for maintaining BMP’s relationship with Banijay’s international affiliates as well as international third-party producers and buyers. Freeman will focus on developing formats from those Banijay affiliates and others for the U.S. market. In addition, Freeman will continue as EP on The Challenge for MTV and the upcoming Valerie Bertinelli Food Network series. All three executives will report to Goldschein.
A 15-year BMP employee who began at the company in the story department, Jenkins is no stranger to docu-series and celeb-reality, having cut his teeth on The Simple Life with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. In his capacity as exec producer, he oversees E!’s most successful franchise, Keeping Up with the Kardashians (KUWTK) and all of its spinoffs. For KUWTK, he has served as showrunner and has helped identify new showrunners for each new series in the franchise. He also executive produces and oversees the series Total Divas, Love Thy Sister, Stewarts & Hamiltons and Dash Dolls.
Before co-founding PB&J Television in 2004, Pizzi was a creative VP and showrunner at BMP for six years where she spearheaded development and executive produced several high-rated seasons of MTV’s Road Rules and Real World/Road Rules Challenge as well as VH1’s Born to Diva.
Also a long-time BMP employee, having worked at the company for 20 years, Freeman has overseen a large slate of original and acquired projects developed, pitched and sold to broadcast and cable networks. He has also served as an EP on 13 seasons of The Challenge and its Aftershows for MTV, and the Disney TRYathlon specials for Disney XD.
First pod deal
PB&J Television is first in a line of pod deals for BMP and will be run by Pizzi’s Emmy Award-winning partner at PB&J Television, Patty Ivins. Under the PB&J Television banner, Pizzi and Ivins executive produced NBC’s Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Model Search, Showtime’s Reversal of Fortune, ABC Family’s America’s Prom Queen, LOGO’s Bad Sex as well as four seasons of hit Style Network show Dress My Nest. Pizzi and Ivins have also produced many hours of programming for HGTV, Food Network, Syfy, Travel Channel, A&E, AMC, CMT, Lifetime, The CW, TLC and Discovery.
Goldschein explained, “We are using pod deals to increase BMP’s volume of production and to expand into new areas of programming while also ‘doubling down’ on key areas of strength.”
