HRTS welcomes Bunim/Murray Productions and INITIATIVE

and OWN:The Oprah Winfrey Network to the family!

Bunim-Murray Productions is the leading independent producer of innovative entertainment content.  The company is widely credited with creating the reality television genre with its hit series The Real World (currently in production on its 22^nd season on MTV).  BMP continued to innovate with the first reality game show, Road Rules, in 1995, the first reality sitcom, The Simple Life, in 2003, and the first reality soap opera, Starting Over, in 2003. Bunim-Murray’s current programming includes The Bad Girls Club (Oxygen), Keeping up with the Kardashians (E! Entertainment), The Real World/Road Rules Challenge (MTV), The Supreme Court of Comedy (DirecTV), the 6^th season of Project Runway, the upcoming Models of the Runway, and Frat House (upcoming on TBS). Other recently aired Bunim-Murray series include America’s Psychic Challenge (Lifetime), Living Lohan (E! Entertainment), Murder (Spike) and Dr. Steve-O (USA).  Launched in 2006 to better reach the Digital Generation, Bunim-Murray’s M Theory Entertainment is a spin-off entity focusing on new media initiatives.  In 2007 Bunim-Murray launched BMP Films, a film division, which premiered its first documentary, Autism: The Musical, at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival, and its first scripted film Pedro, at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival. Autism: The Musical premiered to rave reviews on HBO on March 25, 2008 and won 2 Primetime EMMY awards. Bunim-Murray Productions has also recently announced the formation of M Music, a music management division, with its first band, A Cursive Memory, signing with Vagrant Records. Bunim-Murray Productions is based in Van Nuys, CA.  It was founded in 1987 by Jonathan Murray and the late Mary-Ellis Bunim.

Initiative is a media, marketing and digital company that transforms media exchanges into marketing results.  Part of the Interpublic Group, Initiative offers effective media communications solutions for leading marketers, including Bayer, Big Lots, Cadbury Schweppes, Computer Associates, Gateway, Hardee's, Hitachi, The Home Depot, Hyundai/KIA, Kao Brands, Lionsgate Films, LucasArts, MillerCoors, Nikon, Quiznos, and SC Johnson.

OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network is the first-ever television network devoted to entertaining, empowering and inspiring viewers to live their best life. A multi-platform media venture that will include the award-winning digital platform Oprah.com, OWN will connect viewers and invite them to become a part of a larger community. OWN will also be simulcast in HD.

“Fifteen years ago, I wrote in my journal that one day I would create a television network, as I always felt my show was just the beginning of what the future could hold. For me, the launch of OWN is the evolution of the work I’ve been doing on television all these years and a natural extension of my show.” – Oprah Winfrey 

• Launching in late 2009 or early 2010
• Debuting in more than 70 million homes on what is currently Discovery Health Channel
• Targeting adults 18-49
• Programming will include a mix of nonfiction, short and long form programming, movies, miniseries, documentaries and acquisitions
• OWN is a joint venture between Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications
• OWN is headquartered in Burbank, CA

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