Eric Eisner (producer)

Last updated

Eric Eisner
Spouse
(m. 2008)
Children3
Parent(s)Jane Breckenridge
Michael Eisner
Family Breck Eisner (brother)
Sigmund Eisner
(great-great-grandfather)

Eric Eisner is the founder and CEO of Double E Pictures, and partner at The Tornante Company. He is the son of Disney magnate Michael Eisner and a producer.

Contents

Early life and education

Eisner is the son of Jane Breckenridge, a business advisor and computer programmer, and Michael Eisner. [1] His mother is a Unitarian of Scottish and Swedish descent while his father is Jewish. [2]

Eisner holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. [3]

Career

Eisner started his entertainment career in sports, working for the NHL team, the Anaheim (Mighty) Ducks. There he worked in the hockey operations department and helped renegotiate both the radio and television contracts. Eisner also spent two years as a talent scout and participated in the scout table during those NHL entry drafts.

Eisner founded the popular original content site Romp.com. The site produced original short form animations and live action shows. Eisner wrote and directed the film, Jake's Booty Call, an animated feature-length film based on a short on Romp.com and distributed by National Lampoon.

In 2006, Eisner founded Double E Pictures (formerly L+E Productions). The company’s production of Hamlet 2 won wide acclaim as a late entry to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, in January 2008. After the screening, an all-night bidding war took place for rights to distribution, which Focus Features won for a near-record $10 million, acquiring worldwide rights to the film. Hamlet 2 is the first Eisner film to be featured at Sundance. Eisner also created the television show Madden Nation, which aired on the ESPN Networks for four seasons. [3]

Double E Pictures is currently developing a number of film projects about a wide variety of subjects including: The Grateful Dead (on which Eisner is lead producer); reputed organized crime figure Meyer Lansky; and Mossad agent and Israeli hero Eli Cohen. [3]

Eisner is Partner at The Tornante Company, a privately held firm that invests in, acquires and operates companies in media and entertainment. Tornante was founded in 2005, and its portfolio includes: Clique Media Group (now Clique Brands - the brand umbrella for lifestyle sites including Byrdie and Who What Wear); Omaze; Portsmouth football club; TaskRabbit; Topps; Vuguru; and Tornante TV, which produces both original and syndicated television content. [4] Among Tornante TV’s original projects is BoJack Horseman. Eisner was also on the board of Topps, which was acquired by Tornante in 2007. [5]

Philanthropy

Eisner is on the Board of The Eisner Foundation, which was founded in 1996 and contributes to a number of non-profit organizations including SCORE (Spinal Cord Opportunities for Rehabilitation Endowment), which provides grants to people who have had sports-related spinal cord injuries. The foundation has also undertaken several special initiatives, including through partnerships with: The Aspen Institute, to advance arts programming nationwide and increase the role of arts in all aspects of America’s culture; California State University Northridge, to help prepare teachers, parents and clinicians in supporting the educational and emotional needs of all types of learners; Project GRAD (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams), a college outreach program that prepares K-12th grade students in the Northeast San Fernando Valley to enter and succeed in college; and The Eisner Pediatric & Family Medical Center, which offers comprehensive services including prenatal care, medical care for infants, children and adolescents, a women’s health center, adult medical, dental and mental health care, and child development centers at 11 sites across the county. [6]

Additionally, The Eisner Foundation annually awards The Eisner Prize to non-profit programs or individuals that unite multiple generations. [7]

Personal life

In 2008, he married fashion designer Stacey Bendet on the Caribbean island of Anguilla. [8] They have three daughters born in 2008, [9] 2011, [10] and 2015. [11]

See also

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References

  1. filmreference.com Michael Eisner
  2. Pinsky, Mark I., The Gospel According to Disney: Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust p. 123-129
  3. 1 2 3 "About Us". Archived from the original on February 9, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  4. Staff writer. "About Us" . Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  5. "TOPPS ANNOUNCES CLOSING OF ACQUISITION BY MICHAEL EISNER'S TORNANTE COMPANY AND MADISON DEARBORN PARTNERS". October 12, 2007. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  6. "The Eisner Foundation" . Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  7. "Michael Eisner Creates $100k Annual Prize". hollywoodreporter.com. October 10, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  8. Elle: "Alice + Olivia Designer Stacey Bendet Eisner's New Pad – Being a grown-up doesn't mean you have to forsake fun" BY Miranda Purves March 31, 2010
  9. Staff writer (May 6, 2008). "Alice + Olivia's Stacey Bendet expecting first child". People . Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  10. Sarah Michaud (April 10, 2011). "Stacey Bendet Welcomes Daughter Scarlet Haven". People . Archived from the original on December 6, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  11. Anya Leon (September 22, 2015). "Stacey Bendet Welcomes Daughter Athena Belle". People . Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2016.