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Ian Schrager
CEO and Chairman of Ian Schrager Company
December 2nd
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Ian Schrager, CEO and Chairman of the Ian Schrager Company, has created repeated successes by "re-inventing the wheel." By creating unique atmospheres and emotional experiences, he broke new ground in nightclubs, hotels and residences. Schrager undoubtedly understands what the public wants, often times before it does.
After graduating from Syracuse University and the law school at St. John's, Schrager opened a chain of steakhouses in New Jersey. Soon after, he reconnected with college friend Steve Rubell and forged an incredible partnership to develop nightclubs. They made history in 1977, with the opening of the legendary Studio 54. While the notorious fall of Manhattan’s mecca of celebrity and decadence was not without pain for Schrager, he picked up the pieces and successfully launched the first "boutique" hotel in Manhattan, opening the doors of the Morgans Hotel in 1984.
Hailed as an innovator, Schrager championed the idea of "hotel as lifestyle" and developed numerous high profile properties that have come to represent an enduring legacy. His latest venture is a partnership with Marriot International seeking to provide a broader outlet for his vision. Together, Schrager and Marriot want to build 100 new hotels in the style and spirit he pioneered – hoping once again that Ian Schrager knows just how to make us forget ourselves and find a home away from home.
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Richard Parsons
Chairman and CEO of Time Warner Inc.
December 9th
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Richard Parsons is the Chairman and CEO of Time Warner Inc., the world's largest media company. Since taking the helm in 2002, he has led the turnaround of the multi-media corporation after its merger with AOL. Recognized as one of the best American CEO’s in the entertainment industry, he is respected for his management abilities and for setting the corporation on a path to sustainable growth.
Growing up in Jamaica, New York, Parsons worked his way through the University of Hawaii and after graduating from Union University's Albany Law School, met one of the most influential figures in his life. Governor Nelson Rockefeller immediately recognized the potential of the young legal aide and took Parsons with him to the White House where he worked directly for President Gerald Ford.
Serving under Rockefeller afforded him entrée into the high-powered world of corporate and political power brokers, and when Parsons returned to New York he joined the law firm of Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler. He made partner in just two years, but left to serve as COO of the Dime Bank in 1988. Time Warner recruited him to join its board in 1991, and ten years later, Parsons became CEO. Although he's stepping down as CEO at the end of 2007, Parsons will remain as Chairman of the Board, where he will continue to shape the company’s future.
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Linda Johnson-Rice
President and CEO of Johnson Publishing
December 16th
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Linda Johnson-Rice is the President and CEO of Johnson Publishing, the world's largest African-American-owned and operated publishing companies. The multi-million dollar empire is home to Ebony and Jet magazines, Fashion Fair Cosmetics and Ebony Fashion Fair, the largest traveling fashion show in the world. Founded in 1942 by her visionary father, John H. Johnson, with a $500 loan, Mrs. Johnson-Rice has been instrumental in guiding Johnson Publishing since 2002.
The Chicago native was groomed by her parents to take over the family business, working at the company since she was 14 years old. After graduating from USC and earning her MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Johnson-Rice joined the company full time. Wary of accusations of nepotism, she distinguished herself early on as an innovative and effective manager, growing the business and extending the powerful Ebony brand. Her strategic initiatives and product development have been wildly successful, yet she remains humbly committed to a larger purpose. While Linda Johnson-Rice strives to preserve her father's legacy, she will undoubtedly write her own page in history as well.
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Susan Lyne
President and CEO of Martha Stewart Living/Omnimedia Inc.
December 23rd
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Susan Lyne is the President and CEO of Martha Stewart Living/Omnimedia Inc. Building an impressive career in publishing, film and television, she has never shied away from a challenge and taking the reins at Omnimedia has been no exception. Since joining the company – as Martha Stewart's legal troubles loomed large – she has reinvigorated the staff, product line and strategic vision of a group many thought could not survive.
Lyne grew up in an Irish Catholic family in Boston, and surprisingly it was her conservative father who encouraged her to follow her passion for politics at UC Berkley in the late 1960’s. She began a career in journalism as the Managing Editor of the Village Voice, but after meeting Jane Fonda in 1982, she was so impressed by the actress’s goals to educate and entertain through film, Lyne seized the opportunity to collaborate with Fonda and develop her own skills in filmmaking. For Lyne, working in film was a learning experience, but the slow pace of production led her right back to journalism. In 1986, she founded Premiere magazine, a publication about the film industry. After eight years running the magazine, and a brief stint at Disney, she joined ABC in 1998. Rising through the executive ranks, Lyne was named President of ABC in 2002 – a post she held until 2004. She was offered a board seat at Omnimedia the day after she parted ways with the network, leaving behind her development efforts for future hit shows like Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy and Lost. Never content with the status quo, Lyne has consistently transformed adversity into opportunity, and continues to draw on her myriad experiences to produce concrete results.
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Robert Johnson
Founder and Chairman of RLJ Companies Inc.
December 30th
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Robert Johnson was the first of his family to go to college, founded the first African-American owned company to be publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange, and became the first African-American billionaire in the United States. For Johnson, however, success is not about being the first. It is about opening doors for the generations to come.
He left his small hometown of Freeport for the state University of Illinois to pursue an interest in teaching. During his junior year, he traveled to Washington DC for a program seeking to generate interest in the Foreign Service among minorities. It was then that he made the decision to attend graduate school and study international affairs, earning a Masters degree at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in 1972. Upon his return to DC, it was none other than Lady Bird Johnson who helped him start his career as an information officer at the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. Later, working as a press secretary on Capitol Hill in public information and politics, he became a lobbyist for the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.
In 1980, Johnson approached his mentor John Malone, the head of TCI Telecommunications, with a proposal to launch Black Entertainment Television (BET). Malone jumped on board and wrote a check for $500,000, securing a 20% stake in the company. BET was a huge success, and continues to thrive today. In 2003, Johnson sold BET to Viacom for $3.2 B, but stayed on to shape the company before stepping down in 2005. Since then, he has branched out into other markets: hotels, private equity, casinos and hedge funds. With every new venture, Johnson maintains that his goal is to empower African Americans to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.
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Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough:
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes