Bungalow Media Chief Robert Friedman on True Crime Programming, Media Consolidation and His New Show About Hawaiian Tropic Founder Ron Rice

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As a seasoned movie enthusiast with a penchant for industry tales, I find Robert Friedman‘s journey truly inspiring. Here’s a man who’s weathered the storm of media evolution, from the golden days of television and cinema to the modern era of streaming services. His story is a testament to adaptability and innovation in an ever-changing landscape.

Robert Friedman, known affectionately as “Bobby,” has been a significant figure in the media industry for numerous years. He played crucial roles in shaping companies such as New Line and MTV during an era when films and television were the dominant players. However, over time, the media landscape has fragmented, with streaming services disrupting traditional business models. Yet, Bobby has remained adaptable, adapting to these changes along the way.

2013 saw Jason Friedman part ways with Radical Media, the trailblazing company responsible for “Under African Skies” and the initial “Mad Men” episode in the branded content arena. In a recent chat at his New York City office, he expressed, “The pace of evolution was astounding, and I sensed there had to be a more effective approach.

His decision resulted in the establishment of Bungalow Media + Entertainment, a flexible, adaptable production company specializing in both scripted and unscripted content tailored for an expansive set of new buyers. Notably, Bungalow has been awarded an Emmy for “Little Richard: I Am Everything,” a documentary on the iconic rock artist produced with CNN Films and distributed by Magnolia Pictures in cinemas. Additionally, they produced “CyberSleuths: The Idaho Murders,” a true crime series airing on Paramount+ that follows TikTok detectives investigating a heinous crime. Among other projects, Bungalow has created lifestyle shows like Max’s “Serving the Hamptons,” cooking series such as “Stab That Cake” on the Cooking Channel, docuseries focusing on current events like CBS’s “13 Days in Ferguson,” and even a few feature films including Clive Owen’s drama “The Confirmation.” The array of companies releasing these projects spans from streaming platforms to cable networks to film studios to broadcast television channels, demonstrating the diverse landscape of distributors that has arisen due to the ongoing disruption in the industry.

As a passionate film enthusiast, I often find that the content we produce is uniquely tailored or bespoke to suit specific audiences. While the demographics of our buyers may have evolved over the past few years, they all share distinct personalities and preferences. We invest considerable time not only in questioning whether a story is good but also in determining which platform would best showcase it for optimal viewer engagement.

Bungalow has been focusing more on creating unscripted shows, as they are cost-effective and quicker to produce compared to scripted series or narratives (where development can take up to four years, while an unscripted series might be completed in just six months). In the future, they aim to create a series about the historic 2002 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team, which made headlines as the first American team to win gold at the games. Friedman refers to this untold story as “the greatest sports story never told.” Additionally, he is developing a limited series based on Ron Rice, the founder of Hawaiian Tropic. Friedman describes Rice as similar to Hugh Hefner, noting that he built a vast business from his garage and utilized the Hawaiian Tropic girls for global promotions, making him an early pioneer of social media.

The upcoming show is titled “Bronze Vixens: The Birth of Influencers through Hawaiian Tropic” and features exclusive access to Rice’s personal collection of videos and images.

Instead of merely selling its programs to distributors, Bungalow has actively sought out new avenues for supplementary income. As demonstrated by the Little Richard documentary, this approach involved launching a soundtrack. For series like “It Couldn’t Happen Here,” a collaboration with SundanceTV, it resulted in the creation of a podcast hosted by Hilarie Burton Morgan.

Friedman emphasizes that economics must be balanced. He explains that the idea of ‘windows’ has undergone a significant transformation, largely due to the rise of streaming services like Netflix. These companies aim to purchase all rights to content, which limits the chances for profit from the intellectual property you produce.

Some longstanding genres, like true crime, are experiencing increased competition as they become more popular. To stand out, companies like Bungalow must think outside the box and find unique angles for their stories. For example, in “CyberSleuths: The Idaho Murders,” they focused on the social media aspects of the investigators. In a different case, such as “Surviving Jeffrey Epstein,” they chose to tell the story from the viewpoint of his sexual assault victims.

According to Friedman, it’s crucial to identify something distinctive in a story to make viewers interested. At present, successful series often revolve around the most significant crimes known or require solving a mystery within the first four to six episodes. This task can be quite demanding.

Friedman acknowledges that the ongoing strikes and consolidation in the entertainment industry have intensified the challenge. With studios and streaming platforms cutting back on spending due to a sluggish ad market recovery, and a surge of mergers reducing the number of content buyers for companies like Bungalow, the situation seems tough. However, Friedman is optimistic that there’s still a demand from the surviving media giants for content that can break through the noise and capture the cultural moment.

“I think we’ve found a winning recipe,” Friedman says. “That makes us valuable.”

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2024-12-05 20:46