Strauss Zelnick Explained

Strauss Zelnick
Birth Name:Harry Strauss Zelnick
Birth Date:26 June 1957
Birth Place:Boston, U.S.
Nationality:American
Occupation:Businessman
Lawyer
Years Active:1983–present
Children:3

Harry Strauss Zelnick (born June 26, 1957) is an American businessman and lawyer. He is the founder, chief executive officer (CEO), and managing partner of private equity firm ZMC, the chairman and CEO of video game company Take-Two Interactive, and the former chairman of media conglomerate CBS Corporation.

Early life and education

Harry Strauss Zelnick was born on June 26, 1957, in Boston into a Jewish family.[1] [2] His mother, Susan Strauss Manello, died on October 22, 1967, when Harry was ten years old.[3] He and his siblings were raised by their aunt Elsa (née Strauss) and her husband Allan Zelnick (died in 2013). He grew up in South Orange, New Jersey.[4] [5]

Strauss Zelnick graduated in 1975 from Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey and studied psychology and English at Wesleyan University from 1975 until 1979, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors.[6] During his time at Wesleyan, he was the national public relations director for the Coalition of Independent College and University Students (COPUS).[7] Zelnick simultaneously enrolled at Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School in 1979, obtaining a Master of Business Administration degree from the former in 1982 and a Juris Doctor from the latter in 1983.[8]

Career

In 1983, he started as vice president for television international sales at Columbia Pictures International Television. In 1986, he joined Vestron Inc. as senior vice president of corporate development. He became executive vice president the following year and was promoted to president in 1988, overseeing all managing operations for the company.[9] He quit in 1989 to join 20th Century Fox as president and CEO[10] before leaving that role in 1993 to join Crystal Dynamics.[11]

Zelnick is the chief executive officer and managing partner of ZMC, a private equity investment firm based in New York City specializing in leveraged buyouts and growth capital.[12] He founded ZMC in 2001 with a starting capital of .[13] [14] Following an investor-staged takeover of Take-Two Interactive in 2007, Zelnick became the chairman, chief executive officer, and largest single shareholder of Take-Two.[15]

Zelnick was appointed to the board of CBS Corporation in 2018.[16]

In 2021, ZMC purchased a controlling interest in The Second City, a Chicago-based comedy troupe.[17]

Personal life

Zelnick is Jewish.[18] He has four sisters: Karen Davis, Beth Kaufman, Marci Zelnick Rodriguez, and Laurie Zelnick. His brother, Carl D. Zelnick, died in 1995.[19] Zelnick married Wendy J. Belzberg (the daughter of Samuel Belzberg) in January 1990; their engagement was announced by Belzberg's parents in December 1989.[20] They have two sons, Cooper (born in 1992) and Lucas, as well as a daughter, Leigh. His sister-in-law Lisa Belzberg was previously married to Matthew Bronfman of the Bronfman family.[21] [22]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sound Bytes; The Not-So-Silent Screen . Lawrence M. . Fisher . February 13, 1994 . . January 25, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200125183052/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/13/business/sound-bytes-the-not-so-silent-screen.html . January 25, 2020 . live .
  2. Web site: Harry Strauss Zelnick from Columbia High School . . January 25, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200125183055/https://www.classmates.com/people/Harry-Strauss-Zelnick/420633761 . January 25, 2020 . live .
  3. News: Obituary for Susan Strauss Manello . . October 24, 1967 . 43 . . February 10, 2021 . February 10, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210210090556/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69833205/obituary-for-susan-strauss-manello/ . live .
  4. Web site: Master of the Game . Dyan . Machan . November 30, 2013 . . January 25, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200125183058/https://www.barrons.com/articles/master-of-the-game-1385804536 . January 25, 2020 . live .
  5. Web site: Zelnick Obituary . April 24, 2013 . . January 25, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200125183101/https://obits.nj.com/obituaries/starledger/obituary.aspx?n=alan-zelnick&pid=164429318&fhid=17116 . January 25, 2020 . live .
  6. Web site: How Take-Two's CEO Powered Up . Sarah E. . Needleman . August 9, 2019 . . January 25, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200125183103/https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-take-twos-ceo-powered-up-11565355601 . January 25, 2020 . live .
  7. News: Letters . Donna E. . Shalala . The New York Times . June 12, 1978 . January 25, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200125183108/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/06/12/archives/letters-carters-solar-program-who-will-benefit-ford-motor-there-has.html . January 25, 2020 . live .
  8. Web site: Alumni and Faculty Books for December 2018 . December 1, 2018 . . January 25, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200125183948/https://www.alumni.hbs.edu/stories/Pages/story-bulletin.aspx?num=6861 . January 25, 2020 . live .
  9. News: 1988-01-27 . Zelnick upped to Vestron Inc. prez . 7 . Variety.
  10. News: Ross . Philip E. . 1989-08-18 . BUSINESS PEOPLE; President of Vestron Picked For a Top Post at Fox Film . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-04-05 . 0362-4331.
  11. Web site: Citron . Alan. June 21, 1993 . Fox President Expected to Quit Studio : Entertainment: Sources say Strauss Zelnick is leaving to take the top job at Crystal Dynamics, a Silicon Valley video game maker. . 2022-04-05 . Los Angeles Times.
  12. Web site: Takahashi . Dean . July 21, 2008 . E3 perspective: Q&A with Chairman Strauss Zelnick on the future of Take-Two Interactive . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180905023402/https://venturebeat.com/2008/07/21/qa-chairman-strauss-zelnick-on-the-future-of-take-two-interactive/ . September 5, 2018 . September 4, 2018 . VentureBeat.
  13. Why Age Is Irrelevant Strauss Zelnick #BoFVOICES 2017 . May 21, 2018 . . September 10, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191220124209/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvmbgX3X9YI&gl=US&hl=en&has_verified=1&bpctr=9999999999 . December 20, 2019 . live . YouTube.
  14. Web site: Coffrey . Brendan . May 16, 2011 . CEOs Who Make One Dollar (Or Less) A Year . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180903215713/https://www.forbes.com/sites/brendancoffey/2011/05/16/ceos-who-make-one-dollar-or-less-a-year/ . September 3, 2018 . September 3, 2018 . Forbes.
  15. Web site: Morris . Chris . July 1, 2015 . This non-gamer runs one of the world's biggest video game companies . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170605204708/http://fortune.com/2015/07/01/strauss-zelnick-take-two/ . June 5, 2017 . July 13, 2016 . Fortune.
  16. Web site: Steinberg . Brian . 2018-10-21 . Richard Parsons Steps Down as CBS Chairman; Strauss Zelnick to Take Role . 2022-12-13 . Variety . en-US.
  17. Web site: Hayes . Dade . 2021-02-18 . Famed Comedy Outfit The Second City Acquired By Strauss Zelnick-Run Private Equity Firm ZMC . 2022-12-13 . Deadline . en-US.
  18. Book: Becoming Ageless: The Four Secrets To Looking and Feeling Younger Than Ever . Strauss . Zelnick . September 4, 2018 . . 9781940358192 . November 13, 2020 . February 10, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210210090425/https://books.google.com/books?id=4_ZMDwAAQBAJ . live . I'm Jewish by background, and I feel connected to that religion and am happy to describe myself that way....
  19. Web site: Deaths . . January 25, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200125184244/http://abacus.bates.edu/pubs/S95Notes/obituaries.html . January 25, 2020 . live .
  20. Web site: Wendy J. Belzberg to Wed in January . December 3, 1989 . . January 25, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200125184251/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/03/style/wendy-j-belzberg-to-wed-in-january.html . January 25, 2020 . live .
  21. Web site: A Bronfman blooms without family spirit: Matthew forsages liquor trade for gamble with natural perfumes . 2024-02-12.
  22. Web site: Preliminary Bond Authorization and Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA) Hearing for Sea Breeze Gardens Apartments . 2024-02-12 . San Diego Housing Commission.

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