Jesse Itzler
Jesse Itzler is an American entrepreneur, author, and rapper.[3][4] He is the co-founder of Marquis Jet, one of the largest private jet card companies in the world, a partner in Zico Coconut Water, the founder of The 100 Mile Group and an owner of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks.[5][6]
Jesse Itzler | |
|---|---|
Itzler on "The Art of Charm" podcast in 2018 | |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | American University (B.A., 1990) [1][2] |
| Occupation(s) | Founder of The 100 Mile Group, entrepreneur, author, rapper, singer, songwriter |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | Daniel and Elese Itzler |
Early life and education
Jesse Itzler was born on August 22, 1968 to a Jewish family[7] and raised in Roslyn, New York,[8] on Long Island, the son of Daniel Itzler, an inventor, and Elese Itzler,[9] the president of the Roslyn Board of Education. Itzler earned his bachelor's degree in 1990 from American University. He later obtained a degree in justice, law, and society.[1][2]
Career
Music career
After graduating from college, Itzler signed with Delicious Vinyl records as a songwriter/artist. He released his debut album Thirty Footer in Your Face using the pseudonym Jesse Jaymes in 1991. He co-wrote songs for various artists including Tone Lōc.[3] His first released single "College Girls (Are Easy)" while not ranking on the Billboard Hot 100 chart did become a club anthem. This was followed by his second single "Shake It Like A White Girl", which did reach 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1991[10] and was featured in the soundtrack of the 2004 movie White Chicks.[11] In 1992, Itzler wrote and sang the New York Knicks theme song "Go NY Go"[12] as well as original songs for more than 50 other professional teams. Itzler wrote and sang the Emmy Award-winning song "I Love This Game" and also produced the theme song for Inside the NBA. Itzler is credited with campaigns for Foot Locker and Coca-Cola.[13]
Itzler's music partner was Dana Mozie, whom he met in 1987, a man described as being from a "strikingly different background... raised in the southeast section of Washington... as streetwise as Itzler was suburban," with whom he collaborated on several musical projects in his period as Jesse Jaymes.[2]
Entrepreneurship
In 1996, Itzler co-founded Alphabet City Sports Records with his friend Kenny Dichter, the CEO of Wheels Up.[14] The record company is known for mixing classic arena songs with highlights of historical play-by-play calls for professional sports teams including the Wizards, the Mavericks, and the Lakers. In 1998, the company was sold to SFX.[15]
In 2001, Itzler co-founded Marquis Jet, one of the largest private jet card companies in the world.[16] Itzler served as the company's Vice Chairman until the company was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway, parent company of NetJets, in 2009.[5][17]
In 2009, Itzler created the 100 Mile Group, a brand incubator and accelerator.[18][19] The company announced a partnership with ZICO Coconut Water and the Coca-Cola company in 2009.[20] In 2012, ZICO was acquired by Coca-Cola for an undisclosed sum.[16]
In November 2015, Itzler released his book Living With a SEAL: 31 Days Training With the Toughest Man on the Planet.[21] The book was a New York Times Best Seller and ranked first on the LA Times book list.[22][23] He released Living With the Monks: What Turning Off My Phone Taught Me about Happiness, Gratitude, and Focus in 2018.[24] Itzler is represent by literary agent Lisa Leshne of The Leshne Agency.[25]
Recently, he has begun to pursue keynote speaking.[26]
Atlanta Hawks
In 2015, Itzler and his wife, Sara Blakely were part of a group led by Tony Ressler along with Grant Hill, Steven Price, and Rick Schnall, that successfully purchased the Atlanta Hawks for $850 million[27][28][29] from Bruce Levenson.[30][31][32]
Personal life
In 2006, Itzler competed in the USA National Ultra Marathon Championship in Grapevine, Texas, successfully completing a 100-mile run in under 24 hours.[33] Itzler finished 49th out of 80 in the SEA Paddle NYC 25 mile stand up paddle race around Manhattan in 2012.[34]
In 2008, Itzler married Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, at the Gasparilla Inn and Club in Boca Grande, Florida.[16][35] The couple have four children and reside in Georgia.[36][37]
References
- ^ a b Reichley, Melissa, "Alumni Success Story: Go-Getter Itzler on Third Career: Marquis Jet", Alumni News, American University
- ^ a b c Rhoden, William C. (February 18, 1995). "Sports of The Times; Hip-Hop In Orange And Blue". The New York Times. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
- ^ a b Janes, Erika Rasmusson (November 1, 2004). "NBA Idol: An Entrepreneur Raps His Way Into The Big Leagues". money.cnn.com. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
- ^ Family's Live-In Navy SEAL Identified. New York Post. November 3, 2015. Jennifer Gould Kell. accessed February 9, 2016
- ^ a b Natalie Robehmed (January 14, 2014). "How To Pitch Successfully From Rapper-Turned-Entrepreneur Jesse Itzler". Forbes. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
- ^ Atlanta Hawks Agree to Sell Team to Antony Ressler-Grant Hill Group. USA Today.Jeff Zillgitt. April 22, 2015. accessed February 9, 2016
- ^ Atlanta Jewish Times: "Jewish Investor Buying Hawks" by David R. Cohen April 29, 2015
- ^ Best, Neil (May 25, 2021). "He wrote the Knicks' 'Go New York' anthem of the mid-1990s. Now, Long Island's Jesse Itzler co-owns the Hawks". Newsday.
- ^ Kroll, Chana (July 20, 2009). "Jewish News: '100-Mile Man' Funds Educational Center for Underprivileged Children". Chabad.org.
- ^ Billboard Hot 100 [1] Original: Week of February 01, 1992, Referenced: February 22, 2011
- ^ "White Chicks Soundtrack". IMDB. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
- ^ Erika Rasmusson Janes (November 1, 2004). "NBA Idol: An entrepreneur raps his way into the big leagues". CNN Money. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
- ^ Executive Transactions. Street and Smith's Sports Business Daily. November 1, 2001. accessed February 9, 2016
- ^ Billboard Magazine May 17, 1997 [2] By Gina Van Der Viliet via Google Books accessed February 22, 2011
- ^ Alphabet City Alums Soar After Selling Firm to SFX. Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal. Andy Bernstein. December 9, 2002. accessed February 9, 2016
- ^ a b c "This Rapper From The Nineties Has A Sick New Startup". Business Insider. November 11, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
- ^ Teresa Novellino (October 31, 2013). "Good music, great grub? Vowch it to friends, says Jesse Itzler". Retrieved March 31, 2015.
- ^ American Booty. Forbes. Clare O'Connor. March 7, 2002. accessed February 9, 2016
- ^ .Reuters. Scott Matusow. September 20, 2012. accessed February 9, 2016
- ^ Coca-Cola Finishes Purchase of Majority ZICO Stake. Bevnet. April 11, 2012. accessed February 9, 2016
- ^ What You Learn Living One Month With a Navy SEAL. CBS News. November 9, 2015. accessed February 9, 2016
- ^ "Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous". The New York Times. November 20, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
- ^ "Paperback Nonfiction". Los Angeles Times. November 20, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
- ^ Living with the Monks: What Turning off My Phone Taught Me about Happiness, Gratitude, and Focus. Center Street. 29 May 2018.
- ^ "Jesse Itzler – the Leshne Agency".
- ^ "Jesse Itzler".
- ^ (Press release). National Basketball Association. June 24, 2015. Archived from the original on June 27, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
- ^ . The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
- ^ NBA: "Group Led By Tony Ressler Completes Purchase of Atlanta Hawks" June 25, 2015 | "Other investors include seven-time NBA All-Star Grant Hill, who will serve as Vice Chair of the Board, Townsquare Media Chair and CEO Steven Price, Clayton Dubilier & Rice partner Rick Schnall, and Spanx founder Sara Blakely and Marquis Jet co-founder Jesse Itzler, who are married"
- ^ Bloomberg: "NBA Governors Approve $730 Million Hawks Sale to Ressler's Group" By Scott Soshnick and Zeke Faux June 24, 2015
- ^ "Atlanta Hawks Sold to Ares' Ressler for $850 million, Group Includes Sara Blakely and Grant Hill". Atlanta Business Chronicle. April 24, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
- ^ Atlanta Hawks Selling for $850 Million. The Wall Street Journal. Ben Cohen. April 22, 2015. accessed February 9, 2016
- ^ Abramson, Mitch (January 6, 2007). "Nothing's Impossible, Not Even 100 Miles in 24 Hours". Newsday. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ^ Parker, Christopher (August 17, 2012). "[RESULTS] Rojas, Anderson Win The 2012 SEA Paddle NYC". SUP Racer. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ^ Atlanta Weddings (Atlanta Magazine): Spanx inventor Sarah Blakely on her wedding day" by Vikki Locke 2013-04-18 at the Wayback Machine October 18, 2008
- ^ The Wall Street Journal (New York): "A Day in the Life of Spanx's Founder Sara Blakely" by Christopher Ross August 14, 2014
- ^ The Observe (London): "Sara Blakely: a woman with a great grasp of figures" by Zoe Wood March 10, 2012
External links
- Thirty Footer in Your Face on Allmusic
- Jesse's video interview with Crains New York Business in 2008