As 2022 begins and 2021 recedes into the rear-view mirror, Realscreen looks at three executives who have been forging new paths within the non-fiction and unscripted screen content industry — .
Libby Slate
Veteran producer Jonathan Murray has always championed diversity in his casts, from Latino AIDS activist Pedro Zamora on MTV s
The Real World to the young adults with Down syndrome on A&E s
Born This Way.
But a few years ago, he realized that his beloved television genre needed to look beyond casting to another important aspect of this issue inclusion behind the camera. Few, if any, of the crew members he worked with resembled the cast members baring their souls on camera.
With his late production partner Mary-Ellis Bunim, Murray is considered the founder of reality television; together, they launched the pioneering series
Jonathan Murray, co-founder of Bunim/Murray Productions. About two years ago, Jon Murray first called me to talk about the lack of diversity in unscripted TV; and after talking with him at great length, we decided to do something about it and hopefully make a lasting difference within our industry, said Cris Abrego, who was recently elected chair of the Television Academy Foundation. So today we are thrilled that other unscripted leaders have joined us and the Television Academy Foundation to launch this unprecedented new internship program designed to give underrepresented groups an opportunity to work in the reality TV business. As a Latino kid who grew up just outside of Los Angeles, I know firsthand how important it is to get that first break and to learn directly from those who are developing and producing unscripted series at the top studios in this town.
Site: Production company or studio.
Activities: Assist in development of unscripted programs. Work with production company and/or network programming staff in conception and execution of programs.
Minimum Requirements: Demonstrated knowledge of unscripted programs. An ability and willingness to research unfamiliar topics and write short briefs on findings. Working knowledge of Keynote or PowerPoint for presentations. Applicants are encouraged to upload short writing samples and a video link to any reality/unscripted work samples produced (no more than 5 min. in total), if available.
Casting - Unscripted Television
Activities: Exposure to the casting process including arranging casting interviews, heavy phones, clerical.