Who founded MC2 Model Management and what were their backgrounds?

1. Two different “MC2” identities: local founder vs. U.S. owner

Reporting and agency profiles split the name. The Tel Aviv MC2 Model Management explicitly states it was formed in 2000 by Ofer Raphaeli, who “has been in the modeling business for 30 years” and positioned that entity as a boutique Israeli agency focused on local and international placements ^{[1] [2]}. By contrast, U.S. and industry coverage repeatedly identifies Jean‑Luc Brunel as the founder or co‑founder and owner of an MC2 that operated in New York and Miami and evolved out of Karin Models of America ^{[3] [5] [6]}.

2. Jean‑Luc Brunel’s background in modeling: long industry career and Karin Models

Multiple sources trace Brunel’s career back decades: he was a French model scout who rose to prominence running Karin Models and later launched or rebranded the U.S. offices as MC2 (Karin Models of America became MC2 in 2005, according to a press release and industry profiles) ^{[5] [3]}. Sources list Brunel as an industry veteran who scouted and helped launch many well‑known names and remained active in agency management across Paris, New York and Miami ^[5].

3. Financial and personal ties that shaped the U.S. MC2 story

Reporting notes Brunel’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell: Brunel met Maxwell in the 1980s, she introduced him to Epstein, and Epstein reportedly provided funding to help launch or sustain Brunel’s U.S. agency with payments “up to a million dollars” in 2004, according to available accounts ^[3]. Miami Herald and Fortune reporting describe FBI interest in the Miami MC2 office and emphasize that major retailers had concerns about Brunel’s ties to Epstein, with the agency owned by Brunel in industry coverage ^{[4] [6]}.

4. Legal and reputational controversy surrounding Brunel’s MC2

Sources link Brunel and his MC2 to allegations and legal filings: court filings by an alleged Epstein victim named Jean‑Luc Brunel as a founder of MC2 were reported in feature pieces, and some reporting indicates subpoenas or FBI scrutiny touched the agency after Epstein’s arrest ^{[7] [4]}. Brunel denied wrongdoing in quotes reported in some outlets, and he later sued Epstein in 2015 claiming business harm tied to Epstein’s actions; those statements and legal moves appear in press and biographical sources ^[3].

5. Who is Ofer Raphaeli and the Tel Aviv MC2?

The Tel Aviv MC2 is explicitly credited to Ofer Raphaeli on the agency’s own site and in models.com and other profiles; Raphaeli’s background is described as decades in the modeling business with experience developing careers across Europe, the U.S. and Israel ^{[1] [2]}. That MC2 markets itself as a boutique agency focused on Israeli talent and international bookings, a different market niche and founding story from Brunel’s U.S. operations ^[1].

6. Corporate structure and ownership ambiguity — reporting limits

Sources present Brunel as owner/operator of an MC2 in the U.S. market and Raphaeli as founder of an MC2 in Israel, but none of the provided reporting establishes a single corporate lineage uniting those entities under one founder or common ownership; in other words, “MC2” appears as a shared brand used by distinct operators in different markets ^{[1] [3]}. Available sources do not mention a definitive corporate merger, franchise network, or single founding team that covers all MC2 entities ^{[1] [3]}.

7. Why these distinctions matter

The distinction is important because Jean‑Luc Brunel’s MC2 is tied in reporting to high‑profile legal and reputational controversies involving Jeffrey Epstein — matters that affected retailer relationships and prompted scrutiny ^{[6] [4]}. The Tel Aviv MC2 and Raphaeli’s stated biography, by contrast, is presented as a local boutique operator with no such ties in the available sources ^{[1] [2]}.

Conclusion — what we can say and what we cannot

Available sources identify at least two founders associated with “MC2 Model Management”: Jean‑Luc Brunel, a longtime French scout who ran Karin Models and founded/owned the U.S. MC2 (with reported Epstein financing), and Ofer Raphaeli, who founded MC2 Model Management in Tel Aviv in 2000 and brings decades of local modeling experience ^{[3] [5] [1]}. Sources do not mention a single, unified founding team or legal entity that links those two MC2 operations together ^{[1] [3]}.