Jesse Itzler
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Jesse Itzler (born August 22, 1968) is an American entrepreneur, author, and rapper.[1] 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 one of the owners of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).[2][3]
Early life and education
Jesse Itzler was born on August 22, 1968, to a Jewish family[4] and raised in Roslyn, New York,[5] on Long Island, the son of Daniel Itzler, an inventor, and Elese Itzler,[6] the president of the Roslyn Board of Education. He was the youngest of three or four children, depending on the source.[7][8] Three generations of his father's family were raised in Brooklyn.[9]
Itzler earned his bachelor's degree in 1990 from American University. He later obtained a degree in justice, law, and society.[10][11]
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.[1] 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[12] and was featured in the soundtrack of the 2004 movie White Chicks.[13] In 1992, Itzler wrote and sang the New York Knicks theme song "Go New York Go"[14] 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.[15]
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.[11]
Entrepreneurship
In 1996, Itzler co-founded Alphabet City Sports Records with his friend Kenny Dichter.[16] 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.[17]
In 2001, Itzler co-founded Marquis Jet, one of the largest private jet card companies in the world.[18] Itzler served as the company's Vice Chairman until the company was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway, parent company of NetJets, in 2009.[2][19]
In 2009, Itzler created the 100 Mile Group, a brand incubator and accelerator.[20][21] The company announced a partnership with ZICO Coconut Water and the Coca-Cola company in 2009.[22] In 2012, ZICO was acquired by Coca-Cola for an undisclosed sum.[18]
In November 2015, Itzler released his book Living With a SEAL: 31 Days Training With the Toughest Man on the Planet.[23] The book was a New York Times Best Seller and ranked first on the LA Times book list.[24][25] He released Living With the Monks: What Turning Off My Phone Taught Me about Happiness, Gratitude, and Focus in 2018.[26] Itzler is represented by literary agent Lisa Leshne of The Leshne Agency.[27]
Recently, he has begun to pursue keynote speaking.[28]
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 purchased the Atlanta Hawks for $850 million[29][30][31] from Bruce Levenson.[32][33][34]
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.[35] Itzler finished 49th out of 80 in the SEA Paddle NYC 25 mile stand up paddle race around Manhattan in 2012.[36]
In 2008, Itzler married Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, at the Gasparilla Inn and Club in Boca Grande, Florida.[18][37] The couple have four children and reside in Georgia.[38][39]
References
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- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ 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
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- ↑ a b Cite error: Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".
- ↑ Billboard Hot 100 [1] Original: Week of February 01, 1992, Referenced: February 22, 2011
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- ↑ 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 Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ American Booty. Forbes. Clare O'Connor. March 7, 2002. accessed February 9, 2016
- ↑ Following A Winner:Tracking The Investment Profile of Super Investor Isaac Blech.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
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- ↑ 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
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Atlanta Hawks Selling for $850 Million. The Wall Street Journal. Ben Cohen. April 22, 2015. accessed February 9, 2016
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- ↑ Atlanta Weddings (Atlanta Magazine): Spanx inventor Sarah Blakely on her wedding day" by Vikki Locke Script error: No such module "webarchive". 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 Observer (London): "Sara Blakely: a woman with a great grasp of figures" by Zoe Wood March 10, 2012
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External links
- Thirty Footer in Your Face on Allmusic
- Jesse's video interview with Crains New York Business in 2008
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- Pages with script errors
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- Living people
- Rappers from New York (state)
- 1968 births
- American University alumni
- 20th-century American Jews
- People from Roslyn, New York
- American sports owners
- Jewish rappers
- 20th-century American singers
- 21st-century American rappers
- 21st-century American Jews