Bunim/Murray Productions was co-founded in 1987 by Mary-Ellis Bunim, a soap opera producer, and Jonathan Murray, who had built his career in news and documentaries. Since then, television networks and viewers have looked to the company for groundbreaking, unprecedented and unforgettable reality entertainment. The Emmy® Award-winning company is widely credited with creating the reality television genre with its hit series The Real World (31 seasons for MTV). BMP continued to innovate with the first reality game show, Road Rules (MTV), in 1995; the first reality sitcom, The Simple Life (E!), in 2003; and the first reality soap opera, Starting Over, in 2003. 

Whether documenting the lives and loves of the MTV generation or writing scripted dramas grounded in relatable life experiences, BMP is continually expanding its innovative body of work across primetime, syndicated and cable television, feature films, documentary films, digital and social media platforms. 

 In January 2004, BMP Co-Founder Mary-Ellis Bunim sadly passed away. Under the leadership of company Co-Founder Jonathan Murray and Chairman and CEO Gil Goldschein, BMP remains committed to the ideals of creativity, adventure and excellence. 

In March 2007, Bunim/Murray launched BMP Films. The company’s first film, Autism: The Musical, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2007 to critical acclaim and garnered audience awards at major film festivals across the country. The film premiered on HBO in March 2008 to rave reviews and won two Emmys®. In September 2008, BMP Films debuted Pedro, its first scripted feature-length film, at the Toronto International Film Festival. BMP Films’ Valentine Road was an official selection in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. It was also awarded a prestigious Ford Foundation Grant. The Ford Foundation grant program aims to help projects that focus on reducing poverty and injustice; promoting democratic values; and advancing human knowledge, creativity and achievement. The documentary premiered on HBO in October 2013. 

 Over the past two decades, Bunim/Murray has won numerous awards and industry accolades, including Primetime and Daytime Emmys, TV Guide Awards, New York Festival Medals as well as People’s Choice, Critics Choice and Teen Choice Awards. The company joined Banijay Group in 2010.