New Latin Division for Bunim/Murray Productions

MIAMI: Banijay Group’s Bunim/Murray Productions, known for producing such hits as The Real World and Project Runway, is set to launch a new entity called BMP Latin for Hispanic audiences.

The division will create and produce scripted and unscripted programming—meant for Hispanics between the ages of 18 and 34—across a number of platforms. It will also adapt unscripted formats from Bunim/Murray Productions and Banijay Group for Spanish-speaking and bilingual viewers in the U.S. Projects from BMP Latin will include an English-lanuguage documentary series revolved around Mexican celebrity Paulina Rubio, a Spanish-language reality show focused on Puerto Rican musician Daddy Yankee and an English-language documentary series following a Mexican-American family living in California. Banijay International will manage the global distribution of formats and series created by the division.

BMP Latin will be led by Julio Caro, a former partner of Jennifer Lopez’s Nuyorican Productions; and Gabriela Cocco-Sanchez, a former studio chief for Phunware. Both Caro and Cocco-Sanchez will work under Gil Goldschein, the president of Bunim/Murray Productions.

Goldschein remarked: "The ability to team up with Julio and Gabriela, whose track records in this exploding market are unparalleled, provided Bunim/Murray Productions with a great way to create programming specifically targeted to the younger U.S. Hispanic audience, many of whom have been long-time fans of Bunim/Murray shows. BMP Latin powerfully combines our 25 years of expertise in reaching the core 18-34 demo with Julio and Gabriela’s collective insight as well as personal knowledge and understanding of one of the fastest growing populations in the U.S. This unique partnership will set BMP Latin apart from others in the space and lays the groundwork for success in this key area of the media landscape."

Caro commented: "Our goal at BMP Latin is to be at the forefront of creating content that speaks directly to this audience. This market is experiencing unprecedented growth, and now is the time to reach them with compelling, high value programming."

Cocco-Sanchez said: "There is a huge opportunity across all platforms to reach this diverse community, and we plan to do so—from scripted and reality, comedy and drama to web and mobile programming—both in Spanish and English. This is an exciting time, and we’re thrilled to be a part of Bunim/Murray Productions, the preeminent reality powerhouse."

Francois de Brugada, the executive VP of Banijay Group, added: "Banijay’s move into the Hispanic and Latin market further extends our global reach. The diverse range of formats, devised and created by our portfolio of production companies, which can now be developed for this growing market presents a great opportunity for the Group as a whole."