As the head of Bunim/Murray Productions, Gil Goldschein is the producer behind some of reality TV's biggest franchises, from 1992's "The Real World (MTV) to the new E! docuseries "I Am Cait." He recently talked to the Hollywood Reporter about the possibility of a Kendall/Kylie Jenner spinoff, documenting Caitlyn Jenner's transition and keeping "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" fresh.
Goldschein worked with the Kardashian-Jenner family while producing their show for more than 10 seasons, so naturally he was Caitlyn's first choice as the visionary to help tell her sensitive transition story from male to female. He said Bunim/Murray felt comfortable with telling her story because the company had the experience, since it featured a transgender cast member on 2009's "Real World: Brooklyn."
"The first discussion was when [BMP executive vp development and programming] Jeff Jenkins came to see me about a year ago and basically said, 'Look, there are very few people that know this, but this is what's going on' and described to me what was happening," he told the Hollywood Reporter. "This was something that Bruce, at the time, was thinking of doing, and, again, I was just there to support it."
As for the Kardashian/Jenner reality franchise, Goldschein said that the company would love to have the opportunity to work with Kendall and Kylie on their own spinoff.
"There haven't been any discussions, but if that were of interest to them, certainly I would hope that they would talk to us about that possibility," he said.
But "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" is still going strong since it premiered eight years ago. The reality show is the company's top-rated show and brought in an average of 3.3 million viewers during its 10th season. Goldschein explained why he thinks the series has such staying power.
"They get it. They understand and they're accessible and let the viewers in and they're vulnerable. There are good times and there are hard times," Goldschein said. "That's what the audience recognizes, and that's why it's been so successful. As long as that continues, the show will continue to be relevant and resonate with its audience."
Read HNGN's recap of the "I Am Cait" series premiere here.
