Marc Bell (entrepreneur)

Last updated
Marc H. Bell
Marc H Bell.jpg
Born
Brooklyn, New York, US
Citizenship American
Alma mater Babson College, New York University
Occupation(s)Managing Partner,
Marc Bell Capital
Founder and CEO,
Globix, Chairman and CEO,
Terran Orbital
Known forFormer owner of Penthouse magazine [1] [2] [3] [4]
Board member ofArmour Residential REIT, Terran Orbital

Marc Bell is an American financier and entrepreneur. He is the managing partner of Marc Bell Capital, a Boca Raton, Florida-based firm founded in 2002. [5] He is also a producer of plays, musicals and movies.

Contents

Education

Bell graduated from Scarsdale High School in the Class of 1985. He later on earned his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Babson College and a Master of Science degree in real estate development and investment from New York University. [6]

Career

Bell founded the web hosting company that eventually became Globix Corporation in 1989 at the age of 21 [7] and served as its CEO and chairman of the board through the company's IPO in 1996 [8] and into the dot-com bubble; as the company crashed along with the stock market in 2001 as its main internet data centers were located in lower Manhattan, [9] Bell as board chairman moved Peter Stevenson into the CEO role. [10] Its market capitalization fell from almost $2.4 billion [11] in 1999 to $5.87 million in 2002 when it went through Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to its inability to recover from the September 11, 2001 attack. [12] [13]

In 2001, he joined the Board of Trustees of New York University and Board of Overseers New York University School of Medicine. [6] [14]

Through his company Marc Bell Capital, Bell is an investor and partner in restaurants and nightclubs in New York City in ventures such as Artichoke Pizza and Lavo. [6] [7]

In 2004, Bell and a partner acquired Penthouse magazine for $52 million in a bankruptcy auction through a vehicle they called "Penthouse Media Group", [6] [15] [16] and in 2007 Penthouse Media Group acquired Various, which included networking site AdultFriendFinder.com for $500 million [6] and Bell and his partner renamed the company Friend Finder Networks. [16] In the 2008 Bell attempted to enter the Las Vegas casino market and was interviewed by Robin Leach about his intentions; he brought Penthouse models with him to the interview. [17]

Bell has produced musicals and plays such as Jersey Boys, Rock of Ages, The Wedding Singer, August: Osage County, and A Catered Affair. [7] His production Jersey Boys won a Tony Award for Best Musical in 2006 and August: Osage County won Best Play in 2008. [18] Jersey Boys was the eighth highest grossing show in the history of Broadway with worldwide revenue of $1,644,848,098. [19] [20]

In 2010 Bell, through Friend Finder Networks, tried to acquire Playboy Enterprises but was rebuffed after a $210 million bid. [6] [21]

The Friend Finder Networks company and the Penthouse magazine that it owned filed for bankruptcy protection on September 17, 2013. FriendFinder’s current common stock was wiped out and was no longer traded on the open market. In August 2013, FriendFinder's stock was delisted from Nasdaq because it consistently failed to trade for more than $1. [22] [16]

In 2013 Bell created The Boca Raton Police Foundation. [23] He later retired as chairman in 2024. [24]

Bell put his house in Boca Raton on the market for $35 million; it included a room modeled after the bridge of the Enterprise D from Star Trek: The Next Generation. [25] The listing was removed in May, 2019. [26] CNBC did a special on the house in 2014. [27]

On September 13, 2017, Bell took in 70 foster kids who were displaced during a Hurricane Irma from local shelters. [28] [29] [30]

He is a co-founder and the chief executive officer for Terran Orbital, a manufacturer of small satellites. [31] [32] Terran Orbital received $100 million investment from Lockheed Martin [33] Terran added a satellite to the permanent display of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in March 2023 [34]

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References

  1. ↑ "The President and the porn stars: Bill Clinton, adult actresses Brooklyn Lee and Tasha Reign, and a 10-second photo op". masslive.com . 25 May 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2016. ...as the guest of Marc Bell, the CEO of the corporation that owns Penthouse Magazine...
  2. ↑ "Penthouse Owner: Leave Bill Clinton Alone". ABC News . Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  3. ↑ Robin Leach (19 November 2008). "Special Feature: Meet Penthouse mogul Marc Bell, the man who plans to change the face of the Strip and make it 'hotter and sexier'". Las Vegas Weekly . Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  4. ↑ Robin Leach. "Special Feature: Meet Penthouse mogul Marc Bell, the man who plans to change the face of the Strip and make it 'hotter and sexier'". Las Vegas Sun . Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "Detail by Entity Name". search.sunbiz.org. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Brett Pulley (July 22, 2010). "FriendFinder's CEO Wants Playboy". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 "Know Your NYU Trustees: Marc Bell, Whose Company Owns AdultFriendFinder". NYULocal. February 23, 2012. Archived from the original on April 12, 2012.
  8. ↑ Staff, New York Times. January 22, 1996 Equity and Convertible Offerings for This Week
  9. ↑ "Globix New York City data centers fully operational". Lightwave. 2001-09-13. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  10. ↑ Staff, The Wall Street Transcript. September 2, 2002 CEO Interview: Peter Stevenson
  11. ↑ Jones, Dow (2000-01-11). "Globix Splits Stock Again". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  12. ↑ Staff, New York Times. January 15, 2002 Technology Briefing | Internet: Globix Plans To Seek Protection
  13. ↑ "EDGAR Filing Documents for 0001021408-01-507648". www.sec.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  14. ↑ "Bio - Marc.com". Marc.com. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  15. ↑ Bosworth, Patricia (February 2005). "The X-Rated Emperor". Vanity Fair.
  16. 1 2 3 Pfeifer, Stuart (2013-09-17). "Penthouse publisher FriendFinder files for bankruptcy protection - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  17. ↑ Leach, Robin (November 19, 2008). "Special Feature: Meet Penthouse mogul Marc Bell, the man who plans to change the face of the Strip and make it 'hotter and sexier'". Las Vegas Weekly.
  18. ↑ "Marc Bell – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  19. ↑ "Money, money, money". The Economist. ISSN   0013-0613 . Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  20. ↑ "JERSEY BOYS Broadway Grosses". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  21. ↑ Jennifer Saba (July 15, 2010). "Penthouse owner offers $210 million for Playboy". Reuters. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  22. ↑ Pfeifer, Stuart (September 17, 2013). "Penthouse magazine owner files for bankruptcy". LA Times. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  23. ↑ "About Us". Boca Raton Police Foundation. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  24. ↑ "Marc Bell Retires as Chairman, Named Chairman Emeritus". Boca Raton Police Foundation. 2024-03-15. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  25. ↑ Erin Carlyle (May 14, 2014). "Former Penthouse Exec Marc Bell's Star Trek Mansion Hits The Market For $35 Million". forbes. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  26. ↑ Inc, Zillow. "3682 NW 52nd St, Boca Raton, FL 33496". Zillow. Retrieved 2023-05-08.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  27. ↑ "Nerd-vana: Florida mansion features 'Star Trek' bridge". CNBC. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  28. ↑ Millionaire opens mansion to FL foster kids | CNN, 2017-09-13, retrieved 2023-04-06
  29. ↑ Bacon, John. "Real-life Daddy Warbucks? Millionaire hosts 70 foster kids in mansion after Irma". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  30. ↑ "Florida Couple Who Opened Their Mansion to 70 Foster Kids During Irma Continues to Help". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  31. ↑ "Inline XBRL Viewer". www.sec.gov. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  32. ↑ "People – Terran Orbital" . Retrieved 2022-04-01.
  33. ↑ Alamalhodaei, Aria (2022-11-01). "Lockheed Martin increases its bet on satellite manufacturer Terran Orbital with $100 million investment". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  34. ↑ Costelloe, Kevin (2023-03-08). "Smithsonian Adds Terran Satellite". Orange County Business Journal. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
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