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Scooter Braun

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Scooter Braun
Braun in 2020
Born
Scott Samuel Braun

(1981-06-18) June 18, 1981 (age 43)
New York City, U.S.
Occupations
  • Entrepreneur
  • media proprietor
  • record executive
  • philanthropist
  • investor
Years active2003–present
Organization(s)SB Projects, Ithaca Ventures, TQ Ventures, 100 Thieves[1][2]
Labels
TitleChairman of Ithaca Ventures
Owner of School Boy Records and co-owner of Raymond-Braun Media Group (RBMG)
Spouse
​
(m. 2014)​
Children3
Websitescooterbraun.com

Scott Samuel "Scooter" Braun (born June 18, 1981) is an American entrepreneur, media proprietor, record executive, investor, and philanthropist.[3][4][5][6] In 2013, Braun was included on the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.[7] He is the chairman of Ithaca Ventures and co-founder of TQ Ventures.[1][2][8]

Braun is also co-founder of the comic-film studio Mythos Studios, along with Hollywood producer David Maisel, and co-owner of the esports team 100 Thieves.[9][10] In 2018, Braun co-organized March for Our Lives, the student-led demonstration for stricter gun laws which USA Today measured as the largest single-day protest in Washington, D.C. history.[11]

Early life

Braun was born in New York City to Conservative Jewish parents,[12] Ervin and Susan (née Schlussel) Braun. Ervin's parents "had barely escaped" the Holocaust, and lived in Hungary until 1956, when they fled to the United States. Ervin grew up in Queens, and became a dentist; Susan Schlussel Braun was an orthodontist. After the couple married, they settled in Cos Cob, Connecticut.[13][14]

Braun has four siblings, including Adam Braun. He grew up in Cos Cob, Connecticut and attended Greenwich High School where he was elected class president.[15]

Braun went to college at Emory University in Atlanta where he also played college basketball until his sophomore year.[13] After Jermaine Dupri asked him to become the head of marketing at his label, So So Def, Braun reportedly dropped out of university without a degree.[16][17][18]

Career

Braun began organizing parties while studying at Emory University in Atlanta. In 2002, Braun was hired to plan after-parties in each of the five cities on the Anger Management Tour, featuring Ludacris and Eminem.[15] This launch into the world of hip-hop led Braun to producer Jermaine Dupri, the director of So So Def Records. Braun was 19 years old when Dupri asked him to join So So Def in a marketing position, and 20 when Dupri named him So So Def's executive director for marketing.[19] Still in his sophomore year at Emory, Braun was working at So So Def and operating his party promotion business. Some of his larger events included parties for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game and after-parties on Britney Spears' Onyx Hotel Tour.[15] Braun departed So So Def to start a private venture including a marketing business, music label, and artist representation.[16] He started his own marketing business by brokering a $12 million campaign deal between Ludacris and Pontiac; the music video for Ludacris' "Two Miles an Hour" would feature a Pontiac while Pontiac's commercials would feature the song.[15]

Braun first encountered Justin Bieber when he saw a video of a 12-year-old Bieber on YouTube, performing a song by Ne-Yo. Braun contacted Bieber's mother, Pattie Mallette, who agreed to bring her son to Atlanta for a no-strings-attached trial period. Eventually, Braun convinced them to move permanently from Canada to the United States. After further online success, Braun pitched Bieber to two successful artists, Usher and Justin Timberlake; both expressed interest. Eventually Usher's mentor, music executive L. A. Reid, signed Bieber to a deal with Island Def Jam in partnership with Raymond-Braun Media Group (RBMG).[20]

Film and television

Braun produced Never Say Never, a documentary on pop star Justin Bieber that MTV reported in 2011 as "one of the highest grossing music documentaries in domestic box-office history."[21] The film's budget was $13 million and earned over $100 million worldwide.[22] Braun was also an executive producer for Scorpion, a weekly drama airing on CBS from 2014 until 2018.[23] In 2018, Variety reported that television studio FX ordered a pilot of Dave a comedy executive produced by Braun that includes actor Kevin Hart and rapper Lil Dicky.[24] In its first season, Dave was the second-most watched comedy on FX.[25] In July 2019, SB Projects agreed to a first-look deal with Amazon Studios that includes television and film scripts.[26]

SB Projects

In 2007 Braun established SB Projects, a full-service entertainment and marketing company encompassing a range of ventures including Schoolboy Records, SB Management, and Sheba Publishing, a songwriting firm.[27][28] The group also includes RBMG, a joint venture between Braun and Usher. School Boy Records had a music distribution arrangement with Universal Music Group. In early 2013 Ariana Grande was signed to Scooter Braun's management and in 2016, Grande's label, Republic Records confirmed that Braun served as her main manager handling all aspects of her career.[5][29][30] SB Ventures also handles television campaigns, branding, music-licensing deals, and tour sponsorships—including Justin Bieber's Calvin Klein endorsement for the 2016-2017 Purpose World Tour.[31] The company also brokered a partnership between Kanye West and sneaker brand, Adidas.[32]

Ithaca Ventures, Braun's holding company that includes SB Projects, raised $120 million in 2010 for venture capital including investments in Uber, Spotify and Editorialist.[2][8] Fortune reported that Ithaca Ventures owns interests in seven of the country's largest music-management companies.[2] Media outlets reported that Ithaca, with $500 million under management as of 2018, would back GoodStory Entertainment, a collaboration between Braun and entertainment executive J. D. Roth, in acquisitions for unscripted, live event, and documentary films.[33][34]

In June 2019, Ithaca acquired Big Machine Label Group in a purchase that included the masters to the first six albums of American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Its founder Scott Borchetta remains with the company as CEO as a minority shareholder in Ithaca.[35][36]

Mythos Studios

In 2018, The New York Times reported that Braun had joined David Maisel, founding chairman of Marvel Studios, to form Mythos Studios to produce comic-book movie franchises in live-action and animated formats.[9][37][38]

Awards

Braun appeared on the cover of Billboard in the August 11, 2012 "Forty Under Forty" special issue titled "Scooter Braun and Other Power Players on the Rise". Braun was featured on the Time 100 list for 2013.[39] He also appeared a second time on the cover of Billboard in its April 20, 2013, issue, alongside Guy Oseary and Troy Carter.[40] In 2016 Scooter won the award for “Best Talent Manager” at the 3rd annual “International Music Industry Awards” presented by Shazam at the 12th annual MUSEXPO in Los Angeles.[41]

Braun was nominated a Grammy Award for Album of the Year for Purpose in 2016.[42] In 2017, Braun appeared on the cover of both, Variety magazine's Hitmakers issue and Success magazine's Gratitude issue.[43][44]

In 2018, Braun was honored with the Music Biz 2018 Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award for his philanthropic efforts in 2017.[45] In 2019, Braun earned national recognition at the Jefferson Awards for Public Service in New York.[46]

Politics

It was reported in 2017 that California Democratic Party figures were in discussion with Braun about a possible run for Governor of California in 2018,[47] and considered the idea but declined to run for office.[48] He had previously hosted a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton at his home in 2015.[49] In 2019 he hosted a fundraiser for the Kamala Harris 2020 presidential campaign.[50][51]

Philanthropy

Braun remains involved in various charities including the Braun Family Foundation.[52][53][54] He also assists with his brother Adam's charity Pens of Promise.[55] Billboard reported that as of 2017 Scooter Braun—along with clients and his companies—have granted more wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation than any other organization in the history of the foundation.[56] Scooter Braun was honored with the Humanitarian Award at the 2016 Billboard Touring Awards for his philanthropic support of Pencils of Promise, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Fuck Cancer.[57]

In 2017, Billboard magazine called Scooter Braun the music industry's "first-responder" when he organized and produced the One Love Manchester benefit concert and Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief telethon within months of one another.[58] In March 2018, George Clooney, Braun and his team organized March for Our Lives, a student-led demonstration for stricter gun laws that took place in Washington, DC. Vox reported that the march was the largest in the capitol's history since the Vietnam War.[59]

Braun coordinated a charity single, "Stuck With U" by Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, both of whom he manages, to raise money to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic.[60] All net proceeds from the song went to the First Responders Children's Foundation to fund grants and scholarships for children of first responders and health care workers who worked on the front lines during the pandemic.[61]

Personal life

In 2013, Braun began dating Yael Cohen, a Canadian health activist, philanthropist, and founder of Fuck Cancer.[62] The couple wed on July 6, 2014, in Whistler, British Columbia.[63][64] On February 6, 2015, they had their first child, Jagger Joseph Braun, in Los Angeles.[65][66] They had their second child, Levi Magnus Braun, on November 29, 2016.[67] On December 1, 2018, Cohen and Braun had their third child and first daughter, Hart Violet.[68]

References

  1. ^ a b "Scooter Braun Invests in European Cannabis as Region Opens Up". Bloomberg. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "Meet the Powerhouse Behind Justin Bieber's Success". Fortune. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  3. ^ "Here's a Brand Name: Scooter Braun". Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  4. ^ Herrera, Monica (March 19, 2010). "Justin Bieber – The Billboard Cover Story". Billboard. e5 Global Media. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  5. ^ a b Halperin, Shirley (September 23, 2016). "Ariana Grande Returns to Scooter Braun Management". Billboard. e5 Global Media. Archived from the original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  6. ^ "DJ Mag Top 100 DJs liveblog of Oct., 19th 2016". October 19, 2016. Archived from the original on October 20, 2016.
  7. ^ "The 2013 TIME 100: Scooter Braun". Time magazine. Archived from the original on November 17, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Scooter Braun's Hit Factory". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  9. ^ a b Coscarelli, Joe (March 27, 2018). "A New Film Studio From the Moguls Behind Justin Bieber and Marvel". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  10. ^ "Scooter Braun, David Maisel Form Mythos Studios". Variety. Archived from the original on June 9, 2018. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  11. ^ "March for Our Lives could be the biggest single-day protest in D.C.'s history". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 9, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  12. ^ Lev, David. "Young Bieber Gets a Firsthand Lesson in Israeli Politics". Arutz 7. Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  13. ^ a b Hodenfield, Chris (December 2010). "Brains & Braun". Greenwich Magazine. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
  14. ^ Schuster, Dana (August 15, 2010). "Bringing Up Bieber". New York Post. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
  15. ^ a b c d Ward, Coley (May 10, 2006). "Scooter Braun is the Hustla: How a white kid from the North became a power player in Atlanta hip-hop". clatl.com. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
  16. ^ a b Widdycombe, Lizzy (September 3, 2012). "Teen Titan". The New Yorker. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  17. ^ Jerusalem Post: "Braun and Brains Behind Bieber" by David Brinn and Amy Spiro May 14, 2013
  18. ^ Halperin, Shirley (November 22, 2010). "The Brains Behind Bieber: A Conversation with Scooter Braun". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  19. ^ Duffy, Thom (August 22, 2009). "30 Under Thirty 2009". Billboard. 121 (33). Nielsen Business Media: 23. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  20. ^ Halperin, Shirley (February 9, 2011). "Justin Bieber Cover: The Team and Strategy Behind Making Him a Star". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 11, 2015. The resulting joint venture, which took six months to come together, is a straightforward 50-50 split between IDJ and the newly formed Raymond Braun Media Group.
  21. ^ "Justin Bieber's 'Never Say Never' Is Third-Highest-Grossing Documentary of All Time". MTV. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  22. ^ "Scooter Braun's Movie Business Expanding Well Beyond Justin Bieber". Variety magazine. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  23. ^ "Scooter Braun is best known for Bieber, but 'Scorpion' is his real breakout hit". Washington Post. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  24. ^ "FX Orders Lil Dicky Comedy Pilot With Kevin Hart, Scooter Braun Producing". Variety. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  25. ^ "'Dave' On Track To Surpass 'Atlanta' As FX's Most Watched Comedy Series As It Awaits Season 2 Renewal". Deadline. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  26. ^ "Scooter Braun's SB Projects Strikes First-Look Television Deal With Amazon Studios". Deadline. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  27. ^ "SB Projects - Music". scooterbraun.com. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  28. ^ La Puma, Joe (February 9, 2015). "No Ceilings: Inside Scooter Braun's Growing Empire". Complex. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  29. ^ "Don't blame Justin Bieber for Ariana Grande manager split". pagesix.com. February 13, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  30. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: The Real Reason Ariana Grande Fired Scooter Braun as Her Manager". yahoo.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  31. ^ "Meet the Six Key Execs Who Help Scooter Braun Care for Roster of Clients". Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  32. ^ "Kanye West and Manager Scooter Braun Part Ways Professionally". Variety. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  33. ^ "Scooter Braun Teams With JD Roth to Form Unscripted Content Studio". Variety. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  34. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 12, 2018). "Scooter Braun & JD Roth Launch Unscripted Content Studio GoodStory Entertainment". Deadline. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  35. ^ "Scooter Braun's Ithaca Holdings Acquires Big Machine Label Group". Variety. June 30, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  36. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (November 22, 2019). "Scooter Braun pleads for resolution with Taylor Swift following death threats". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  37. ^ Ivie, Devon. "Justin Bieber's Manager Is Going to Make Marvel Superhero Movies". Vulture. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  38. ^ "Justin Bieber's manager Scooter Braun is making comic book movies now". NME. March 28, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  39. ^ Katzenberg, Jeffrey (April 18, 2013). "Scooter Braun: The 100 Most Influential People in the World". Time100.time.com. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  40. ^ Hampp, Andrew (April 22, 2013). "How Guy Oseary, Scooter Braun and Troy Carter Are Finding the Rock Stars of Tech: Billboard Cover Story". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  41. ^ "Award Winners Unveiled At The 3rd Annual 'International Music Industry Awards' At Musexpo L.A. In Partnership With Shazam". allaccess.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  42. ^ Merrill, Phillip. "Is Scooter Braun Launching A Competitor To "American Idol"?". Grammy.com. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  43. ^ "The Secrets of Scooter Braun's Success: Compassion, Loyalty and a Golden Ear". Variety magazine. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  44. ^ "The Ripple Effects of Gratitude". Success magazine. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  45. ^ "Scooter Braun Urges Nashville to Join Gun Control Debate at Music Biz 2018: 'Get on the Right Side of History'". Billboard magazine. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  46. ^ "Paducah teen wins national award for anti-bullying work". WPSD Local 6. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  47. ^ "Cali Democrats want Scooter Braun, Bieber's manager, to run for governor". August 22, 2017.
  48. ^ Halperin, Shirley; Halperin, Shirley (November 21, 2017). "Scooter Braun on Why He Was Happy to Have 'Despacito' Top Charts in 'Trump's America'".
  49. ^ Johnson, Ted; Johnson, Ted (July 10, 2015). "Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande's Manager to Host Hillary Clinton Fundraiser".
  50. ^ Ho, Vivian (July 23, 2019). "Kamala Harris attended a fundraiser with Scooter Braun. Will the Taylor Swift voting bloc react?" – via www.theguardian.com.
  51. ^ Adler, Dan. "Scooter Braun's Kamala Harris Fund-Raiser Connects the Latest Pop Wars to the Democratic Primary". Vanity Fair.
  52. ^ Williams, Nick. "Philanthropy at the Core of Scooter Braun's Business". Variety. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  53. ^ "L.A. Clippers Foundation, Patrick Beverley and Braun Family Foundation renovate L.A. elementary school playground". National Basketball Association. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  54. ^ "How Ariana Grande's Manchester Benefit Came Together So Quickly". The New York Times. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  55. ^ Halperin, Shirley (July 28, 2011). "Adam Braun on Pencils of Promise and How Justin Bieber Is 'Making the World Better". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  56. ^ "Scooter Braun Receiving Humanitarian Award at Music Biz 2018". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  57. ^ "Scooter Braun on Karma & How His Wife's Work With Cancer Patients Keeps His Problems In Perspective". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  58. ^ "Hurricane Telethon Highlights Scooter Braun's Other Job: Music's First Responder". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  59. ^ "It's official: March for Our Lives was one of the biggest youth protests since the Vietnam War". Vox. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  60. ^ Curto, Justin (May 1, 2020). "It Took the Coronavirus to Get Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande on the Same Song". Vulture. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  61. ^ Asmelash, Leah (May 3, 2020). "Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber are collaborating on a new track, and you could be in the music video". CNN. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  62. ^ Nessif, Bruna (January 6, 2014). "Justin Bieber's Manager Scooter Braun Engaged to Yael Cohen". E! Online.
  63. ^ Lee, Esther (July 7, 2014). "Scooter Braun Marries Yael Cohen: Justin Bieber's Manager Wedding Pictures and Guest Details". Us Weekly.
  64. ^ Malkin, Marc; Scarborough, Senta (July 7, 2014). "Justin Bieber's Manager Scooter Braun Marries Yael Cohen". E! Online.
  65. ^ "Scooter Braun's Hit Factory". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  66. ^ Webber, Stephanie (February 7, 2015). "Scooter Braun, Justin Bieber's Manager, Welcomes First Child With Wife Yael Cohen". Us Weekly.
  67. ^ "Scooter Braun Welcomes Baby Boy With Wife Yael -- Find Out His Cute Name!". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  68. ^ "Scooter Braun, Wife Yael Cohen Welcome First Daughter". Us Weekly. December 3, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
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