Bunim/Murray’s Julie Pizzi, Rupert Dobson on building unscripted franchises in the streaming era

Today we hear from Bunim/Murray Productions president Julie Pizzi and executive VP of development Rupert Dobson about how the LA-based unscripted prodco is navigating a fast-changing US marketplace.

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Factual producers in the US have been on a rollercoaster ride over the past 18 months following the Warner Bros Discovery merger, which has led to a slowdown in overall buying. The flux has meant unscripted prodcos must be nimbler than ever as they compete for a smaller number of overall commissions.

Despite the obvious challenges, Banijay-owned Bunim/Murray Productions has landed green lights for Vanderpump Villa (Hulu), I Survived Bear Grylls (TBS) and The Family Stallone, featuring Sylvester Stallone (Paramount+), in addition to continuing to build out its long-running and pioneering competition franchise The Challenge. It is also producing a reality competition series based on the 2019 comedy feature Buddy Games for CBS.

President Julie Pizzi and executive VP of development Rupert Dobson spoke with Jordan Pinto about the state of the commissioning landscape in the US, building unscripted franchises in the streaming era and whether the US writers’ strike will mean additional orders for factual prodcos.

C21FM is live 24/7, with a block of interviews starting at 10am BST every day HERE.