Banijay is the world's largest independent content creation Group for television and multimedia platforms. Banijay is present in 16 territories.
Banijay is the world's largest independent content creation Group for television and multimedia platforms. Banijay is present in 16 territories.

Tag Archive: Julie Pizzi

  1. Bunim/Murray Productions to Roll Out Creator-Led Comedy Format Let’s Play Ball

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    Bunim/Murray Productions, part of Banijay Americas, is set to introduce new comedy gameshow Let’s Play Ball to U.S. buyers later this month, as Banijay Entertainment’s latest flagship format gains international momentum. Born on YouTube, the outrageously funny physical gameshow was co-developed by Banijay Benelux label EndemolShine Nederland, Talpa Studios and Signal.Stream for Dutch broadcaster SBS6.

    Evolving from a creator-led digital hit into a breakout primetime summer success, Let’s Play Ball became the strongest new launch among the 25-44 demo in the Netherlands and has already been ordered for a second season. The hilarious format sees celebrity-led teams race giant balls through city streets, rivers and countryside in inventive, over-the-top challenges.

    Following its Dutch success, Let’s Play Ball is now also being co-developed with Banijay UK labels, Initial and Zeppotron – producers of Last One Laughing UK (Prime Video) – and will make its international debut at MIPCOM 2025 in Cannes.

    Bunim/Murray Productions’ current slate includes hit franchises The Challenge (Paramount+, MTV), Vanderpump Villa (Hulu), The Chrisleys: Back to Reality (Lifetime), and A Killer Among Friends with Jennifer Love Hewitt (Investigation Discovery), alongside a range of other series and documentaries. The company recently announced new projects in development, including a new competition format with X Games and a survival adventure series with Reacher star Alan Ritchson.

    “At Bunim/Murray, we’ve always had an eye for what’s next, and Let’s Play Ball perfectly reflects today’s creator-driven storytelling,” said Bunim/Murray Productions President Julie Pizzi. “The series has already built tremendous momentum globally thanks to our colleagues at Banijay, and we can’t wait to introduce this high-energy phenomenon to U.S. buyers in the coming weeks.”

    Added Rupert Dobson, EVP, Development, Bunim/Murray Productions: “Let’s Play Ball delivers a mix of stunning visuals, inventive challenges, and celebrities decidedly out of their comfort zone. Across the country, teams will roll, bounce, float, and haul enormous balls through iconic sights and hidden gems alike. It is the kind of format destined to create hilarious, viral moments.”

    Now leading Banijay Entertainment’s format line up at MIPCOM 2025, Let’s Play Ball is joined by Football Island, Lost and Found in the Lakes, Foodish and Villa of Temptations.

  2. Lifetime Announces Two-Night Premiere of the Highly Anticipated New Docuseries The Chrisleys: Back to Reality September 1st and 2nd

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    Lifetime sets a date for the previously announced docuseries about the beloved TV family who had a very public fall from grace – The Chrisleys. The Chrisleys: Back to Reality will premiere as a two-night event September 1st and 2nd at 8/7c with two-hour blocks. The remaining episodes will air back-to-back Tuesdays beginning at 8/7c on September 9th and finale on September 16th. The series begins during the wake of the family’s controversy and upheaval with Todd and Julie in federal prison and follows the family as their parents are eventually pardoned, released from prison and return home. The series shows a side of the Chrisleys that has never been seen before with exclusive access to the family—Julie and Todd from prison and upon their release, Savannah, Chase, Grayson, Chloe, Nanny Faye, and for the first time, Julie’s parents Harvey and Pam. The docuseries hails from Bunim/Murray Productions, the EPs behind Surviving R. Kelly, The Life & Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Confessions of Octomom.

    The new series exposes the raw truth of the Chrisley’s lives—past and present—and the reality is far different from what audiences have seen before. The family faces a critical point that will either make their bond stronger or leave it shattered forever. This series delivers an unfiltered, deeply personal look at their journey and introduces the real Chrisleys as they navigate this new chapter.

    The Chrisleys: Back to Reality is produced by Bunim/Murray Productions (The Challenge, Vanderpump Villa), a part of Banijay Americas, with Julie Pizzi, Farnaz Farjam, Jesse Daniels, Rit Saraswat, Nicole Blais, Savannah Chrisley and Chase Chrisley serving as executive producers. Brie Miranda Bryant and Nicole Vogel executive produce for Lifetime.

     

  3. X GAMES TEAMING WITH BUNIM/MURRAY PRODUCTIONS TO DEVELOP NEW COMPETITION SERIES “X GAMES BATTLEGROUND”

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    Bunim/Murray Productions, a division of Banijay Americas and producers of global sensation “The Challenge,” is teaming with the iconic X Games to create a new competition series, “X Games Battleground,” it was announced today by X Games CEO Jeremy Bloom and Julie Pizzi, President & CEO, Bunim/Murray Productions.

    To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the X Games, this groundbreaking new format will unite 30 of the most iconic and influential X Games athletes, bringing together current stars and past champions for a one-of-a-kind competition worthy of the most fearless, most extreme competitors in the world.

    “X Games Battleground” will crown the top all-around female and male X Games competitors of 2025, as they face high-octane challenges inspired by the history of the legendary X Games.

    Bunim/Murray and X Games are jointly developing “X Games Battleground” with plans to take it to the marketplace later this summer.

    “X Games is the world’s leader in action sports competition, and we’re thrilled to be developing an unscripted series with many of the top X Games athletes that will showcase the fearless, extreme action that fans from across the globe have enjoyed for decades,” said Bunim/Murray’s Pizzi.

    “‘X Games Battleground’ will be raw and intense—uniting legends and rising stars in a fresh format. It’s part of our strategy to tell deeper athlete stories beyond the field of play and bring fans closer to our athletes,” said X Games CEO Bloom.

    Since its inception in 1995, X Games has evolved from The Extreme Games in Providence, Rhode Island, into the leading action sports competition and lifestyle brand, spotlighting the world’s best action sports athletes at the summer and winter versions of the X Games against the backdrop of each individual host city. One of the most complete youth culture experiences available, X Games now features an enhanced sport, music and festival lineup.

    Complementing the sports with the world’s top musical performers, X Games has featured performances by world-class artists including Metallica, Tiesto, Nicki Minaj, Macklemore and many more. X Games events have also featured interactive festival villages, offering experiences for fans of all ages.

    An international stage for progression, fans around the globe have witnessed countless memorable moments in the history of action sports at X Games events. Whether it was Tony Hawk’s first 900 in the Skateboard Vert competition, Travis Pastrana’s Double Backflip in the Moto X Best Trick competition or Mark McMorris’ first Triple Cork 1440 in the Snowboard Slopestyle competition, fans can expect never-before-seen tricks at each event.

    Bunim/Murray, widely credited with creating the reality television genre with its hit series The Real World on MTV, has a long history of producing competition series, including multiple versions of the global hit format “The Challenge.” The production company recently produced the 40th season of The Challenge for MTV and Paramount+. Other versions include The Challenge All Stars (Paramount+) and The Challenge World Championship (Paramount+).

    Additionally, the company announced the highly anticipated docuseries The Untitled Chrisleys Project (Lifetime), offering a raw and unfiltered look at the Chrisley family’s next chapter amidst recent controversies and headlines involving their parents.

    The strategic partnership echoes Banijay Entertainment’s wider growth in the sports genre, following its launch of Banijay Sports, and through live events, which is spearheaded by Banijay Live, its dedicated live event and experiences business.

  4. BUNIM/MURRAY PRODUCTIONS AND TOGETHXR

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    Bunim/Murray Productions, a division of Banijay Americas, is teaming with leading women’s sports media company TOGETHXR and superstar athletes Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe for a new untitled docu-series, it was announced today by Bunim/Murray Productions President Julie Pizzi and TOGETHXR co-founder and Chief Content Officer Jessica Robertson.

    Executive Produced by Bird and Rapinoe, the series will bring audiences beyond the courts and fields and into the lives and relationships of America’s top female athletes. It will follow athletes from the WNBA, NWSL, PWHL and more, along with their families, wives, girlfriends, partners and even their situationships.

    With women’s sports more in the spotlight than ever, viewers will go behind-the-scenes

    with professional female athletes and their partners, as they navigate the complexities of pro-sports and their relationships off the field. With a focus on the unique dynamics within these leagues, such as relationships between teammates or rivals, the show explores the challenges and triumphs of wins, losses and love as a world class athlete.

    The series is being co-developed by Bunim/Murray and TOGETHXR, the media and commerce company founded by leading athletes Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel and Bird. TOGETHXR is the force behind “The Syd and TP Show” (Fubo TV) and “Surf Girls Hawai’i” (Prime Video) and is set to release its latest documentary “Power of the Dream” (Prime Video) later this month.

    Bunim/Murray, which produces such hit unscripted series as “Vandperpump Villa” (Hulu), “The Family Stallone” (Paramount+), “The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson” (Lifetime) and “The Challenge” for MTV, CBS and Paramount+, is set to take the untitled series out with TOGETHXR to potential buyers in the coming weeks.

    Bunim/Murray’s Steve Ezell (SVP, Current Programming) and Michael Driscoll (VP, Development) are leading development efforts for the studio, along with Jess Robertson (Co-Founder, CCO) and Tina Tozzi (Head of Development) at TOGETHXR

    “We believe in the power of sport to tell stories that transcend the game. This series is an opportunity to showcase the incredible journeys of these phenomenal athletes, on and off the field,” said Bird and Rapinoe. “As athletes and partners who share a bond through our love of sports, we’re thrilled to team up with Bunim-Murray and TOGETHXR to bring these stories to life and give fans a deeper look at the lives of the athletes who inspire us all.”

    “We couldn’t be more excited and at the same time honored to be teaming with superstars Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe, as well as the talented team at TOGETHXR,” says Bunim/Murray’s Ezell and Driscoll. “This series will take audiences where they have never gone before, behind the scenes with elite professional female athletes and inside their relationships with loved ones, friends and other top sports stars.”

    Bird is a five-time Olympic gold medalist and basketball legend, and Rapinoe, a two-time FIFA World Cup winner and soccer icon. Collectively, they have achieved some of the highest honors in their respective sports, becoming role models and advocates for gender equality and social justice.

  5. Julie Pizzi Named President, Bunim/Murray Productions

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    Veteran producer and longtime executive Julie Pizzi has been named President, Bunim/Murray Productions, it was announced today by Cris Abrego, Chairman of the Americas, Banijay, and President and CEO, Endemol Shine Holdings.

     

    Pizzi, who formerly served as President of Entertainment and Development at Bunim/Murray, has led both development and production during her career at the Banijay-owned studio that first started in 1998.

     

    Bunim/Murray Productions was originally founded in 1987 and is behind such ground-breaking unscripted series as The Real World, Road Rules, Keeping Up With The Kardashians and The Challenge. Earlier this month, Paramount+ announced it had ordered a new season of The Real World that will include members of the original cast that first aired on MTV.

     

    Last November, Bunim/Murray Productions was put under the purview of Abrego, who now oversees nine different Banijay-owned studios across North and Latin America, including Endemol Shine North America.

     

    “Julie brings a wealth of unscripted production experience to her new role and has been a part of the Bunim/Murray family for more than 20 years, making her the ideal candidate to lead the studio into the next decade,” says Abrego. “Bunim/Murray is one of the true pioneers in the unscripted industry and thanks to Julie and many others, it has a tremendous amount of momentum with numerous new ground-breaking series on the way.”

     

    “I started my career at Bunim/Murray and was mentored by its founders, the late Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray,” says Pizzi. “I have incredible admiration for the company they created and it’s important for me to continue to build on what they built in both nurturing creativity and developing content that is both innovative and entertaining.”

    Pizzi added, “At the same time, look forward to working with Cris Abrego, his team and Banijay globally as we shepherd Bunim/Murray into its next successful chapter. Cris is an industry leader, who also worked at BMP during the company’s early years. He understands the uniqueness of the company, the brand and its culture.”

     

    Pizzi has more than 20 years of experience producing hundreds of hours of unscripted television. While serving as President of Entertainment and Development, she had creative and development responsibility for all of Bunim/Murray’s format series and increasing the development of original formats.

     

    Most recently, she developed and served as Executive Producer on Bill Nye Saves the World for Netflix and was one of the first partners with Facebook to launch the Ball In The Family series on their Watch platform. Pizzi also developed and led production on The Real World Thailand, Mexico and Atlanta for Facebook, Snapchat’s first docu-series Endless, Kim Kardashian West—The Justice Project for Oxygen and Family or Fiance´ for OWN.

     

    Previously, ​Pizzi served as Creative Vice President and Showrunner at Bunim/Murray for six years, where she spearheaded development and executive produced high-rated seasons of Road Rules and Real World/Road Rules Challenge (MTV), as well as Born to Diva (VH1). And Pizzi has continued to oversee the hit Challenge franchise for MTV, which is going into its 37th season.

     

    In 2004, Pizzi left Bunim/Murray to launch award-winning reality and documentary company, PB&J Television. As Co-President of PB&J, Pizzi executive produced Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Model Search (NBC), Reversal of Fortune (Showtime), America’s Prom Queen (ABC Family), Bad Sex (LOGO), as well as four seasons of the hit Dress My Nest (Style).

     

    Pizzi, who returned to head up development at Bunim/Murray in 2015, has produced many hours of programming for MTV, Facebook, Snapchat, Netflix, E!, Showtime, Paramount +, USA, Oxygen, OWN, HGTV, SYFY, NBC, FOX, Travel Channel, A&E, VH1, CMT, ABC Family, Style, Lifetime, The CW, TLC and Discovery.