Partners and Sponsors
Nancy Jarecki
“Betty is Wildly and Wonderfully original – Nancy is one part Nancy Drew, one part Benjamin Franklin” by Vogue Magazine, Nancy Jarecki has always played by her own rules. The innovator behind bettybeauty, inc. was born in Kansas, studied art in Texas, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an artist. Recognized as one of the up and coming Southern California artists by LA Weekly, Nancy showcased her art at numerous shows and in corporate art collections.
In 1986, Nancy was tapped by the creators of a startup cable network called Movietime, to head their creative department. In 1987, she was part of the launch team for that network, now known as E! Entertainment Television.
During this time, she met her husband, Andrew Jarecki, who was visiting Los Angeles to launch his company, Moviefone. She soon moved to New York to join him, helping him develop the business, and starting their new family. At the same time, she completed her education at Barnard College, graduating with honors, and receiving awards for excellence in art criticism and innovative installations.
In 1999, the Jareckis sold Moviefone to AOL Time Warner, and moved their family to Rome, Italy, where they were completing work on their Oscar-nominated film Capturing the Friedmans.
While in Rome, where they lived for two years, Nancy had an experience that gave her the impetus to start her own cosmetics company, bettybeauty, inc. Visiting a hair salon, she noticed women leaving with small “take home” bags. When she inquired as to what they were, the receptionist told her they were a bit of extra hair color for “the hair down there – to make it match!” Realizing that women across America would love a commercially-available product to color this important area, Nancy began developing the first safe color for the hair down there, the products we now know as: BLONDE betty, BROWN betty, AUBURN betty, BLACK betty, FUN betty and SUN-BURST betty. Bettybeauty, inc. has created two other innovative beauty products, set to launch in early 2007.
In addition to creating bettybeauty, inc., Nancy is working in concert with Inkwell Literary Management and CAA Television, on a book and related multi-media projects, dealing with the subject of adversity. She is currently producing a feature film about Nashville for New Regency/20th Century Fox.
Nancy has had a lifelong interest in charitable causes. She is a member of the Sloan Kettering Dreamteam and the Leadership Council of the board of directors of the Robin Hood Foundation. She has also served as chairman of Project ALS (the leading organization raising funds and awareness to fight Lou Gerhig’s Disease), and was honored with the organization’s David Niven Award.
Nancy lives in New York City with her husband and three children.
Tim Leiweke
One of today’s true leaders in the professional sports and entertainment industry, Timothy J. Leiweke serves as President & CEO of AEG, a collection of companies owned or operated by the organization considered to be one of the world’s leading presenters of sports and entertainment programming.
Now in his twelfth year with the organization, and recently selected by the Los Angeles Times as one of the 100 most influential people in southern California, Leiweke has acquired or merged more than 40 divisions and companies whose alliances create a global live entertainment organization capable of developing, producing, promoting, marketing and managing sports and entertainment programming in both facilities owned and operated by AEG as well as other venues.AEG divisions such as AEG LIVE, devoted to all aspects of creating, producing and promoting live entertainment including concerts, productions and special events; AEG Facilities, developers and operators of such venues as STAPLES Center, The Home Depot Center, Toyota Park, Toyota Sports Center, Minneapolis’ Target Center, Seattle’s WaMu Theater, Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie, Nokia Theatre Times Square, Hollywood’s El Rey Theatre and the just opened The O2, a 28-acre development located in the eastern part of London which includes a 20,000 seat arena and over 650,000sf of leisure and entertainment use; AEG Sports; AEG Merchandising; AEG Marketing, a sponsorship, sales and consulting company; AEG Real Estate and AEG Creative all operate under his direction.
As President of STAPLES Center,twice recipient of Pollstar’s prestigious “Arena of the Year” award, Leiweke was responsible for the overall development of the downtown Los Angeles showplace for major events and performances. Built under his direction in a record 18 months, STAPLES Center is the home of five professional sports franchises including the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Kings, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Avengers and Los Angeles Sparks; the most prestigious concerts and shows including Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (who played the arena’s first ever public event on October 17, 1999), the Eagles, U2, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Fleetwood Mac, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Prince, Usher, Kenny Chesney, *N Sync, The Police, Rod Stewart and Don Henley. Leiweke played a major role in bringing such one-of-a-kind events to Los Angeles and STAPLES Center as the 2000 Democratic National Convention, the 2002 United States Figure Skating Championships, the 2002 NHL All-Star Game, the 2004 NBA All-Star Game, the seven of the last eight Annual Grammy Awards shows, the first ever Latin Grammy Awards and recurring events such as the Pac 10 Basketball Championships and the X Games.
Leiweke guided the creation of The Home Depot Center, built on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. The $150 million development (the largest-ever private investment in amateur athletics)which has been designated an official U.S. Olympic Training Site, is southern California’s home of world-class competition and training faculties for amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes.The 85-acre development features a 13,000-seat stadium for tennis, a 27,000-seat stadium for soccer and outdoor concerts, a 20,000-seat facility for track & field and the ADT Event Center, a 2,400-seat indoor velodrome as well as the David Beckham Academy and (Andre) Agassi’s Safe Passage All Stars program.
Leiweke next turned his attention to overseeing and managing the creation of L.A. LIVE, a four million square foot / $2.5 billion downtown Los Angeles sports, residential and entertainment district adjacent to STAPLES Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center featuring NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE, a 7,100-seat state-of-the-art theatre, a 1001 room, 54-story convention “headquarters” hotel (combining The Ritz Carlton & JW Marriott brands with 224 luxury condominiums –The Ritz Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE – in a single tower), Club NOKIA L.A. LIVE, a 2,200 capacity live music venue, broadcast facilities for ESPN, a 14-screen Regal Cineplex along with residential, entertainment and office space.
Leiweke is credited with assembling an unprecedented partnership to create, produce and develop A New Day…, a theatrical production starring Celine Dion and a cast of 60 dancers, musicians, characters and artists currently being performed exclusively at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas. Directed by Franco Dragone, the director and creator behind the critically acclaimed Cirque du Soleil productions, produced by AEG LIVE Special Events & Touring and presented by Chrysler, A New Day…is a unique entertainment experience in which concert, dance, theatre and multi-media, – including extraordinary visual landscapes on the largest indoor high-definition LED screen in the world, – are seamlessly blended. The division is also overseeing the international museum tour “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs,” a one-of-a-kind collection of artifacts from ancient Egypt.
In addition to the Los Angeles Kings and Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy, AEG Sports oversees professional sports franchises such as the Chicago Fire, and Houston Dynamo franchises of MLS, Los Angeles Riptide (MLL) the Manchester (New Hampshire) Monarchs (AHL), the Reading Royals (ECHL), and two professional ice hockey teams in Europe – the Berlin Eisbarons and Hamburg Freesers in addition to directing the operations of events such as the Amgen Tour of California cycling road race, ING Bay to Breakers foot race (San Francisco) and international soccer exhibitions held in the United States. Leiweke also serves on the Los Angeles Lakers Board of Directors representing private ownership shares of the Los Angeles Lakers organization.
Leiweke has also initiated the formation and direction of the Kings Care Foundation, which was awarded the 1999 Pro Team Community Award given annually to the franchise that demonstrates the most effective humanitarian community program in all of professional sports, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS. In the last eight years, the Kings Care Foundation, STAPLES Center Foundation, The Home Depot Foundation and AEG have pledged a combined $11 million to community organizations.
Leiweke (pronounced LYE-wick-ee) has enjoyed an impressive history of success and experience in sports. Before moving to Los Angeles to join the Kings, he served as president and CEO for U.S. Skiing, a post he assumed in September 1995, after four seasons with the Denver Nuggets (1991-95). While in Denver, Leiweke not only played a role in the relocation of the Quebec Nordiques to Colorado but also guided the initial development and design of the Pepsi Center. As President of the Nuggets, Leiweke helped make the team a success at the gate and in the community. Attendance at Nugget games went from an average of less than 11,000 per game in 1990-91 to selling out every home game (17,171 capacity) in 1994-95. He again placed a high priority on presence in the community by involving the Nuggets in a variety of programs throughout Denver.In all, the team contributed millions of dollars to charities and other worthy causes during his tenure.
The first employee hired by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1988, Leiweke served as Vice President for the NBA franchise for four seasons and helped the club to an NBA attendance record by averaging 26,160 per game in their first season. He also handled naming rights, marketing and sales for all events at the Target Center.
As a tribute to his marketing innovations and successes with organizations and franchises in such a variety of disciplines and leagues, he was recently selected to represent marketing and facilities executives on a six-person sports industry “Dream Team” chosen by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal.
A native of St. Louis, Leiweke’s career in sports administration began in 1979 as the assistant general manager for the Major Indoor Soccer League’s St. Louis Steamers. A year later, he became the youngest (24) general manager in pro sports by assuming that post with the MISL’s Baltimore Blast.In 1981-82, he became Vice President and General Manager of the Kansas City Comets, and later became President in 1986.
Along with his wife, Bernadette, Leiweke has spent an enormous amount of time and effort dedicated to numerous charitable causes within each of the local communities they have resided. As a tribute to his commitment to Los Angeles, he has been honored by such organizations as Para Los Niños, the Anti-Defamation League as recipient of their 2007 Humanitarian Award, the Neil Bogart Memorial Fund with their 2003 Children’s Choice Award, as Father of the Year by the American Diabetes Association, the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce, as a Treasure of Los Angeles by the Central City Association, Special Olympics of Southern California, Los Angeles Conservation Corps, the Sheriff’s Youth Foundation with their Champion for Youth Award, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, the Latin Business Association, the Korean American Federation, the Muscular Dystrophy Association as their Man of the Year, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce as their Distinguished Man of the Year and as the recipient of the Los Angeles Convention and Visitor’s Bureau’s Los Amigos de Los Angeles Award. Leiweke is currently serving as a member of the Board of Trustees for Para Los Niños and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and has recently been appointed to Chair the Rainbow/PUSH Entertainment Project.
Tim and his wife Bernadette reside in Brentwood, California with their daughter Francesca.
Nokia Theatre Times Square
1515 Broadway at West 44th Street
The Nokia Theatre Times Square is a 2100-capacity venue designed by the award-winning architect David Rockwell of the Rockwell Group and operated by AEG LIVE. The venue officially opened in September 2005 and has the capability to hold a wide array of events including concerts, live television, web broadcasts, live recordings, award shows and event parties.
The marquee, an 85-foot long LED high definition screen which can display both live and digital video, is one of the largest marquees on Broadway and is directly connected to the MTV marquee. With its interactive text messaging
capabilities and the ability to broadcast events live from the stage directly to the marquee in real time makes it truly impressive to say the least.
Located in the theatre is the Nokia Lounge where fans can charge their wireless phones, get hands-on experience with new Nokia products and services, download mobile content like games, videos and ring tones and enter promotions among other activities.
Rod Essig
Rod Essig began his music career in 1973 as Vice President and co-owner of the Minneapolis-based booking agency, Variety Artists International. He relocated the company to Los Angeles and, nine years later, resigned to join Creative Artists Agency/Nashville. Since 1993, he has helped build the Nashville operation into one of the most formidable agencies on the Third Coast.
In addition to making deals for his Nashville and Los Angeles clients, Rod has many affiliations and memberships on Nashville community and entertainment industry boards. He is Vice President of the Academy of Country Music, is presently on the Board of Directors for Belmont University and NARAS/Nashville, is an Alumnus of Leadership Music, class of 1997, and was appointed to the Tennessee Film Commission by Governor Phil Bredesen.
The success and respect Rod has garnered are reflected in the awards he has won: He received the SRO Agent of the Year award in 1997, the NATD Talent Director of the Year award in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and the NATD Hubert Long Award in 2000. He was awarded Pollstar’s Third Coast Agent of the Year in 1995, 1996, and 1998 and in 1999 became the only country-genre agent to ever receive the magazine’s Bobby Brooks Agent of the Year Award.
Creative Artists Agency is a full service talent agency that represents the most creative and successful professionals working in film, television, music, theatre, video games, and sports.
Ken Levitan
With experience as an artist manager, entertainment lawyer, producer, publisher and booking agent, Ken Levitan has developed an international reputation as one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the music industry today. The President and founder of Vector Management, Ken's management roster boasts such legendary and diverse acts as Bon Jovi, Lyle Lovett, Emmylou Harris, Hank Williams Jr., B-52s, Ben Folds, John Hiatt, Michael McDonald, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Trisha Yearwood, Peter Frampton, Trace Adkins, Jonny Lang, Patty Griffin and Kings of Leon. An interest in all areas of the music industry has enticed Levitan to constantly diversify his career; Ken is Co-President of Vector Recordings, a label he founded with former head of RCA, Jack Rovner.
Levitan's innovative marketing and promotion techniques have inarguably propelled his acts' careers to the next level, while his musical integrity has received its own recognition—in 1998 Levitan was awarded a Grammy as Producer of The Apostle soundtrack. It is this passion for music and deep understanding of the music business that has enabled Levitan to help his acts to grow professionally without compromising artistically, thus, successfully combining art and commerce. As such, Ken has developed a reputation for bringing his acts to their due limelight. In 2007, three of Ken's management clients – Bon Jovi, Peter Frampton and Jonny Lang – received the first Grammy Award of their respective, storied careers.
Music has always served as a great inspiration for Levitan, even as he immersed himself in the preparation of his business career. The son of a surgeon and homemaker, Levitan was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father dabbled in the entertainment industry in his spare time, managing members of the Four Seasons and Canadian country performer Ronnie Prophet before moving into movie production. Perhaps unintentionally, his enthusiasm rubbed off on his son.
While attending Vanderbilt University, Ken Levitan ran the school's concert committee, booking acts such as Carole King, Genesis, Stephen Stills and Hall & Oates. After graduation, he served as a booking agent for Buddy Lee Attractions, working with Willie Nelson, George Strait and Jerry Lee Lewis.
In 1983, following his graduation from the University of Dayton's School of Law, Levitan returned to Nashville, where he joined forces with another young attorney, Trip Aldredge. "We just hung a shingle straight out of law school," Levitan says. "We had no clients; we just found music that we liked and we shopped record deals for them." He helped secure record and publishing deals for Foster & Lloyd, Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Nanci Griffith and numerous rock acts and songwriters in Nashville.
"When I practiced law, I shopped a lot of deals," Levitan says. "I got tired of shopping deals and being everything for the artists and then handing it over to a manager. Once we had gotten a deal, I missed being involved. I wanted to do more than just contractual work."
While maintaining his law practice, in 1990 Levitan established a management company to represent Steve Wariner, Nanci Griffith and New Grass Revival. He quickly became a full-time manager and joined forces with Will Botwin, now the President of Columbia Records in New York. The duo managed Griffith, Lovett, film composer Mark Isham and others. Their publishing company, Crossfire, worked with Crash Test Dummies, Deana Carter and Matthew Ryan.
In 1996, Levitan was lured away from management by the opportunity to run Rising Tide Records, a subsidiary of Universal. He signed Dolly Parton, Matraca Berg, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Delbert McClinton, The Buffalo Club and Rebecca Lynn Howard, enhancing his growing reputation of musical integrity and furthering his music industry knowledge. "I wanted to learn the other side of the business," he says, explaining his decision to take the job. "It was a good challenge to start a fresh record company."
Unfortunately a casualty of the Universal-PolyGram merger, Rising Tide was closed in 1998. Following a brief stint helping his wife, Gloria Dumas, win her campaign to be Davidson County General Sessions Judge, Levitan returned to management in the fall of 1998 and re-opened Vector Management.
Speaking about his goals at Vector, Levitan comments, "You have to balance the creativity and the business side to really make sure the artist maximizes his or her own goals. We really want to try to build box sets and long careers instead of one-hit wonders. We are in a time when everything is really quick-hit oriented. We try to take a long-term marketing approach. One thing we're really trying to do for our experienced acts is build up their ownership of their masters," he says. "We're making it so the artists own their records and then we license them around the world. For the first time in their lives, some of our more established artists own their own art."
Along with former President of RCA, Jack Rovner, Levitan established Vector Recordings in 2002. The label's first release, O by Damien Rice, received Gold certification and tremendous critical acclaim, including the coveted Shortlist Award. With a name for the artistic integrity, artist development and creative marketing, other Vector Recordings releases include Damien Rice's follow-up album 9, Herbie Hancock's Grammy-nominated duets record Possibilities, Queen Latifah's Grammy-nominated The Dana Owens Album, and Joseph Arthur's critically-lauded Our Shadows Will Remain.