The story
Founded by Jonathan Murray and Mary-Ellis Bunim.1
Private company
Bunim/Murray Productions
Logo: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons4
American entertainment production company
Bunim/Murray Productions is an American entertainment production company based out of Glendale, California and owned by Banijay Entertainment since 25 March 2010. Considered as a pioneer in the reality television genre with local hit programs like The Real World, Road Rules and Bad Girls Club, it was founded in 1987 by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray after an agent named Mark Itkin of the William Morris Agency put the two together to develop a scripted soap opera for MTV.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0
Last updated Oct 20, 2026.
Overview
- Industryentertainment1
- HeadquartersLos Angeles1
- Websitewww.bunim-murray.com
- Legal formLimited Liability Company3
- LEI984500C570F1F799F5133
- StatusActive3
- LEI statusIssued and current3
- Registered address1015 GRANDVIEW AVE, 91201 Glendale, United States3
- Registered withSecretary of State, 2010147100543
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Bunim/Murray Productions is an American entertainment production company based out of Glendale, California and owned by Banijay Entertainment since 25 March 2010. Considered as a pioneer in the reality television genre with local hit programs like The Real World, Road Rules and Bad Girls Club, it was founded in 1987 by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray after an agent named Mark Itkin of the William Morris Agency put the two together to develop a scripted soap opera for MTV. When that was too expensive, they decided to try an unscripted soap and The Real World was born. "We knew within 20 minutes of shooting that we had a show," Bunim said. The company has expanded into music management, managing the pop punk/emo band A Cursive Memory.2
Corporate structure
Bunim/Murray Productions is part of a group headed by Banijay Group. 72 entities, 16 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.
- Banijay Group Paris, France
- Banijay Entertainment 50% · London
- Bunim/Murray Productions Glendale, California, United States
- 51 Minds Entertainment Subsidiary · Glendale, California, United States
- Adventure Line Productions Subsidiary · Paris, France
- Air Productions Subsidiary · Paris, France
- B-Prod Subsidiary
- Banijay Benelux Subsidiary · Amsterdam
- Banijay Finland Subsidiary · Pitäjänmäki industrial area, Finland
- Banijay Iberia Subsidiary · Madrid, Spain
- Diagonal TV Subsidiary · Barcelona, Spain
- Gestmusic Subsidiary · Barcelona, Spain
- Zeppelin TV Subsidiary · Madrid, Spain
- Banijay Kids & Family Subsidiary · Paris, France
- Banijay Kids & Family Distribution Subsidiary
- Monello Productions Subsidiary
- Télé Images Productions Subsidiary · Neuilly-sur-Seine
- Banijay UK Subsidiary · London
- Company Pictures Subsidiary · London
- Dragonfly Subsidiary
- Maverick Television Subsidiary
- North One Television Subsidiary · London, United Kingdom
- Princess Productions Subsidiary · London
- Raw TV Subsidiary · London, United Kingdom
- RDF Television Subsidiary · London, United Kingdom
- Remarkable Entertainment Subsidiary · London
- The Comedy Unit Subsidiary · Glasgow
- The Forge Subsidiary
- Two Brothers Pictures Subsidiary · London
- Zeppotron Subsidiary · England
- Beyond International Subsidiary · Dublin
- Endemol France Subsidiary
- Endemol Portugal Subsidiary
- Endemol Shine Australia Subsidiary · Sydney
- Endemol Shine Nederland Subsidiary
- Human Factor TV Subsidiary · Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Endemol Shine North America Subsidiary · Los Angeles
- Endemol Shine Boomdog Subsidiary
- IDTV Subsidiary · Amsterdam
- KM Production Subsidiary
- Kudos Subsidiary · London
- Lion Television Subsidiary
- Little Dot Studios Subsidiary · London, United Kingdom
- Mastiff Subsidiary · Stockholm, Sweden
- Movimenti Production Subsidiary
- Neal Street Productions Subsidiary
- NL Film Subsidiary · Amsterdam, Netherlands
- and 14 more
- Banijay Belgium Lint, Belgium
- Screentime Sydney, Australia
- Atlantis Film & Video Subsidiary · Milan, Italy
- Authentic Prod Subsidiary
- Balich Wonder Studio Subsidiary · Milan, Italy
- Betclic Subsidiary
- Cuarzo Producciones Subsidiary · Madrid
- 4Friends Film Subsidiary · Italy
- BANIJAY ITALIA S.P.A. Subsidiary · Milano, Italy
- BANIJAY RIGHTS LIMITED Subsidiary · London, United Kingdom
- Jarowskij Enterprises AB Subsidiary · Stockholm, Sweden
- Banijay Entertainment 50% · London
Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0). Each entity in the chart links to its source.
Leadership
Who has led Bunim/Murray Productions, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.
- FounderJonathan Murray1
- FounderMary-Ellis Bunim1
Subsidiaries and ownership
Parent company
Owners
From Wikidata.1
Controversies and legal
Sexual assault controversy
In October 2011, two years after Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Ruins aired, contestant Tonya Cooley filed a lawsuit against fellow contestants Kenny Santucci and Evan Starkman, MTV, and Bunim/Murray Productions, claiming that she was sexually assaulted during filming. Cooley claimed in the lawsuit that Santucci and Starkman inserted a toothbrush into her vaginal canal while she was passed out from heavy drinking, and stated that she was subjected to an environment in which degrading and harassing behavior was directed at female contestants, including bathing suits stripped off their bodies. A representative for Bunim/Murray said that "after a thorough investigation, we have found Tonya Cooley’s claims to be completely baseless." Cooley also alleged that the show's producers encouraged and rewarded such behavior, and that when she raised concerns she was told to "just deal with it." A representative for Viacom blamed Cooley for the alleged assault against her, stating in court that "in addition to failing to avail herself of VMN's policies and complaint procedures, Plaintiff failed to avoid the injuries of which she complains. For example, while she was a contestant on The Ruins, Plaintiff was frequently intoxicated (to an extent far greater than other contestants), rowdy, combative, flirtatious and on multiple occasions intentionally exposed her bare breasts and genitalia to other contestants." The lawsuit was settled out of court one year later.
From Wikipedia’s article on Bunim/Murray, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5
Timeline
- Aug 13, 1990Founded Bunim/Murray Productions is founded3
Links
- Websitewww.bunim-murray.com1
- X (Twitter)x.com/BunimMurray1
- WikipediaBunim/Murray
- WikidataQ4997700
Sources
The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4Wikimedia CommonsBunim/Murray Productions logo by unknown, Public domain
- 5