PEREZ HILTON TO STAR IN "GAY DADS OF NEW YORK" REALITY SERIES PRODUCED BY BUNIM/MURRAY
LOS ANGELES - December 4, 2013 - One of Hollywood's most colorful personalities is lifting the curtain on gay fatherhood. Gossip guru and media mogul Perez Hilton today announced he's partnering with Bunim/Murray Productions, producers of The Real World, Project Runway and Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and OMG Productions to develop Gay Dads of New York. Set in New York City, the reality docu-series will follow Hilton, who recently became a single father, and a group of gay dads, single and married, as they support each other through the ups and downs of raising children.
"What is your typical American family like? These days, it looks a lot like mine! I am honored and excited to bring to television a show that will be filled with love, humor and drama. What will it not be? Trashy or boring! I am thrilled to have partnered with the leaders and innovators of reality television, Bunim/Murray, to create a program that is compelling and real," said Hilton. "Up until now people know me more for my opinions than who I am. This show will give viewers the opportunity to get to know the 'real' Perez Hilton and my family, as well as some other really dynamic gay dads, and the women that make up their support system. I am a recent transplant to New York City, looking for friends and open to - hopefully - love. To new beginnings and this exciting new venture!"
"I immediately responded to the 'Gay Dads of New York' concept because my partner and I were part of one of the first gay dads support groups in Los Angeles back in 1998," said Jonathan Murray, Chairman of Bunim/Murray Productions. "Whether it's a single dad like Perez, or married gay dads, becoming a gay parent affects your relationships with family and friends, all of which will make fascinating stories."
"I brought the project to Bunim/Murray because of their brilliant storytelling, unbelievable track record in reality television, and what I consider the best eye for casting shows in the business," said Suzy Unger, OMG Productions. "I have worked with Jon and his team for many years, and they are not only pioneers in the reality space, but they remain groundbreaking producers. We are proud to be working with them."
Bunim/Murray Productions is currently casting the series, looking for gay dads in the New York City area who want to be in a support group with Hilton. More information can be found at: http://www.bmpcasting.com:16080/casting/gdc/
The series will be produced by Bunim/Murray Productions and OMG Productions. Suzy Unger at OMG Productions; Steven Grossman and Mario Lavandeira (Perez Hilton); and Bunim/Murray's Jonathan Murray, Gil Goldschein and Scott Freeman will serve as Executive Producers.
About Perez Hilton
Since launching the celebrity entertainment blog PerezHilton.com in 2004, Perez Hilton has created a media empire that spans across online, publishing, television, radio, music, and live events. In addition to his PerezHilton.com blog, which has become one of the leading sources for celebrity news amassing over 300 million hits a month, Hilton runs five additional digital properties focused on fashion, fitness, family, animals, and a mobile app. Hilton has published three books, hosted and appeared on numerous television programs like The View, The Talk, Wendy Williams, Miss USA, The Today Show and GMA. Hilton's passion for music as lead him to create the hugely successful music event series "One Night In..." in 2008, which features up-and-coming and top musical acts and two volumes of the popular album "POP UP". On radio, Hilton is host to the twice-daily celebrity and entertainment news feature "Radio Perez." Hilton was named the #1 Web Celeb in 2007, 2008, and 2009 by Forbes Magazine, one of the 15 most influential Hispanics in the US by People en Espanol, the 2009 Hispanic of the Year by Hispanic Magazine, one of Time Magazine's '100 Most Influential People of 2007' and as a tastemaker, 'Newsweek' has compared his influence on the music scene to Oprah's book club. 2010 Perez Hilton appeared on The Ellen Show to declare a change to Perezhilton.com that 'needed to happen' to help end gay bullying, Hilton told Ellen he wanted to lead by example, declaring "I want to be part of the solution, I want to be the change I want to see in others." Hilton carried his anti-bullying message to OUT Magazine, The Advocate, Oprah's Life Class and The Trevor Project. 2012 Perez 'made jaws drop' according to Huffington Post as he flaunted his new healthy lifestyle at Logo's NNN Awards which also included an impressive six pack, and a weight loss of about 80 pounds. On February 17, 2013, Perez surprised his fans by welcoming a son, Mario Armando Lavandeira II, into the world via surrogate. The birth of "Perez Jr.," as he is affectionately called, made headlines around the world and was featured on the front page of the LA Times, HELLO Magazine, Parenting Magazine, and UK Daily Mail. Perez was picked as one of Instinct Magazine Men of the year for 2013. Perez Hilton currently resides in New York City with his son, Perez Jr. Visit Perez Hilton online at www.perezhilton.com. Join Perez Hilton on Facebook with over 317k LIKES, Twitter with over 6.15 million followers and @perezhilton with over 87k followers.
About OMG Productions
OMG Productions was started by Suzy Unger, former Senior Packaging Agent at WME. Out of the gate, OMG has had a series on SPIKE, and sold projects to many of the cable buyers. The company is in the midst of setting up reality projects and pilots as well as working on scripted projects for CBS and other network and cable entities.
About Bunim/Murray Productions
Bunim/Murray Productions is the leading producer of innovative entertainment content. The Emmy Award-winning company is widely credited with creating the reality television genre with its hit series The Real World (29 seasons for MTV). BMP continued to innovate with the first reality game show, Road Rules (MTV), in 1995; the first reality sitcom, The Simple Life (E!), in 2003; and the first reality soap opera, Starting Over, in 2003. Bunim/Murray's programming includes Bad Girls Club, Bad Girls All Star Battle, Love Games and Best Ink (Oxygen), Keeping up with the Kardashians, Kourtney and Kim Take Miami and Total Divas (E!), The Real World and The Challenge (MTV), The Ruckers: Southern Royals (WE tv) and Project Runway and Project Runway All Stars (Lifetime). Bunim/Murray Productions has also produced films, including Valentine Road (HBO), Pedro (MTV) and the Emmy Award-winning Autism: The Musical (HBO). Bunim/Murray Productions has launched additional entities including BMP Films, BMP Digital and BMP Latin. Based in Van Nuys, CA, Bunim/Murray Productions was founded in 1987 by Jonathan Murray and the late Mary-Ellis Bunim, who were inducted into the Television Academy of Arts & Science's Hall of Fame in 2012. The company joined Banijay Group in 2010.
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