Complex, the media platform and an online community that publishes the best, most diverse and most relevant voices in culture, has partnered with BMP Digital, the digital division of Bunim/Murray Productions (BMP) to produce and distribute short-form unscripted and digital video projects and series.
Leveraging Complex’s global reach of over 250 million monthly unique visitors and expansive social reach of over 500 million monthly impressions, together BMP Digital and Complex will develop, produce and distribute a variety of one-off videos and episodic seriesacross Complex’s many platforms. BMP produces longstanding television franchises including The Real World, Project Runway and Keeping Up with the Kardashians and leads digital and social media extensions for The Challenge, Best Ink and Bad Girls Club. BMP Digital’s recent online series include the digital-to-TV crossover show, BRKDWN; SOS: Stylist on Set starring Johnny Wujek; Best Ink Redemption; and two seasons of The Controller.
“Bunim/Murray has a distinct track record for producing standout unscripted series both digitally and on linear television” said Marc Fernandez, Director of Video Programming, Executive Producer at Complex. “We believe Bunim/Murray’s production chops and relationships with traditional broadcast paired with our voracious audience and deep understanding of today’s convergence culture will breed the pop culture series audiences want.”
Complex and BMP Digital will adapt Complex’s strong editorial content into video projects that also have the potential to evolve into longer series and can translate into television projects. The initial focus will be on creating unscripted and comedy content with plans to expand into the many areas that speak to the Complex lifestyle, such as celebrity, technology, fashion and music.
“Complex has built a platform that reaches influencers, who expect content that is setting the trends. We want to capture the spirit of Complex on video by creating series that further engage the viewer but also drive discussion and take editorial a step further,” said John P. Roberts, Chief Digital Officer at BMP Digital.
Following its financing of $25 million in 2013, Complex has been making big moves in video and partnerships including the recently announced deal with award winning filmmaker, Spike Lee, who has joined Complex as Board Advisor for Video Projects and Branded Content. Tentpole video releases over the last year include the Jerry Seinfeld and Wale spoof video and accompanying editorial cover shoot, the hyper-viral Tony Hawk Hoverboard video created as part of Complex's co-venture with Tony Hawk's 'RIDE Channel', and the first-of-its-kind short documentary 'Not Afraid - The Shady Records Story' released last month. The company has also doubled down on its daily news product which has seen exponential growth since launching Fall 2013; the YouTube channel now reaches over 157M views and has over 402k subscribers.
Complex, as a brand, has found particularly strong resonance with today's convergence culture crowd, who come to Complex as a source for what's bubbling in pop culture, entertainment, fashion, music and tech.
