Jesse Itzler

Last updated
Jesse Itzler
Jesse Itzler on The Art of Charm.jpg
Itzler in 2018
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma mater American University (B.A.) [1] [2]
Occupation(s)Founder of The 100 Mile Group, entrepreneur, author, rapper, singer, songwriter
Spouse
​
(m. 2008)​
Children4

Jesse Itzler (born August 22, 1968) 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]

Contents

Early life and education

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] He was the youngest of three or four children, depending on the source. [9] [10] Three generations of his father's family were raised in Brooklyn. [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. [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 [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 NY 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. [2]

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. [4] [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]

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References

  1. 1 2 Reichley, Melissa, "Alumni Success Story: Go-Getter Itzler on Third Career: Marquis Jet", Alumni News, American University
  2. 1 2 3 Rhoden, William C. (February 18, 1995). "Sports of The Times; Hip-Hop In Orange And Blue". The New York Times . Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Janes, Erika Rasmusson (November 1, 2004). "NBA Idol: An Entrepreneur Raps His Way Into The Big Leagues". money.cnn.com. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Natalie Robehmed (January 14, 2014). "How To Pitch Successfully From Rapper-Turned-Entrepreneur Jesse Itzler". Forbes . Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  5. ↑ Atlanta Hawks Agree to Sell Team to Antony Ressler-Grant Hill Group. USA Today.Jeff Zillgitt. April 22, 2015. accessed February 9, 2016
  6. ↑ Atlanta Jewish Times: "Jewish Investor Buying Hawks" by David R. Cohen April 29, 2015
  7. ↑ Best, Neil (May 25, 2021). "He wrote the Knicks' 'Go New York' anthem of the mid-1990s. Now, Long Island's Jesse Itzler co-owns the Hawks". Newsday .
  8. ↑ Kroll, Chana (July 20, 2009). "Jewish News: '100-Mile Man' Funds Educational Center for Underprivileged Children". Chabad.org.
  9. ↑ Rhoden, William C (February 18, 1995). "Sports of The Times; Hip-Hop In Orange And Blue" . The New York Times . p. A.29. ProQuest   430065520 . Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  10. ↑ Scooby Axson (June 2, 2021). "Hawks co-owner Jesse Itzler, who wrote Knicks anthem, will see his NBA worlds collide again in Game 5" . USA Today . ProQuest   2535769381 . Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  11. ↑ Frankel, Bethenny (June 17, 2021). "Episode Transcript". Just B. iHeartMedia . Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  12. ↑ Billboard Hot 100 Original: Week of February 01, 1992, Referenced: February 22, 2011
  13. ↑ "White Chicks Soundtrack". IMDB. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
  14. ↑ Erika Rasmusson Janes (November 1, 2004). "NBA Idol: An entrepreneur raps his way into the big leagues". CNN Money. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
  15. ↑ Executive Transactions. Street and Smith's Sports Business Daily. November 1, 2001. accessed February 9, 2016
  16. ↑ Billboard Magazine May 17, 1997 By Gina Van Der Viliet via Google Books accessed February 22, 2011
  17. ↑ 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
  18. 1 2 3 "This Rapper From The Nineties Has A Sick New Startup". Business Insider . November 11, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  19. ↑ Teresa Novellino (October 31, 2013). "Good music, great grub? Vowch it to friends, says Jesse Itzler" . Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  20. ↑ American Booty. Forbes. Clare O'Connor. March 7, 2002. accessed February 9, 2016
  21. ↑ Following A Winner:Tracking The Investment Profile of Super Investor Isaac Blech.Reuters. Scott Matusow. September 20, 2012. accessed February 9, 2016
  22. ↑ Coca-Cola Finishes Purchase of Majority ZICO Stake. Bevnet. April 11, 2012. accessed February 9, 2016
  23. ↑ What You Learn Living One Month With a Navy SEAL. CBS News. November 9, 2015. accessed February 9, 2016
  24. ↑ "Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous". The New York Times. November 20, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Paperback Nonfiction". Los Angeles Times. November 20, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  26. ↑ Living with the Monks: What Turning off My Phone Taught Me about Happiness, Gratitude, and Focus. Center Street. 29 May 2018.
  27. ↑ "Jesse Itzler – the Leshne Agency".
  28. ↑ "Jesse Itzler".
  29. ↑ "NBA unanimously approves sale of Atlanta Hawks" (Press release). National Basketball Association. June 24, 2015. Archived from the original on June 27, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Hawks finalizing sale with billionaire Antony Ressler". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  31. ↑ 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"
  32. ↑ Bloomberg: "NBA Governors Approve $730 Million Hawks Sale to Ressler's Group" By Scott Soshnick and Zeke Faux June 24, 2015
  33. ↑ "Atlanta Hawks Sold to Ares' Ressler for $850 million, Group Includes Sara Blakely and Grant Hill". Atlanta Business Chronicle. April 24, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  34. ↑ Atlanta Hawks Selling for $850 Million. The Wall Street Journal. Ben Cohen. April 22, 2015. accessed February 9, 2016
  35. ↑ Abramson, Mitch (January 6, 2007). "Nothing's Impossible, Not Even 100 Miles in 24 Hours". Newsday. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  36. ↑ Parker, Christopher (August 17, 2012). "[RESULTS] Rojas, Anderson Win The 2012 SEA Paddle NYC". SUP Racer. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  37. ↑ Atlanta Weddings (Atlanta Magazine): Spanx inventor Sarah Blakely on her wedding day" by Vikki Locke Archived 2013-04-18 at the Wayback Machine October 18, 2008
  38. ↑ The Wall Street Journal (New York): "A Day in the Life of Spanx's Founder Sara Blakely" by Christopher Ross August 14, 2014
  39. ↑ The Observer (London): "Sara Blakely: a woman with a great grasp of figures" by Zoe Wood March 10, 2012
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