HRTS eNews - 01/30/2009  (Plain Text Version)

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In this issue:
HRTS Online
•  NEW & IMPROVED www.HRTS.org to Launch Soon!
•  Event Photo Gallery Updated
Special Feature
•  Investing Your Company's Way Out of a Recession
From the Executive Director
•  Hope and Change - It's Time for Both!
Member Profiles
•  Charlie Collier, AMC
•  Jordan Levin, Generate
Member News
•  New Corporate Members
•  Chairman of Bunim/Murray Productions: Jonathan Murray
•  President of OWN: Robin Schwartz
•  President of Initiative: Tim Spengler
JHRTS
•  JHRTS News & Announcements
About HRTS
•  Officers, Board of Directors, Staff

 

Chairman of Bunim/Murray Productions: Jonathan Murray

Get to know one of your new Corporate Executives


Widely credited with inventing the modern reality television genre, Jonathan Murray continues to inspire, influence and entertain television audiences worldwide.  Since the 1992 launch of “The Real World” (MTV), Murray has created and executive produced close to 80 seasons of the industry’s most innovative unscripted entertainment television, as well as its first unscripted feature film.

 

Murray got his start in local television, spending six years at WLUK-TV, WXIA-TV and WKYC-TV in news, documentaries, station management (WOKR-TV) and programming.  He then worked with the television rep firm HRP, Inc. where he helped local stations buy and schedule their syndicated programming.

 

In 1991, Murray and Mary Ellis Bunim pitched their idea for an unscripted drama series to MTV executives over breakfast.  MTV bought the show before lunchtime, and the landmark success of Bunim/Murray Productions was underway.  The innovative series merged Bunim’s experience in scripted daytime dramas with Murray's documentary and news expertise and it broke all the rules of television production.  “The Real World” quickly became part of the cultural DNA of young people the world over and continues to thrive, with its 21st season currently airing on MTV.


During the 1990s Murray and Bunim grew their production operation from a two-person shop into an industry powerhouse.  They created and executive produced an incredible array of entertainment including such seminal television shows as “The Real World,” “Road Rules,” “Real World/Road Rules Challenge,” “The Simple Life,” “Starting Over,” “Making the Band” and “Love Cruise,” as well as the feature film The Real Cancun.  Despite the loss of Bunim to cancer in early in 2004, Murray continues to lead the company they founded together to new heights.

 

As chairman of Bunim-Murray Productions, Murray guides the creative process that has distinguished the company’s shows since the early 1990s.  In 2007, the company launched BMP Films which sold its first, critically acclaimed documentary, “Autism: The Musical” to HBO. In 2008, the company announced the formation of M Music, a music management division, with its first band, A Cursive Memory, signing with Vagrant Records. The company continues to thrive in 2009, producing projects for primetime and cable television platforms, including the 21st season of “The Real World” (MTV) with the 22nd season currently in production, the 17th season of “The Real World/Road Rules Challenge” (MTV), the third season of “Keeping up with the Kardashians” (E!), the third season of “Bad Girls Club” (Oxygen), the second season of “The Supreme Court of Comedy” (DirecTV), and “Frat House” (upcoming on TBS). Bunim/Murray also stepped in to produce the 6th season of “Project Runway” and the upcoming “Models of the Runway.” Recently aired Bunim/Murray series include “America’s Psychic Challenge” (Lifetime), “Living Lohan” (E!), “Murder” (Spike) and “Dr. Steve-O” (USA). BMP Films’ first documentary, Autism: The Musical premiered to rave reviews on HBO on March 25, 2008 and won 2 EMMY awards and its first independent feature film “Pedro” premiered at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival and will be seen at the upcoming Berlin Film Festival.

Receiving Emmy nominations for "The Real World" and "Road Rules," in 2005 Murray earned his first Emmy award for "Starting Over." Jonathan Murray graduated from the University of Missouri, School of Journalism, and currently lives in Los Angeles.