Julian A. Brodsky

Last updated
Julian A. Brodsky
Born
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

(1933-07-16) July 16, 1933 (age 89)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationBusinessman
Known forCo-Founder of Comcast Corporation

Julian A. Brodsky (born July 16, 1933) is an American businessman, the co-founder of Comcast Corporation and served as its chief financial officer and vice chairman. He also served as co-founder and chair of Comcast Interactive Capital, Comcast's venture capital unit now called Comcast Ventures. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

Brodsky was raised in a Jewish family [2] in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He served two years in the United States Army before training as an accountant. [3] [4]

Career

In 1963, Brodsky joined one of his clients, Ralph J. Roberts, and Roberts's adviser, Daniel Aaron, to purchase a 1,200-subscriber cable TV operator in Tupelo, Mississippi called American Cable Systems. [5] [6] They incorporated in 1969 as Comcast Corporation, a name Roberts invented by combining the words communications and broadcasting. [7] The partners became a powerful leadership team with a style described as a threesome driving a car with Brodsky stepping on the gas by raising the necessary capital for growth, Aaron with his foot on the brakes to ensure effective operations, and Roberts with his hands on the steering wheel as CEO. [8]

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References

  1. Philadelphia Inquirer: "Comcast Starts Internet-related Investment Fund Using $100 Million Of Its Own Money, The Cable Tv Company Positions Itself For A Fast-changing Era." Patricia Horn January 06, 1999
  2. Jewish Daily Forward: "Brian Roberts' Jewish Roots and Outsized Ambition Drive Comcast's Rise in Media" By Nathan Guttman March 02, 2014 |"Comcast was established in 1969 by Roberts’s father Ralph and his two Jewish partners, Daniel Aaron and Julian Brodsky"
  3. Philadelphia Inquirer: "On eve of his departing, Comcast's Brodsky looks back at the many wins" Bob Fernandez May 01, 2011
  4. "The Cable Center Oral Histories" retrieved September 2, 2014
  5. Los Angeles Times: "Comcast goes all in on NBCUniversal" By Meg James February 13, 2013
  6. ""February 11, 2004 filing of Comcast history from the Comcast website. Retrieved on September 2, 2014". Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  7. Philadelphia Inquirer: "Love: SUZANNE (FLEISHER) ROBERTS & RALPH J. ROBERTS" By Kellie Patrick Gates February 14, 2013
  8. David D. Kirkpatrick (February 24, 2003). "Daniel Aaron, 77, a Founder Of Comcast Cable Television". New York Times. Retrieved August 27, 2014.