Remy Blumenfeld
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{{short description|British television producer}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| pre-nominals =
| name = Remy Blumenfeld
| post-nominals =
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| birth_name =
| birth_date = 1965
| birth_place = Paris, France
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| occupation = Television producer
| relatives = {{plainlist|
- Yorick Blumenfeld (father)
- Helaine Blumenfeld (mother)
- Erwin Blumenfeld (grandfather)
}}
| website =
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Remy Blumenfeld (born 1965)British Film Institute. [https://web.archive.org/web/20170805171606/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bb4631830 Remy Blumenfeld] is a British television producer and format creator, who co-founded the production company Brighter Pictures which he sold to Endemol in 2004. He is the TV format creator of There's Something About Miriam,{{cite news|last1=Fenton|first1=Andrew |title=TSwitched On's list of the 10 greatest reality show villains|url=http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/switched-ons-list-of-the-ten-greatest-reality-show-villains/news-story/ac17e07fd942a192eb38b62c7ec9445b|publisher=news.com.au|date=20 March 2012}} Gay, Straight or Taken?, Wudja Cudja and Undercover Lovers. According to The Guardian, Blumenfeld has created and produced more than 30 original television series, which also include BBC1's Tabloid Tales with Piers Morgan and My Worst Week, and BBC2's Get a New Life.{{cite news|last1=Holmwood|first1=Leigh|title=ITV appoints There's Something About Miriam producer for global formats role|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/oct/30/itv-television|work=The Guardian|date=30 October 2008}}
Life and career
Blumenfeld was born in Paris, the son of American parents. His father Yorick Blumenfeld is a writer. His mother Helaine Blumenfeld is a sculptor. His grandfather was the fashion photographer, Erwin Blumenfeld, about whom he made a 2013 documentary for BBC4 – The Man Who Shot Beautiful Women.{{cite news|last1=Lutyens|first1=Dominic|title=Capel Manor: a truly modernist home|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/9344268/Capel-Manor-a-truly-modernist-home.html|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=20 June 2012}} Blumenfeld spent his early years in New York and Vienna before his family moved to the UK and settled in Cambridgeshire. He attended Bedales School and in the summers acted with the National Youth Theatre. After leaving school he worked in the New York City area for several years as a reporter for WPIX and WWOR-TV. He recalls knowing that he was gay from the age of eight.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bedales.org.uk/alumni/remy-blumenfeld|title=Remy Blumenfeld | Bedales School | Independent school | Petersfield, Hampshire}}Broadcasting (1 June 1987. [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1987/BC-1987-06-01.pdf "Fates and Fortunes"], Vol. 112, No. 22, p. 85
On his return to the UK Blumenfeld founded the production company Brighter Pictures with Gavin Hay in 1991. It was bought by Endemol in 2001, but he remained at Endemol for several years as creative director for Brighter Pictures.{{cite news|last1=Plunkett|first1=John|title=Big Brother moves house|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/nov/17/bigbrother.realitytv|newspaper=The Guardian|date=17 November 2005}} During his time at Brighter Pictures he also produced the BBC4 documentary The Other Francis Bacon.Blanchard, Tamsin (18 May 2013). [http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG10062375/The-extraordinary-story-of-Erwin-Blumenfeld.html "The extraordinary story of Erwin Blumenfeld"]. Daily Telegraph.
Later, Blumenfeld joined ITV Studios where he worked until 2010 as director of formats. At ITV he exported TV shows such as Come Dine with Me, I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and Four Weddings internationally and launched production divisions in France and Spain.{{cite news|last1=Turner|first1=Mimi|title=Bartlett, Blumenfeld to leave ITV Studios|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bartlett-blumenfeld-leave-itv-studios-25279|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|date=7 July 2010}}{{cite news|last1=Campbell|first1=Lisa|title=Remy Blumenfeld launches indie|url=http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/indies/remy-blumenfeld-launches-indie/5054135.article/|publisher=Broadcastnow |date=23 April 2013}}{{cite news|last1=Midgley|first1=Neil|title=Lee Bartlett to leave ITV|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/7876767/Lee-Bartlett-to-leave-ITV.html|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=7 July 2010}}{{cite news|last1=Teeman|first1=Tim|title=Vogue Photographer Erwin Blumenfeld: Secrets of a Fashion Legend|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/vogue-photographer-erwin-blumenfeld-secrets-of-a-fashion-legend|newspaper=The Daily Beast|date=14 September 2014}}
In 2016, Blumenfeld co-founded The Hot House, a TV production incubator.Von Bueren, Sophie (8 August 2016). [https://wsimag.com/entertainment/20842-a-hot-house-for-creative-talent "A Hot House for Creative Talent"]. Wall Street International. During his career he has also produced several stage plays, including Eunuchs In My Wardrobe (Edinburgh Fringe, 2011) and Tennessee Williams's Confessional (Southwark Playhouse, 2016).{{cite news|last1=Wallace|first1=Taylor|title=Eunuchs In My Wardrobe (Remy Blumenfeld And Scamp Theatre)|url=http://www.threeweeksedinburgh.com/article/ed2011-theatre-review-eunuchs-in-my-wardrobe-remy-blumenfeld-and-scamp-theatre/|work=ThreeWeeks|date=27 August 2011}}{{cite news|last1=Longman|first1=Will|title=Holby star Rob Ostlere cast in Tennessee Williams' Confessional|url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/game-of-thrones-rob-ostlere-cast-confessional_41598.html|publisher=WhatsOnStage.com|date=23 Aug 2016}}
Blumenfeld was ranked 19th in The Independent on Sunday{{'}}s 2006 Pink List of the most influential gay men and women in the United Kingdom.{{cite news|title=Gay Power: The pink list|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/gay-power-the-pink-list-406297.html|newspaper=The Independent|date=1 July 2006}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{IMDB name|id=1240936|name=Remy Blumenfeld}}
- [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/qampa-remy-blumenfeld-89446 Q&A: Remy Blumenfeld] at The Hollywood Reporter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blumenfeld, Remy}}
Category:British television executives
Category:National Youth Theatre members