Jonathan Murray
Producer
About This Interview
In his three-and-a-half hour Archive interview, Jonathan Murray discusses his career in reality television. He describes his childhood growing up in Syracuse, NY, and recounts studying journalism and broadcast news in college. He talks of producing TV news in Green Bay, Wisconsin and Rochester, NY, getting into station programming, and starting to produce documentaries. He describes the first time he met Mary-Ellis Bunim and forming Bunim-Murray productions, and details the creation of MTV's The Real World -- explaining how casting, shooting, and production of over 25 seasons of the reality program come together. Murray also recalls the creation of several other Bunim-Murray productions, including The Simple Life (starring Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie), The Bad Girls Club, Starting Over, and Keeping Up with the Kardashians. He explains how Bunim-Murray became involved with Project Runway in the show's sixth season, talks of creating Making the Band, and comments on the death of Mary-Ellis Bunim. He shares his thoughts on the current state of reality television, and discusses what he believes lies ahead for the genre. Stephen J. Abramson conducted the interview on December 14, 2011 in Van Nuys, CA.
Related To This Video
Featured Content
Jonathan Murray was inducted into the 21st Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.
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Highlights
Jonathan Murray on the creation of The Real World and the show changing from scripted to unscripted
Clip begins at: 29:26, Duration: 04m 18s
Jonathan Murray on how "real" The Real World is
Clip begins at: 04:45, Duration: 01m 26s
Jonathan Murray on Mary-Ellis Bunim's death and her legacy
Clip begins at: 09:19, Duration: 02m 40s- Jonathan Murray on casting Puck for the San Francisco cast of The Real World
Clip begins at: 14:45, Duration: 02m 04s - Jonathan Murray on why people love Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Clip begins at: 38:40, Duration: 00m 52s 
Jonathan Murray on the future of reality TV
Clip begins at: 18:28, Duration: 00m 53s
Interview
- Part 1
- On his childhood and early influences; on his early interest in television; on the impact An American Family had on him; on enjoying documentaries; on becoming News Director of his campus TV station at SUNY Geneseo; on transferring to the University of Missouri to learn journalism and broadcast news
Clip begins at: 0:26 - On producing TV news in Green Bay, Wisconsin and Rochester, NY; on getting into programming and starting to produce documentaries; on what he learned from working in local news
Clip begins at: 09:41 - On creating Crime Diaries, meeting production partner Mary-Ellis Bunim and forming a production company, Bunim-Murray Productions; on creating the show American Families
Clip begins at: 16:35 - On the creation of The Real World and the show changing from scripted to unscripted; on the title of The Real World; on comparisons between An American Family, Survivor, and The Real World; on production on the pilot and using multiple cameras
Clip begins at: 29:26 - On casting the pilot and the first cast of The Real World; on the show giving MTV a lot of publicity and reinforcing MTV's brand; on Bunim-Murray's great working relationship with MTV; on the second season and legal troubles with the show; on Kevin and Julie's fight on the first season of The Real World; on hiring more staff for the following seasons
Clip begins at: 40:55 - On outlining episodes and editing The Real World; on the two unsuccessful attempts to steer the direction of the show
Clip begins at: 53:12 - Part 2
- On editing The Real World; on how "real" The Real World is and the show being a "docu-soap"; on casting the show; on the diverse casts of The Real World and casting Pedro Zamora, who was HIV Positive, in the San Francisco cast (Season Three)
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On casting Puck for the San Francisco cast of The Real World; on Pedro's death; on having seven cast members; on the opening to The Real World: "this is the story of seven strangers..."; on Mary-Elis Bunim's soap opera background and his documentary background coming together on The Real World
Clip begins at: 14:29 - On the difficulty of casting the show and keeping it real now, after years of success; on The Real World confessional; on the term "reality television"; on rules for Real World cast members; on liability issues on the show; on repeating locations for the show and censorship
Clip begins at: 24:25 - On the question he gets ask most about The Real World; on what cast members get out of the experience; on the show's audience; on The Real World Challenges and reunions and keeping in touch with cast members; on the biggest challenges to producing The Real World
Clip begins at: 40:02 - On his favorite season of The Real World; on being in production on The Real World during 9/11; on the legacy of The Real World; on the creation of Road Rules
Clip begins at: 49:32 - Part 3
- On the syndicated show Starting Over; on Mary-Ellis Bunim's death and her legacy
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On creating and casting The Simple Life; on drama between Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie; on what Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie took away from their experience on The Simple Life
Clip begins at: 14:45 - On the documentary Autism: The Musical and other documentary projects; on the creation of The Bad Girls Club; on spinoffs and the creation of Keeping Up with the Kardashians; on why people love the Kardashians; on shooting Keeping Up with the Kardashians and what's off-limits on the show; on Kim Kardashian's marriage to Kris Humphries and how it affected Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Clip begins at: 25:05 - On his involvement with Project Runway; on changes he brought to Project Runway; on casting and shooting the show; on Tim Gunn and the Project Runway judges; on the show's influence on the fashion industry
Clip begins at: 43:40 - Part 4
- On controversial wins on Project Runway (Gretchen over Mondo); on Mondo sharing that he is HIV positive; on the show's popularity; on the overall popularity of reality programming in recent years
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On the premise behind Making the Band; on the state of reality TV today (2011); on shows he watches and enjoys; on cable networks and reality programming; on critics of reality television; on the future of reality TV; on what he's learned about human nature from his work in reality TV; on hiring staff for reality shows
Clip begins at: 08:02 - On whether or not he would go on a reality show; on being referred to as a "pioneer of reality television"; on being inducted into the Television Hall of Fame; on current projects; on his proudest career achievement; on career regrets; on his mentor; on advice to someone wanting to get into reality television; on how he'd like to be remembered
Clip begins at: 26:27
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Excellent interview!
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