Jesse Itzler | |
|---|---|
 Itzler in 2018 | |
| Citizenship | American |
| Alma mater | American University (B.A.) [1] [2] |
| Occupation(s) | Founder of The 100 Mile Group, entrepreneur, author, rapper, singer, songwriter |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
Jesse Itzler is an American entrepreneur, author, and rapper. [3] 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 NBA's Atlanta Hawks. [4] [5]
Jesse Itzler was born on August 22, 1968, to a Jewish family [6] and raised in Roslyn, New York, [7] on Long Island, the son of Daniel Itzler, an inventor, and Elese Itzler, [8] 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]
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 [9] and was featured in the soundtrack of the 2004 movie White Chicks . [10] In 1992, Itzler wrote and sang the New York Knicks theme song "Go NY Go" [11] 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. [12]
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]
In 1996, Itzler co-founded Alphabet City Sports Records with his friend Kenny Dichter. [13] 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. [14]
In 2001, Itzler co-founded Marquis Jet, one of the largest private jet card companies in the world. [15] Itzler served as the company's Vice Chairman until the company was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway, parent company of NetJets, in 2009. [4] [16]
In 2009, Itzler created the 100 Mile Group, a brand incubator and accelerator. [17] [18] The company announced a partnership with ZICO Coconut Water and the Coca-Cola company in 2009. [19] In 2012, ZICO was acquired by Coca-Cola for an undisclosed sum. [15]
In November 2015, Itzler released his book Living With a SEAL: 31 Days Training With the Toughest Man on the Planet. [20] The book was a New York Times Best Seller and ranked first on the LA Times book list. [21] [22] He released Living With the Monks: What Turning Off My Phone Taught Me about Happiness, Gratitude, and Focus in 2018. [23] Itzler is represented by literary agent Lisa Leshne of The Leshne Agency. [24]
Recently, he has begun to pursue keynote speaking. [25]
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 [26] [27] [28] from Bruce Levenson. [29] [30] [31]
In 2006, Itzler competed in the USA National Ultra Marathon Championship in Grapevine, Texas, successfully completing a 100-mile run in under 24 hours. [32] Itzler finished 49th out of 80 in the SEA Paddle NYC 25 mile stand up paddle race around Manhattan in 2012. [33]
In 2008, Itzler married Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, at the Gasparilla Inn and Club in Boca Grande, Florida. [15] [34] The couple have four children and reside in Georgia. [35] [36]
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at State Farm Arena.
King & Spalding LLP is an American multinational corporate law firm that is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with offices located in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. It has over 1,300 lawyers in 23 offices globally. It is Am Law 100, Global 30, and white-shoe firm.
Tab was a diet cola soft drink produced and distributed by The Coca-Cola Company, introduced in 1963 and discontinued in 2020. The company's first diet drink, Tab was popular among some people throughout the 1960s and 1970s as an alternative to Coca-Cola. Several variations were made, including a number of fruit-flavored, root beer, and ginger ale versions. Caffeine-free and clear variations were released in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
State Farm Arena is a multi-purpose arena located in Atlanta, Georgia. The arena serves as the home venue for the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Atlanta Hawks. It also served as home to the National Hockey League's Atlanta Thrashers from 1999 to 2011, before the team moved to Winnipeg, as well as the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)'s Atlanta Dream from 2008 to 2016 and 2019, and the temporary Home of the Georgia Tech Basketball in 2011. It opened in 1999 at a cost of $213.5 million, replacing the Omni Coliseum. It is owned by the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority and operated by the Hawks, owned by Tony Ressler along with a group of investors including Grant Hill.
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational corporation founded in 1892. It produces Coca-Cola. The drink industry company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, and alcoholic beverages. The company's stock is listed on the NYSE and is part of the DJIA and the S&P 500 and S&P 100 indexes.
Spanx, Inc. is an American underwear maker focusing on shaping briefs and leggings, founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The company manufactures mainly pantyhose and other underwear for women and, since 2010, produces male underwear as well. Spanx specializes in foundation garments intended to make people appear thinner or more shapely.
Pepsi Stuff was a major loyalty program launched by PepsiCo, first in North America on March 28, 1996 and then around the world, featuring premiums — such as T-shirts, hats, denim and leather jackets, bags, and mountain bikes — that could be purchased with Pepsi Points through the Pepsi Stuff Catalog or online. Customers could acquire points from specially marked Pepsi packages and fountain cups. Additional points were sold both by Pepsi and by consumers, the latter mainly enabled by eBay. The first Pepsi Stuff promotion ended on October 31, 1996. It was relaunched 12 years later on February 1, 2008, ended on December 31, 2008, and was relaunched as Pepsi Pass in August 2015. Pepsi Stuff was relaunched on January 22, 2018 with retro editions of Pepsi, and ended on February 28, 2019.
Clearwater High School (CHS) is a four-year public high school located in Clearwater, Florida, United States. It is part of the Pinellas County School System. The school mascot is a tornado, therefore students and faculty are known as the Tornadoes. Their colors are crimson and gray, which is also the name of their fight song.
Sara Treleaven Blakely is an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She is the founder of Spanx, an American intimate apparel company with pants and leggings, founded in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2012, Blakely was named in Time magazine's "Time 100" annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2014, she was listed as the 93rd most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.
Atlanta Hawks, LLC was an Atlanta, Georgia-based parent company formerly the holder of the franchise of the Atlanta Hawks, a professional basketball team in the NBA, and the Atlanta Thrashers, a former professional hockey team in the NHL. The Atlanta Spirit LLC name was changed to Atlanta Hawks, LLC on March 14, 2014.
Coca-Cola Freestyle is a touch screen soda fountain introduced by The Coca-Cola Company in 2009. The machine features 165 different Coca-Cola drink products, as well as custom flavors. The machine allows users to select from mixtures of flavors of Coca-Cola branded products which are then individually dispensed. The machines are currently located in major Coca-Cola partners and retail locations as a part of a gradual and ongoing deployment.
Antony P. Ressler is an American billionaire businessman. He co-founded the private equity firms Apollo Global Management in 1990, and Ares Management in 1997. As of August 2023, his net worth was estimated by Forbes at $7.5 billion.
Zico is a brand of coconut water and other drinks containing coconut water. The drinks are produced by Zico Rising, originally founded as Zico Beverages in 2004.
Laurie Ann Goldman is an American businessperson and investor. She is best known for serving as the chief executive officer of Spanx from 2002 to 2014 and is the CEO of Tupperware Brands.
Nadji Anthony Jeter is an American actor. He is best known for providing the voice and motion capture for Sam in the action-adventure video game The Last of Us (2013) and Miles Morales in several Marvel projects since 2017, most notably the Marvel's Spider-Man series by Insomniac Games. In 2021, he received a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Performer in a Leading Role, as well as won the D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Character, for his performance as Miles Morales in the 2020 video game Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. In 2024, he won the BAFTA award, as well as his second D.I.C.E. Award, for his reprisal of the role in Marvel's Spider-Man 2.
Kenny Dichter is an American entrepreneur and founder of publicly traded aviation company, Wheels Up. He also co-founded Alphabet City Sports Records, Marquis Jet, and Tequila Avión.
Steven Price is an American businessman serving as executive chairman of Townsquare Media, and minority owner of the Atlanta Hawks.
Rick Schnall is an American businessman, co-president of private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, minority owner of the Atlanta Hawks, and among the majority owners of the Charlotte Hornets.
Steve Koonin is the chief executive officer of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. He is the former president of Turner Broadcasting System. Koonin chairs the Georgia Aquarium and is on the boards of TKO Group Holdings, Rubicon Technologies, Fox Theatre, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Emory Healthcare, and the Woodruff Arts Center.
| |
| Franchise | |
| Arenas | |
| Personnel |
|
| G League affiliate | |
| Retired numbers | |
| NBA championships | |
| Culture and lore | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
