Hosted by multi-time Emmy winning television producer Jimmy Fox, Realscreen Magazine presents Unscripted & Unprepared, a series of conversations with the most influential players in the unscripted television industry. The show provides an inside look behind how the biggest documentary, competition,…
Happy Holidays! It's the "12 Docs of Christmas" in this special episode with Oscar nominated producer and documentary veteran Justin Lacob as he joins Jimmy to present his curated list of 12 essential documentaries we should all see before it's too late!
Jimmy is joined by former Food Network president Courtney White as the two of them draft competing lists of the greatest food shows of all-time. Plus, Courtney offers her unfiltered take on the differences between west coast TV execs vs east coast TV execs!
After polling executives, producers and agents across the industry, Jimmy and guest Ben Bitonti compile a list of the "New Rules" for the Reality TV business. From phone call/email etiquette, zoom meeting protocols to how many pages should your pitch deck be - the business will forever be changed from this day forward... or not.
Recorded earlier this year, Allison Wallach discusses the many hats she has worn in the industry from producer, to agent, to network executive. Allison and Jimmy discuss their favorite all-time FOX reality franchises and how their current crop of reality series differs from the past and why "earnest" is no longer a bad word.
Executive Producer, TV host and podcast personality Carlos King is one of the busiest men in the industry! In this sit down with Jimmy, Carlos traces the beginnings of his career back to him completely hustling the system to land a coveted internship at Def Jam Records. Before too long he found his way to The Real Housewives of Atlanta where he began at the very bottom of the food chain before rising to become the show's showrunner. Carlos then launched his production company and never looked back creating series such as OWN's Love & Marriage franchise and as well as Belle Collective. Carlos is one of the few producers who has made the transition in front of the camera becoming a seasoned TV and podcast host in his own right. Instagram: @jimmybfox // @realscreen Threads: @jimmybfox
In 2005, Scott and Deirdre Gurney founded their production company and quickly grew into one of the biggest success stories the reality TV business has ever seen including the monster hit Duck Dynasty. In this episode, Scott Gurney walks Jimmy through how he got his start in entertainment and lessons learned along the way. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: @jimmybfox // @realscreen
Casey Brumels and his business partner Brad Kuhlman started their production company on a whim. But before long Ping Pong Productions grew to become one of the most successful operations in the nonfiction business and one of Discovery's biggest partners with hits like Expedition Unknown and the smashing success Dr. Pimple Popper. After 100+ episodes, Casey looks back on how Dr Pimple Popper came to be and how close it was to never getting made. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @Realscreen Instagram: @jimmybfox // @ Realscreen
The undisputed Queen of Reality TV, SallyAnn Salsano, retraces the major steps in her career in a lively and unfiltered conversation. From her baptism working on The Bachelor to the creation of Jersey Shore to the unlikely series of events that lead to her pairing up Martha Stewart and Snopp Dogg, The Notorious SAS imparts advice and lessons learned along the way for all the aspiring storytellers out there. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @Realscreen Instagram: @Jimmybfox // @Realscreen
Jimmy goes back in the time machine with one of his oldest friends in the business, Amazon Studios's CJ Yu! Recorded at 2023's Realscreen Summit in Austin, TX, the globetrotting executive walks Jimmy through his early days as an assistant at Mark Burnett Productions, the leadership principles of Amazon and how he found a job that marries his love of content with his passion for the international marketplace. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @Realscreen Instagram: @Jimmybfox // @Realscreen
Aaron Saidman is coming in hot! The newly inducted Realscreen hall of famer sits with Jimmy to discuss the wildly successful run he and his business partner and friend Eli Holzman have been on since launching their company IPC in 2016. Aaron relives his experiences first meeting Leah Remini, executing a premium cooking show for Selena Gomez during a global pandemic and what it's like to have not one but TWO full-time jobs! Currently, Aaron is the Co-President of Nonfiction Entertainment, Sony Pictures Television AND President & Co-Founder, The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC), a part of Sony Pictures Television. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: @Jimmybfox // @realscreen
Jimmy chats with one of his all-time TV heroes, Phil Rosenthal, the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond and host of Netflix's food & travel series Somebody Feed Phil. Phil discusses the moment he knew Raymond would be a hit, the one liner he pitched networks to sell himself as a TV host and what he has learned since entering the Netflix universe. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: @Jimmybfox // @Realscreen
The prolific Chris Culvenor joins Jimmy for a discussion spanning Chris's origin story in the business adapting US formats in his native Australia to the co-founding of Eureka Productions with his partner Paul Franklin. Chris addresses where his best ideas come from and how highly inventive series such as Holey Moley, Frogger, The Real Dirty Dancing and the upcoming The Real Love Boat came to be. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: @Jimmybfox // @realscreen
Jonathan Sinclair joins the program to discuss the wild story of coming to Los Angeles to oversee development for Oprah Winfrey Network without having previous experience as a network buyer! Agents, fielding pitches, filling out a network slate... he approached all of it as an outsider and came away with some incredible lessons learned he wants to share with the U&U peeps! Twitter: @realscreen // @IamJimmyFox Instagram: @realscreen // @jimmybfox
The delightful Julie Pizzi joins the podcast to discuss the shows she would put on the "Mt Rushmore" of reality TV, taking the reigns at Bunim/Murray after beginning at the company early in her career and the future of content as B/M looks to develop in the NFT space. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: @jimmybfox // @realscreen
The Father of Paranormal TV, Jim Casey joins the show to talk about all he has witnessed over his 25 years running Painless Productions including his wild experiences with the supernatural!! Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: @jimmybfox // @realscreen
What is it like to executive produce the Super Bowl Halftime Show? Or the Grammys? Jesse Collins discusses his rise through the industry; from starting out as a writer to developing one of the most diverse portfolios in our business spanning formatted series such as Netflix's Rythm + Flow and Hip Hop Squares to scripted series such as Kevin Hart's Real House Husbands of Hollywood as well as the biggest LIVE events and specials in our culture today! Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: @jimmybfox // @realscreen
What is the greatest American created reality format in history? If you could only work on ONE show the rest of your life - what would it be? Corie Henson sits down to answer these topics and more in a far reaching conversation spanning her stops at E!, ABC, FOX and now running the unscripted slate for three networks at WarnerMedia. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: @Jimmybfox // @realscreen
In this episode Jimmy meets Danny Gabai, the Head of VICE Studios who oversees their scripted, documentary and reality TV business. Danny relives his experience working with Jim Carrey on the film Jim & Andy as well as his relationship with director Chris Smith who he worked with on Netflix's documentary Fyre. Plus, Jimmy couldn't resist asking about VICE's upcoming ESPN documentary on American Gladiators. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: @jimmybfox // @realscreen
One of the the greatest entrepreneurial success stories in the history of the unscripted business was the formation of Jingle Punks, founded by "Jingle" Jared Gutstadt in 2008. In this episode, Jared tells the story of how he launched and eventually sold his first company, created the theme song for Pawn Stars in 30 minutes, learned to market himself to the reality TV community in the most unexpected of ways AND the audio empire he is now building at Audio Up with business partners such as Dennis Quaid, Anthony Anderson, Stephen King, The Weeknd and many others. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: Jimmybfox // @realscreen
Executive Brian Tannenbaum sits down with Jimmy to discuss the future of content for the Roku platform as well as his most memorable experiences during his tenures at both Lionsgate and Quibi. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: @Jimmybfox // @realscreen
Throughout her career, Liz Gateley has found herself at the center of pop culture defining moments. Jimmy and her talk through the origin stories of Jersey Shore, Laguna Beach, The Hills, 16 and Pregnant, Ridiculousness, Surviving R. Kelly and a recent Academy Award win for Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl). Plus, Liz gives us a snapshot of content's future describing what she has learned in her time at Spotify Studios.
Two years ago, Alex Piper left his position at FOX and joined the YouTube Originals team. What has he learned in his time working for Google and how has it changed his view of the content creation landscape? In this engaging interview Alex revisits his career path starting out at a local news station in Philadelphia before getting his big break to work for NBC Sports. What was it like working for Jonathan Koch and Steve Michaels at Asylum? What was the key piece of advice he took away from the FOX experience that changed his career? It's all covered in this new episode! Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: @Jimmybfox // @ realscreen
The many journeys of producer extraordinaire Rob Bagshaw are highlighted in a fun conversation with Jimmy. They discuss Rob's transition from longtime showrunner to network executive while overseeing unscripted content and live events for Nickelodeon. Rob shares his stories from running Project Runway All-Stars, working closely with Oprah and what it was like first coming to America and seeing a botox station in the FOX offices while waiting for his meeting with Mike Darnell. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @Realscreen Instagram: @Jimmybfox // @Realscreen
From his days introducing the world to The Osbournes, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica and Punk'd at MTV, to working for Ashton Kutcher, Oprah Winfrey and now NBCUniversal, Rod Aissa has had quite the journey in the reality TV business. He relives the most notable moments in a candid sit down with Jimmy. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: @Jimmybfox // @realscreen
Fremantle's Jayson Dinsmore stops by for a wide ranging discussion including nearly becoming a pastor, managing a near death experience on set as a young reality executive, how everyone in town passed on Dancing with the Stars and the current broadcast TV "age of the reboot" we find ourselves in. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: @Jimmybfox // @realscreen
The talented Michael Bloom joins Jimmy for a lively discussion spanning the key stops along his television journey including the classic MTV Spring Break and Beach House era, working with 50 Cent and Paris Hilton, co-creating the Nickelodeon animated series Rocket Power and running the unscripted departments for AMC, Fox Sports and Turner Networks. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: @Jimmybfox // @realscreen
From the earliest days of NBC reality, to the pre-launch of OWN, to running ABC's comedy department, Jamila Hunter has a wealth of experience to share with our listeners in this engaging episode. What made her take a break from the reality business and move into scripted? What was her first meeting with Oprah like? And how key is a GREAT title to a buyer when hearing a pitch? (spoiler alert: VERY). Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: @Jimmybfox // @realscreen
From the creation of Vh1's Behind the Music to Netflix's Rythm + Flow and a LOAD of NBCUniversal stories in between, Jeff Gaspin sits down with Jimmy to relive some of the most prominent moments of his prolific career. Highlights include his contribution to Pop Up Video, what was the view of Donald Trump when The Apprentice was first pitched, how did Biggest Loser come together, what was it like being placed in the middle of Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien during The Tonight Show retooling and did Jeff really request a $200,000 bathroom for his office while running NBC?? Short answer... no. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @Realscreen Instagram: @jimmybfox // @Realscreen
Recorded 5/12/20 - Producer/Director Brian Volk-Weiss, CEO of The Nacelle Company and Comedy Dynamics joins Jimmy from his very impressive toy collector's room! Brian discusses the business of producing and distributing stand-up comedy specials and the seven year process of how Netflix's The Toys That Made Us came to be as well as its successful spin-off, The Movies That Made Us. Twitter: IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: jimmybfox // @realscreen
Are You the One? is undoubtedly one of the most successful reality formats of the modern era and in this episode Jimmy meets two of the brains behind the hit series, Jeff Spangler & Rob LaPlante. The two producers open up about their relationships with Lighthearted's founder Howard Schultz and the legacy he left behind as well as choice stories from both their career paths. But before Jimmy meets Jeff and Rob he invites a close friend on to the show to discuss the ESPN/Netflix documentary series "The Last Dance" all about Michael Jordan and the '97-'98 Chicago Bulls championship season. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: @jimmybfox // @realscreen
In front of a live audience at 2020's Realscreen Summit in New Orleans, Jimmy sits down with newly inducted Hall of Famers Jane Lipsitz & Dan Cutforth the founders of Magical Elves and executive producers behind such iconic series as Top Chef, Project Runway, Cold Justice and recent hit series Sugar Rush, Nailed It! and Brain Games. The two discussed the history of their partnership, the inside stories behind the launch of these well known shows and their new venture, Alfred Street Industries. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen Instagram: @jimmybfox // @realscreen
From the Realscreen Summit in New Orleans Jimmy kicks back with Brian Speiser of APA to discuss the biggest stories and trends in the non-fiction space over the past year and... they hand out their own special awards! Twitter:@IamJimmyFox // @Realscreen Instagram: @jimmybfox // @Realscreen
Unquestionably one of the most prolific producers in the history of reality TV, Tom Forman sits down with Jimmy to go over the "greatest hits" including Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Gigolos, Catfish and many more. The producer talks through his pitching philosophies, how he benefited by coming up in the news world, the wild experience at Relativity and most recently the acquisition of Jenny Daly's T Group into the Critical Content Studios fold. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen
Brant Pinvidic sold and executive produced notable series such as Bar Rescue, Extreme Weight Loss and Valley of the Boom. He held major positions at GRB, 3 Ball and TLC, but after a career of working in reality TV Brant decided to take his talents elsewhere and leave the business. Jimmy and him talk about the fears everyone in the reality TV world secretly has and what life is like on the outside. Also... he wrote a book! Twitter:@IamJimmyFox // @Realscreen
Howard T. Owens invites Jimmy into his home for a trip down memory lane and offers a high-level perspective from both the buying and selling side. From his early days in the William Morris mail room to the start of Reveille (Biggest Loser, Nashville Star, American Gladiators, MasterChef) to his days running National Geographic (Brain Games, Killing Lincoln, Life Below Zero). Howard is now the Co-CEO of Propagate Content the studio behind Amazon's Lore, Food Network's Chopped and History Channel's In Search Of. Twitter: @IAmJimmyFox // @Realscreen
"It's all happening!" Troy Searer joins Jimmy to share some fantastic stories from a diverse career spanning both the scripted and unscripted genres. Starting off in the NBC Saturday Morning program world before going on to produce series like Biggest Loser, Breaking Bonaduce, Shooting Sizemore, The Two Coreys and Manhunt:The Unabomber.
Adam DiVello came into MTV as an assistant and left as the creator of one of the most successful reality franchises of all-time, The Hills! Jimmy and Adam discuss the creation of the show, how much was authentic vs scripted, and the thinking behind that memorable series finale. Plus, Adam talks about recent Done and Done Productions hit series Music City for CMT and Selling Sunset for NETFLIX. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @Realscreen
The delightful Cori Abraham joins Jimmy for a lively discussion on why she doesn't go to amusement parks, what it took to sell a show to Vh1 before the reality business "evolved", the golden era of Bravo and Oxygen's recent transition to a crime network. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @realscreen
The quick-witted Jason Sarlanis joins Jimmy from 2019's Realscreen Summit in New Orleans. The two discuss his obsession with Kelly Clarkson, his rise through the ranks early in his career at E!, what it was like working with Joan Rivers and the biggest differences between being an executive in cable versus broadcast. Twitter: @IAmJimmyFox // @realscreen
The highly entertaining Nancy Glass (Tanked, Pope: The Most Powerful Man in History), stops by for a lively career-spanning conversation. The former on-camera news anchor and host discusses how she began her transition to producing and why basing her company in Philadelphia allows for a unique corporate culture. Also, Nancy's President & General Manager, J.C. Mills, makes an (impromptu) appearance to mixed results. Twitter: @IAmJimmyFox // @realscreen
Fenton Bailey co-founded World of Wonder in 1991 with business partner Randy Barbato. In this live chat in front of an audience at 2019's Realscreen Summit in New Orleans, Fenton recounts his prolific career as a producer and filmmaker. From Million Dollar Listing(s) to RuPaul's Drag Race to prestige documentaries like Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures, Fenton relives the most notable moments of his career and imparts some words of wisdom to the Realscreen crowd. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @Realscreen
2018 was a big year in the reality business! Companies sold, companies merged, true crime reigned supreme and reboots were all the rage. In this episode, Jimmy breaks down the buzziest stories of the past year and hands out his own personal "NOT the Realscreen Awards" with guest Brian Speiser of APA. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @Realscreen
Friend of the show Matt Shanfield joins to put Jimmy on the hot seat! Starting out as a small town radio host at 16 years-old, Jimmy would later find his way to Los Angeles where he would work as a stunt football player in TV & Film, a treadmill salesman and a lowly production assistant before landing his first key jobs as an assistant at CAA and NBC. Jimmy covers notable projects he has produced including Mob Wives, King of the Nerds, Fashion Star and more recent works CNN's United Shades of America and Amazon's Inside Jokes. Twitter: @IAmJimmyFox // @realscreen
JD Roth got his start as a child actor, voicing characters like Jonny Quest before establishing himself as a television host. Then, at 20 years-old he became the youngest executive producer in NBC history. He would go on to launch 3Ball Entertainment and executive produce such reality hits as The Biggest Loser, Beauty and the Geek and Bar Rescue. Now, he returns to the producing fold with new business partners Scooter Braun and Adam Greener to launch GoodStory Entertainment. JD explains what has changed since he first came on the scene, why he never rehearses for pitches and why he never shoots on weekends. Twitter: IamJimmy Fox // @realscreen
Whenever Jimmy has a question about game shows he turns to one man - Bob Boden! The veteran producer and executive discusses his pick for the greatest game show of all-time (and why), the show that sucked him in from a young age, how he chased executives begging for an opportunity, the death of the game show host, what ratings were like back when there was only 3 (and then 4) networks and what celebrity is primed to become the next great host. Twitter: @IAmJimmyFox // @realscreen
Some guests play it conservative here on the podcast but Ari Mark, Co-Founder of innovative production company AMPLE let's it rip in a lively discussion with Jimmy. If you crave insight into what it it takes to launch a succesful start-up in today's market, THIS is the episode for you. Twitter: @IAmJimmyFox / @realscreen
The one and only Arthur Smith joins Jimmy to discuss many of his infuential shows that helped define the unscripted business: Paradise Hotel, The Swan, Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, Trading Spaces and American Ninja Warrior. Plus, Arthur shares stories from early on in his career running CBC Sports at 28 years-old and what it was like to work for Dick Clark. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox // @Realscreen
Who else could Jimmy find himself in a conversation spanning topics such as obscure 90's hockey references, politics, relationships, mountain climbing and a little unscripted TV! Rachel currently is the head of unscripted programming at EPIX, the MGM owned cable network. Twitter: @IAmJimmyFox / @Realscreen
When Sacha Baron Cohen returned to TV in his new Showtime series WHO IS AMERICA? there was one man he called to protect him and the network from lawsuits - Russell Smith. In this episode, Russell shares choice stories from personal case studies involving Donald Trump, Sacha, Ice Cube and others. Plus, Russell offers extremely useful legal input across various topics pertaining to those working in the reality TV business. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox and @Realscreen
Just off the heels of launching Wheelhouse Entertainment, Pawn Stars executive producer Brent Montgomery sits down to discuss numerous topics such as: What tricks did he learn from working on The Bachelor? Would Pawn Stars sell in today's climate? How did he make the transition from producer to studio head? And how does one celebrate selling their company for a considerable amount of $$$? Twitter: @IamJimmyFox / @realscreen
After receiving his Legacy Award at Realscreen Summit '18, co-founder of Bunim/Murray and Television Academy Hall of Famer Jonathan Murray sat down with Jimmy to discuss the greatest hits: Real World, Simple Life, Project Runway, Keeping up with the Kardashians, WWE Total Divas, Born This Way and Ball in the Family. Twitter: @IamJimmyFox / @Realscreen