51 Minds Entertainment

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


Background

51 Minds Entertainment was formed in 2004 by a merger of Mark Cronin's Mindless Entertainment and Cris Abrego's 51 Pictures. On April 2, 2008, Endemol USA acquired 51% of 51 Minds Entertainment. The company never got an official logo until 2008. Before then, 51 Minds used their independent pre-merger logos.



1st Logo (July 6, 2008-2016)


Visuals: On a black background, there is a light bulb with a brain inside it that is clicked on. The brain inside the bulb starts to shake inside done by a jolt of electricity and would later start flickering and appear inside a light blue outlined rectangular box. On the right of it is a solid light blue box that reads "51 MINDS" with a giant "51" above and "MINDS" below, all in Denmark font in black lettering. The logo later turns solid, then flips to the side to the Endemol eye with the byline "an endemol company". The Endemol logo would later zoom out by exiting.

Later Variant: Beginning in 2010, the animation is still the same, but the 2008 logo replaces the old logo. There is no Endemol byline underneath.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A click followed by a sound of static electricity, a "hmmm...." and a "whoosh" sound afterward, and a click sound followed by a small zap. Starting in 2012, the 2011 Endemol theme is heard underneath the static noises.

Availability: It was seen on the VH1 shows I Love Money, For the Love of Ray J, Charm School (season 2), Daisy of Love, and New York Goes to Work. It also appears on Parents Just Don't Understand on The Hub/Discovery Family.

2nd Logo (July 15-September 23, 2008)


Visuals: It's just the 2001 Endemol logo animating, but below it is a merger of the 51 Pictures "Film Countdown" and Mindless Entertainment "The Scribble" logos with "Minds" on the right side. Below them is a byline saying "an endemol company" in the Endemol font.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: The show's ending theme.

Availability: Seen on season 1 of From G's to Gents and New York Goes to Hollywood.

3rd Logo (October 26, 2015-2023)


Visuals: On a black background, there is a lightbulb turned off, then a hand grabs the bottom and the light turns on. The "51 MINDS" text then appears below. Afterwards, the bulb shines and then the 2008 Endemol logo is seen, as the shining disappears from the eye. The logo is also slightly zooming in throughout.

Later Variant: Beginning in 2017, the 2008 Endemol logo is replaced with the 2016 Endemol Shine North America logo. The animation is also slightly changed and now the logo zooms in as the text slides in. As it happens, the logo fades out.

Other Variants:

  • Sometimes, the logo will be darker or brighter.
  • There is a longer variant where the hand grabs the bulb slightly slower and the zoom in is slower.
  • Sometimes, the logo shares the screen with other logos.
  • Starting in 2020, only the text appears as an in-credit logo, which is next to the Banijay logo with the "A Banijay Company" byline.

Technique: Live-action with CGI effects.

Audio: A calm tune with two drawn-out notes, composed by Jared Gutstadt and Jeffrey Curtis Peters.

Audio Variants:

  • The early variant has a rising chorus as the bulb shines with a part of the 2011 Endemol theme playing when the eye appears.
  • The longer variant has the first note fade in, and is slightly longer.
  • Sometimes, it's silent.

Availability:

  • This logo first appeared on Follow the Rules and later appeared on its new shows that they produced from 2015 onwards such as Below Deck Mediterranean, Below Deck Sailing Yacht, Cakealikes, The Grand Hustle, Below Deck Gallery Talk and Squeaky Clean, among others.
  • It also appears on new episodes of the long running series Below Deck.
  • The longer version appears on the 2019 movie Beats.

4th Logo (February 21, 2022-)


Visuals: In a black room, there is the white text "51 MINDS" (in the same font as before) that lights up some of the room, while the camera slowly pans from the left to center. A black light shines throughout the text. The room has a blue light at the top along with a wet floor. The text then flickers before turning off. Then the Banijay "B" symbol along with the byline turns on whilst moving to the right. The wetness of the floor shows reflections of the logo's animation. The logo then fades out.

Technique: Live-action combined with computer animation and practical effects.

Audio: The audio from the previous logo or the closing theme.

Availability: First spotted on season 3 of Below Deck Sailing Yacht on Bravo, and later seen on Below Deck Down Under, the 2022 revival of The Surreal Life, Hack My Home and Drive with Swizz Beatz. It will likely be seen on upcoming projects.

51 Pictures
Mindless Entertainment
51 Minds Entertainment