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Steven Massarsky

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Steven J. Massarsky (Mar 21, 1948 – October 5, 2007) was an American lawyer and businessman who founded Voyager Communications, parent company of the early 1990s comic book company Valiant Comics.[1]

Biography

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Born in New Jersey, Massarsky graduated from Weehawken High School in 1966 and was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 1999.[2] He held an A.B. in political science from Brown University and a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law–Newark. He was a founding board member of the Brown University Entrepreneurship Program. He was also member of the Weehawken, New Jersey Hall of Fame.[1]

Massarsky first owned and operated an artist management company handling artists such as The Allman Brothers Band and The Wailers, and is responsible for launching the career of Cyndi Lauper. He next operated an entertainment law practice with such diverse clients as Nintendo, The Wailers, Cabbage Patch Dolls, the Psychedelic Furs, Collins Management, Aerosmith, Tom Chapin and Willie Mays.

Massarsky next co-founded Voyager Communications in 1989, with Valiant Comics growing into the third largest comic book publisher in the United States behind only Marvel Comics and DC Comics during the comic boom of the 1990s. The company was later sold to Acclaim Entertainment, with Massarsky remaining on as President and Publisher of the resulting Acclaim Comics.

He died from complications of cancer on October 5, 2007, aged 59.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Steven J. Massarsky, Entertainment Attorney and Business Entrepreneur, Dies at 59". ADN News Network. October 5, 2007. Archived from the original on January 27, 2008. Retrieved October 13, 2007.
  2. ^ "Academic awards aplenty; Weehawken honors top students, inducts Pasquale into Hall of Fame", The Hudson Reporter, May 13, 2000. Accessed May 20, 2021. "It began in 1980 as a simple presentation to honor the top students of Weehawken High School, to recognize the members of the school’s National Honor Society.... Pasquale becomes the 17th inductee into the school’s Hall of Fame. The others are... Steven Massarsky (Class of ’66) in 1999."