Jimmy Dunne is a modern-day Renaissance Man, comfortably crisscrossing the worlds of art, business, and civic engagement—as a songwriter and composer, author, television writer and producer, screenwriter, music producer, music artist, and entrepreneur.
Jimmy’s songs are on 28,000,000 hit records worldwide. His themes, scores, and songs have graced over 1,000 television episodes, several hit movies, many university alma maters, sports federations, presidential campaigns, and songs in the Olympic Games.
Along with Grammy and Grammy nominations; Billboard, CMA, Cashbox, ACM, Juno, and Big Country Awards; BMI and Ascap Songwriter and Publisher Awards; his songs have garnered multiple gold, platinum, and multi-platinum records from countries spanning the globe.
Credits include songs for Whitney Houston, Kenny Rogers, “Pretty Woman,” Take 6 (Grammy-winning record), Janet Jackson, Loverboy, “Princess Diaries II,” “Nothing in Common,” Jermaine Jackson, Anne Murray, “Fame,” Dave Loggins, “Dear God,” “Mother’s Day,” “ABC Wide World of ABC Sports,” and “NBC Sports.”
As a television Writer and Producer, numerous credits primetime ABC hit series’, including Paramount Pictures’ “Happy Days.” Screenwriting credits include feature films for Universal Studios, Disney, Touchstone, Columbia Pictures, and HBO.
Jimmy is the author of award-winning The Shepherd’s Story, a children’s book on Loyola Press.
Jimmy has released a new book, Jimmy Dunne Says, published by Post Hill Press and Simon & Schuster. Jimmy Dunne Says is also read by Jimmy Dunne on Audible.com.
Dunne is the Founder of Inspire, a music and branding firm responsible for celebrated corporate and retail national branding campaigns, including those for Whole Foods Market, Staples, JC Penney, Caruso, Office Depot, CBRE, USA Gymnastics, American Greetings, Claire’s Accessories, Hudson Booksellers, Legg Mason, Visa, UPS, Kimberly-Clark, FAO Schwarz, Amgen and many more.
Under Inspire’s banner, Jimmy has written numerous alma maters, fight songs, and anthems for numerous leading universities— including beloved songs of SMU, UC Merced, Claremont McKenna, and Pepperdine.
At Pepperdine (as their Director of Traditions) and in a similar role at SMU, Jimmy works with leadership to invent and revitalize various campus-wide branding, cultural, sporting, and fundraising activities.
As a solo piano artist, Dunne’s piano recordings are on 50+ releases and records in countries around the world.
Jimmy has produced many large-scale multi-media events, including for MS Society, Sheriff’s Youth Foundation, and Whole Foods at “Austin City Limit’s” Moody Theatre.
Jimmy recently founded USA Bocce—and Jimmy is responsible for single-handedly blossoming bocce throughout the greater Los Angeles area at country clubs, hotels, parks, business centers, restaurants, and homes.
As a Principal for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Youth Foundation, serving thousands of inner-city youth, Jimmy increased revenues by 82% and reimagined every arm of the foundation.
Dunne has been a keynote speaker at numerous music industry, media industry, and corporate conferences and events—lecturing at UCLA, USC, and SMU (and is on the SMU Meadows School of Journalism Advisory Board).
Along with founding multiple youth sports conferences in the Chicago suburbs and the westside of Los Angeles, Jimmy is very active in community leadership roles—and was recognized as Pacific Palisades’ “Citizen of the Year.”
Jimmy was recently honored to be inducted into the 2025 University of Kentucky’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni. He is also in the Lyons Township High School’s Hall of Fame, and the Kentucky Epsilon Hall of Fame.
Dunne graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa from the University of Kentucky, with double-major Honors Program Topical Degrees in Journalism and Business, while double-minoring in Music Composition and Communications.
Dunne is married to award-winning interior designer Catherine Bailly Dunne; they have two daughters and live in Pacific Palisades, California.
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