Bunim/Murray Productions is an American

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but it is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have deve ...

production company A production company, production house or production studio is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television show, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and video ...

based out of

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

and owned by French

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

media conglomerate A media conglomerate, media company, media group, or media institution is a company that owns numerous companies involved in mass media enterprises, such as music, television, radio, publishing, motion pictures, video games, amusement parks, or ...

Banijay Entertainment Banijay Entertainment S.A. (formerly Banijay Group and later Banijay) is a French multinational television production and distribution company which is the world's largest international content producer and distributor with over 130 production co ...

since 25 March 2010. Considered as a pioneer in the

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

genre with local hit programs like '' The Real World'', '' Road Rules'' and '' Bad Girls Club'', it was founded in 1987 by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray after an agent named Mark Itkin of the

William Morris Agency The William Morris Agency (WMA) was a Hollywood-based talent agency. It represented some of the best-known 20th-century entertainers in film, television, and music. During its 109-year tenure it came to be regarded as the "first great talent ...

put the two together to develop a scripted

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

for MTV. When that was too expensive, they decided to try an unscripted soap and ''The Real World'' was born. "We knew within 20 minutes of shooting that we had a show," Bunim said. The company has expanded into music management, managing the

pop punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...

/ emo band A Cursive Memory. The company's initial success was on the creation of '' The Real World''. Attempts at scripted series, including ''Jam Bay'', a show that would have co-produced with

Universal Television Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a division of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#Universal Studio Group, Universal Studio Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which, in turn, is ...

for ABC, never went past the pilot stage. On June 28, 1999, the company attempted to enter into the syndication business, by planning on to partner with Columbia TriStar Television Distribution to launch a reality strip ''Love Hurts''. In 2001, Bunim/Murray partnered with Artists Television Group, on the unaired WB television show ''Lost in the USA'', but it was cancelled and it was hit with a $1 million lawsuit. On December 16, 2002, the company announced that they would partner with film studio New Line Cinema on the company's only theatrical project, ''

The Real Cancun ''The Real Cancun'' is a 2003 American reality film directed by Rick de Oliveira and written by Brian Caldirola. Inspired by the reality television genre, this film followed the lives of sixteen Americans from March 13 to 23, 2003 as they celeb ...

''.

Current television shows

*''

After Happily Ever After ''After Happily Ever After'' is an American reality competition Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors ...

'' *''Born For Business'' *'' Buddy Games'' *'' The Challenge'' *'' The Challenge: All Stars'' *'' The Challenge Argentina: El Desafío'' *'' The Challenge: Australia'' *'' The Challenge UK'' *'' The Challenge: USA'' *'' The Challenge: World Championship'' *''Collab Crib'' *'' Don't Forget the Lyrics!'' *'' El Mundo Real'' *''Emily's Wonder Lab'' *''Endless Summer'' *''Family or Fiance'' *'' The Family Stallone'' *''For Real: The Story of Reality TV'' *''Growing up is a Drag'' *''House of Creators'' *'' I Survived Bear Grylls'' *''Like Mother, Like Daughter?'' *'' Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls'' *'' Miz & Mrs.'' *''The Never Ever Mets'' *''On Edge'' *'' Project Runway'' *'' The Real World'' *'' The Real World Homecoming'' *'' Road Rules'' *''Road Trippin'' *''Sway Life'' *''Twinning Out'' *'' Vanderpump Villa'' *''WWE Evil''

Past television shows

*''#SOS stylist on set'' *''Allure Incubator'' *''American Families'' *'' America's Psychic Challenge'' *'' Bad Girls Club'' *'' Bad Girls All-Star Battle'' *'' Bad Girls Road Trip'' *'' Ball in the Family'' *'' Best Ink'' *'' Born This Way'' *''Born to Diva'' *''BRKDWN'' *'' Chachi's World'' *'' The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros'' *'' The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars'' *'' Citizen Rose'' *'' The Crystal Maze'' *'' Dash Dolls'' *''Deaf Out Loud'' *''Disney TRYathlon'' *'' Dr. Steve-O'' *''Earth Live'' *'' The Gary Owen Show'' *''Girl Next Door'' *'' GloBugz!'' *'' Happy Wheels: The Series'' *''The Healer'' *'' Howard Stern'' *'' I Am Cait'' *'' Iyanla: Fix My Life'' *'' Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' *'' Khloé & Lamar'' *'' Kourtney and Kim Take Miami'' *'' Kourtney and Kim Take New York'' *'' Kourtney and Khloé Take The Hamptons'' *''L'Oreal Paris Academy'' *''Life of a Fitness Pop Star'' *'' Life of Kylie'' *'' Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club'' *'' Living Lohan'' *''Lookbook'' *'' Love Cruise'' *'' Love Games: Bad Girls Need Love Too'' *''Love Thy Sister'' *'' Making the Band'' *'' Mariah's World'' *'' Married to Rock'' *'' Match Made in Heaven'' *'' Models of the Runway'' *''Motor City Masters'' *'' Mrs. Eastwood & Company'' *''

Murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

'' *''Old Skool with Terry and Gita'' *'' One Ocean View'' *'' Project Runway All Stars'' *'' The Rebel Billionaire'' *'' Reunited: The Real World Las Vegas'' *'' Rob & Chyna'' *''Saddle Ranch'' *''The Scholar'' * ''The Selection'' *'' The Simple Life'' *''Ski Patrol'' *'' So Cosmo'' *'' The Spin Crowd'' *'' Starting Over'' *'' Stewarts & Hamiltons'' *'' Stranded with Sam and Colby'' *''Styl'd'' *''Supreme Court of Comedy'' *'' Surviving R. Kelly'' *'' Total Bellas'' *'' Total Divas'' *'' Under the Gunn'' *''Undressed'' *'' Valerie's Home Cooking'' *''Wildlife Rescue Rangers'' *'' WWE Legends' House''

Films and documentaries

*'' Autism: The Musical'' *''Camp Steve-O'' *''Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project'' *''The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson'' *'' Pedro'' *''Personally Yours'' *''

'' *'' The Real World Movie: The Lost Season'' *''The Real World Presents: Return to Duty'' *''Shadow Billionaire'' *'' They Call Us Monsters'' *''Transhood'' *'' Valentine Road'' *''Wealth Hunters''

Sexual assault controversy

In October 2011, two years after '' Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Ruins'' aired, contestant Tonya Cooley filed a lawsuit against fellow contestants Kenny Santucci and Evan Starkman, MTV, and Bunim/Murray Productions, claiming that she was sexually assaulted during filming. Cooley claimed in the lawsuit that Santucci and Starkman inserted a toothbrush into her vaginal canal while she was passed out from heavy drinking, and stated that she was subjected to an environment in which degrading and harassing behavior was directed at female contestants, including bathing suits stripped off their bodies. A representative for Bunim/Murray said that "after a thorough investigation, we have found Tonya Cooley’s claims to be completely baseless." Cooley also alleged that the show's producers encouraged and rewarded such behavior, and that when she raised concerns she was told to "just deal with it." A representative for Viacom blamed Cooley for the alleged assault against her, stating in court that "in addition to failing to avail herself of VMN's policies and complaint procedures, Plaintiff failed to avoid the injuries of which she complains. For example, while she was a contestant on ''The Ruins'', Plaintiff was frequently intoxicated (to an extent far greater than other contestants), rowdy, combative, flirtatious and on multiple occasions intentionally exposed her bare breasts and genitalia to other contestants." The lawsuit was settled out of court one year later.

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bunim Murray Productions Television production companies of the United States Companies based in Los Angeles Banijay American subsidiaries of foreign companies American companies established in 1987 Mass media companies established in 1987 2010 mergers and acquisitions