Haute 100 Los Angeles
By Haute Living
The powerful, the entrepreneurs, the philanthropists, and the thinkers: the Haute 100 provides a thorough cross section of the people who run the City of Angels.
By Haute Living
Philip Anschutz
Category Entrepreneurs
Company AEG
Industry Development
What makes him Haute While he may not reside in southern California, his ownership of Staples Center, the Home Depot Center in Carson, the Kings (NHL), the Galaxy (MLS), and (with Ed Roski) nearly 30 percent of the Lakers, ensures that his presence is felt on a daily basis. His current project, L.A. Live, is making headlines for its impact on the revitalization of downtown.
Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann
Category Power Couples
Industry Film
Company Apatow Productions
What Makes Them Haute Hollywood’s latest prolific writer/director/producer forged a comic empire with 15 movies in the past five years, including the 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Superbad. She’s his actress muse who gives crucial performances in some of his best works.
George Argyros
Category Billionaires
Industry Real Estate
Company Arnel & Affiliates
What Makes Him Haute He made his fortune by selling and leasing land to oil companies to set up gas stations, and is currently the chairman and CEO for the real estate investment firm that owns and manages 5,200 apartments and 2.5 million square feet of commercial space.
Thomas Barrack
Category Billionaires
Industry Private Investment
Company Colony Capital
What Makes Him Haute In 1991 he founded private international real estate investment firm Colony Capital. Today the firm manages more than $25 billion.
Michael Bay
Category Originators
Industry Film
Company Digital Domain/Platinum Dunes
What Makes Him Haute He’s a mega director whose work includes major blockbusters Bad Boys, The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys II, The Island, and Transformers. Collectively, his films have grossed more than $2.6 billion worldwide.
David & Victoria Beckham
Category Power Couples
Industry Soccer/ Promotions
Company L.A. Galaxy
What Makes Them Haute The former Spice Girl and the soccer star made international headlines when they decided to make Los Angeles their home. David can be credited with making soccer haute again in America, while Victoria can be credited with just being haute.
Michael Bedner
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Hospitality
Company Hirsch Bedner Associates
What Makes Him Haute He’s the CEO and chairman of Hirsch Bedner Associates, a luxury hospitality design firm. Today the firm has completed over 900 projects in 80 different countries, and is currently focusing its efforts in China. Earlier this year the company undertook the $65 million renovation project of Shanghai’s historic Peace Hotel.
Jim Berkus
Category Thinkers
Industry Talent
Company United Talent Agency
What Makes him Haute Berkus is president of the United Talent Agency, one of the world’s largest full-service talent and literary agencies, with a rapidly growing marketing division.
Steve Bing
Category Thinkers
Industry Film
Company Shangri-La Entertainment
What Makes Him Haute He’s a successful writer, director, producer, and financier. But where the real estate development heir really makes his mark is as one of the nation’s top donors to Democratic and progressive causes. His reported $49.5 million (at least) donation on behalf of Prop 87, the oil tax initiative, is believed to be a national record for individual spending on a ballot measure.
Ruth & Jake Bloom
Category Power Couples
Industries Arts/Law Bloom
Company Bloom Hergott Diemer Rosenthal LaViolette & Feldman, LLP
What Makes Them Haute He is one of the most influential in the talent law field; she runs the Ruth Bloom Gallery. Together, they have one of the largest collections of contemporary art in the country.
Donald Bren
Category Billionaires
Industry Real Estate
Company Irvine Co.
What Makes Him Haute One of the wealthiest men in Orange County, Bren is chairman of the Irvine Company, one of the most respected and diversified privately held real estate companies in America. He was one of the first to develop the idea of “planned communities.” He is also a respected philanthropist, with a lifetime giving total of more than $1.3 billion.
Harry “Skip” Brittenham
Category Thinkers
Industry Law
Company Ziffren, Brittenham, Branca Fischer, Gilbert-Lurie Stiffelman, Cook, Johnson Lande & Wolf LLP
What Makes him Haute He co-founded boutique law firm Ziffren with partner Kenneth Ziffren 30 years ago. Today the firm is the largest of its kind and represents A-listers including Harrison Ford, Eddie Murphy, Bruce Willis, Bob and Harvey Weinstein, and Revolution Studios founder Joe Roth. Brittenham sits on the board of a number of local charitable organizations.
Eli & Edythe Broad
Category Power Couples
Industry Development /Manufacturing
Company Kaufman & Broad
What Makes them Haute A native of Detroit, Michigan, Broad made his fortune with his real estate company, Kaufman & Broad, and then went on to found financial company SunAmerica where he served as CEO. He is actively involved in revitalizing L.A.’s downtown area and is an avid supporter of enriching the city’s cultural life. The Broads created a family foundation in the 1960s as a way to support their charitable interests and causes. The Broad Foundations, which include The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation and The Broad Art Foundation, have assets of $2.5 billion.
Jerry Bruckheimer
Category Thinkers
Industry Film
Company Jerry Bruckheimer Films
What Makes Him Haute As a film and TV producer, the former advertising executive is behind some of the biggest blockbusters of the past three decades, including Top Gun, Bad Boys, The Rock, Armageddon, the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, and hit television shows such as CSI.
Kobe Bryant
Category Athletes
Industry Basketball
Company L.A. Lakers
What Makes Him Haute The All-World shooting guard for the Lakers will go down in history as one of the greatest players ever in the NBA.
Ronald Burkle
Category Billionaires
Industry Investments/Supermarkets
Company Yucaipa Companies
What Makes Him Haute He made his fortune buying and selling supermarket chains, including Wild Oats, which was recently bought by Whole Foods for a hefty half-billion-dollar sum. His private equity firm, Yucaipa Companies, invests in retail, manufacturing, and distribution.
Dr. Jerry Buss
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Basketball
Company L.A. Lakers
What Makes Him Haute The Lakers have flourished under his ownership, winning eight world championships. His 1979 purchase of the team (along with other entities) for $67.5 million was the largest transaction in sports history at the time.
Blake Byrne
Category Thinkers
Industry Philanthropy
Company Nasher Museum of Arts
What Makes Him Haute The influential Los Angeles art collector is also a MOCA trustee that donated a record gift to the museum’s permanent collection. Featuring 128 works by 78 artists, the Byrne collection spans from 1950 to present.
Rick Caruso
Category Originators
Industry Real Estate Development
Company Caruso Affiliated
What Makes Him Haute As L.A. Business Journal’s “Developer of the Year,” and a past president of the Police Commission, Caruso is one the most influential members of the Los Angeles community. The developer of the Grove, the Americana at Brand, and other retail-entertainment projects has transformed neighborhoods and changed the shopping landscape.
Alan Casden
Category Billionaires
Industry Real Estate
Company Casden Properties LLC
What Makes Him Haute One of the wealthiest men in the world, this self-made accountant-turned-developer billionaire is a builder of inner-city, high-density real estate. He is a loyal backer of Jewish and Israeli causes.
George Clooney
Category Entertainers
Industry Film
Company Smokehouse Productions
What Makes Him Haute Everything. He’s been Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor for as long as we can remember, and it doesn’t look like that will change anytime soon. The superstar is known not only for his acting abilities and dashing good looks but also for his social and liberal political activism.
Simon Cowell
Category Thinkers
Industry Entertainment
Company Syco
What Makes Him Haute Cowell made a name for himself in the U.S. for his brutal judgment of talent on American Idol. He also hosts Britain’s Got Talent and Pop Idol, and owns television production and music publishing house Syco.
Tom Cruise
Category Entertainers
Industry Film
Company Cruise/Wagner Productions
What Makes Him Haute One of the greatest stars in film history, he’s a prolific actor, one of the world’s most powerful celebrities, and an accomplished producer who has greenlight authority at United Artists.
Philippe Dauman
Category Thinkers
Industry Film
Company Viacom
What Makes Him Haute Though he’s been with the company since 1987, serving as CEO during the past two years finally has given him the opportunity to call the big shots.
Robert Addison Day
Category Philanthropists
Industry Investment Banking
Company William M. Keck Foundation/Trust Company of the West
What Makes Him Haute The grandson of Superior Oil Co. founder William M. Keck oversees the $1.3 billion non-profit W.M. Keck Foundation, which focuses on science and engineering research, medical research, undergraduate education, and southern California.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Category Entertainers
Industry Film
Company Appian Way/Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation
What Makes Him Haute The three-time Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner is one of the biggest superstars on the planet and the fifth highest paid actor in Hollywood. His performance in Revolutionary Road has him primed for another awards season, as he’s up for another Golden Globe. Additionally, his foundation’s commitment to environmentalism also makes him one of the most influential activists in the world.
Robert Downey Jr.
Category Entertainers
Industry Film
What Makes Him Haute He not only had the major film comeback of 2008, he just might have also had the hottest year of anyone in Hollywood. With Sherlock Holmes on the horizon for ’09, along with an Iron Man sequel, he’s on top of his game.
Michael Eisner
Category Thinkers
Industry Media
Company The Tornante Company
What Makes Him Haute He saved The Walt Disney Company when he stepped in as chief executive officer from 1984 to 2005. After leaving, he founded the Tornante Company, an investment firm that aids and incubates companies and opportunities in media and entertainment. In ’07, Tornante launched a studio, Vuguru, to produce and distribute videos for the Internet, portable media devices, and cell phones.
Ari Emanuel
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Entertainment
Company Endeavor Agency
What Makes Him Haute The prominent talent agent represents everyone from Martin Scorsese, Jennifer Garner, Reese Witherspoon, and Larry David, to Michael Moore, Jude Law, Matt Damon, Vin Diesel, and Sacha Baron Cohen. His colorful business tactics are said to be the inspiration for the Ari Gold character on HBO’s Entourage.
Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart
Category Power Couples
Industry Film/Television
What Makes them Haute Ranked No. 10 on Forbes list of Hollywood’s top-earning couples with $22 million last year alone, this duo is one of L.A.’s finest fixtures.
David Geffen
Category Billionaires
Industry Entertainment
Company DreamWorks SKG
What Makes Him Haute He first founded Asylum Records in 1970 (Eagles) followed by Geffen Records (Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses). He then moved on to start entertainment boutique DreamWorks with partners Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg, selling it to Paramount for $1.5 billion. His personal $175 million profits are said to have gone to charity.
Frank Gehry
Category Originators
Industry Architecture
Company Gehry Partners, LLP
What Makes Him Haute For all the artistic flourishes of his ideas, Gehry’s architecture works in the most practical and fundamental way. When the Walt Disney Concert Hall opened in 2003, it was quickly recognized as perhaps his greatest work, for reasons first and foremost of functionality. The acoustics of the hall were widely praised, not least by the musicians, and it became one of the great performance venues in the world, and not just for its acoustics; it’s a symbol of downtown Los Angeles as a center of culture.
Leslie Gonda
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Service, Investments
Company Leslie & Susan Gonda (Goldschmied)Foundation
What Makes Him Haute In 1963, this Holocaust survivor moved to California, where he and his son eventually started International Lease Finance, leasing aircraft to major U.S. airlines. The firm went public in 1983, and soon after it was sold for stock to AIG in 1990. He is a generous donor to UCLA, Mayo Clinic, Georgetown, and various Israeli universities.
Alec Gores
Category Billionaires
Industry Private Equity
Company Gores Group
What Makes Him Haute Alec Gores’ extremely lucrative private equity firm specializes in corporate takeovers; today, his company has interests in 15 companies and $1.7 billion under management.
Tom Gores
Categories Billionaires
Industries Mergers and Acquisitions
Company Platinum Equity
What Makes Him Haute He’s the chairman and CEO of Platinum Equity. The company typically acquires business from leading Fortune 500 companies including GE, Lucent, Motorola, and many more. This entity has amassed him one of the largest fortunes in the U.S.
Brian Grazer
Category Thinkers
Industry Film
What Makes Him Haute Award-winning producer Grazer was ranked as one of Entertainment Weekly’s Smartest People in Hollywood in 2007. He has been making films and television shows for more than 25 years, and his 2002 film, A Beautiful Mind, won the Best Picture Oscar. Grazer’s films and TV shows have been nominated for a total of 44 Oscars and 92 Emmys. At the same time, his movies have generated more than $12.9 billion in worldwide theatrical, music, and video grosses.
Jeffrey Greene
Category Billionaires
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute This eccentric billionaire saved $100,000 while attending Johns Hopkins University by selling circus tickets, eating at the Pizza Hut buffet, and living out of his car. After earning a Harvard M.B.A. he moved to L.A. where he bought and developed apartment buildings. Last year he became a billionaire when he bought credit default swaps on subprime mortgage-backed bonds.
William H. Gross
Category Billionaires
Industry Finance
Company PIMCO
What Makes Him Haute He’s a chief investment officer and legendary bond investor. The co-founder of PIMCO is one of the financial geniuses of our time and has authored several books.
Tom Hanks
Category Entertainers
Industry Film
Company Playtone
What Makes Him Haute Arguably one of the finest actors of our time, Hanks has starred in numerous blockbusters including Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Road to Perdition, and Apollo 13, and is the third most successful actor in terms of box office totals, which exceed $3.3 billion. He is also an accomplished producer, writer, and director.
Nick Haque
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Food
Company Koi
What Makes Him Haute The CEO of renowned restaurant Koi is responsible for redefining dining chic in L.A. and is expanding the iconic restaurant nationally and internationally. Koi brings in an estimated $30 million per year.
George Hearst Jr.
Category Billionaires
Industry Media
Company Hearst Corp.
What Makes Him Haute Grandson of publishing legend William Randolph Hearst, George R. Hearst Jr. is chairman of the board of Hearst Corp., one of the world’s largest private companies engaged in a broad range of publishing, broadcasting and diversified communications activities.
Hugh Hefner
Category Thinkers
Industry Publishing
Company Playboy
What Makes Him Haute This 82-year-old built the Playboy empire from the ground up, and is still going strong. Need we say more?
David Heil
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Clothing
Company David August, Inc.
What Makes Him Haute His custom suits are the reasons that some of Hollywood’s hautest men make the “Best Dressed” list, and his unique numbered dressing system makes even the fashion clueless seem, well, fashionable.
Rick & Kathy Hilton
Category Power Couples
Industry Real Estate
Company Hilton & Hyland
What Makes Them Haute He is currently chairman of Hilton & Hyland, the wildly successful Beverly Hills high-end real estate company that he founded with partner Jeff Hyland. She is the socialite and actress who gives the beautiful face to the Hilton brand name, along with daughters Paris and Nicky.
William Hilton
Category Billionaires
Industry Hospitality
Company Hilton Hotels
What Makes Him Haute Son of Conrad Hilton, William served as chairman and president of Hilton Hotels since 1979 until just last year when he sold off the last of his father’s hotel to Blackstone for $26 billion. From this sale, he personally reaped $800 million.
Alan F. Horn
Category Thinkers
Industry Entertainment
Company Warner Bros.
What Makes Him Haute The president and COO of Warner Bros. focuses on the oversight of all of the studio’s theatrical and home entertainment operations, including the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, Warner Premiere, and Warner Home Video. Horn also oversees New Line Cinema, which was moved into Warner Bros. in early 2008. In 2007, Warner Bros. Pictures had its most successful year to date, and its seventh-straight billion dollar-plus year.
Arianna Huffington
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Media
Company Huffington Post
What Makes Her Haute Her news and commentary site is redefining the rules of journalism and has become one of the most frequently linked to and cited media brands on the Internet. It’s also just raised at least $15 million (possibly much more, though) in a round of rare successful funding in 2008.
Bradley Hughes
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Real Estate/Investments
Company Public Storage
What Makes Him Haute Previously a real estate executive, Hughes purchased a huge warehouse in the early ’70s, and thus began his storage business. Public Storage is now a publicly traded firm and the largest self storage company with 2,015 locations worldwide. Hughs owns several Thoroughbred racehorses and is a strong supporter of Governor Schwarzenegger.
Jeff Hyland
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Real Estate
Company Hilton & Hyland
What Makes Him Haute The Gatekeeper of Beverly Hills, Hyland has been selling real estate in Beverly Hills for more than 20 years and has personally handled several billions of dollars in transactions. Besides being president of Hilton & Hyland, he’s a member of the Advisory Board of Christie’s Great Estates. Also an author, he’s frequently quoted as an authority on Southern California real estate, architecture, and history.
Robert Iger
Category Thinkers
Industry Media
Company The Walt Disney Company
What Makes Him Haute The only big media stock to outperform the DJIA this year is Disney, and to a large extent it’s because CEO Iger efficiently runs and balances the matrix of Disney’s divisions. The careful development of ESPN, its animation studios, and an alliance with Apple’s Steve Jobs in both animation and digital content delivery should serve the Mouse well, even if the downturn continues.
Audrey Irmas
Category Philanthropists
Industry Philanthropy
What Makes Her Haute Audrey Irmas and her late husband Sydney have received numerous awards for their extreme generosity, including the PORTALS Couple of the Year Award, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Youth Athletic League Couple of the Year Award, and the Public Counsel William O. Douglas Award. She is also a trustee of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, a lifetime trustee of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple, and a founding board member of the U.S.C. Law Center. The Audrey and Sydney Irmas Charitable Foundation and the Audrey and Sydney Irmas Youth Activity Center in South Central Los Angeles are integral to the community.
Earvin “Magic” Johnson
Category Athletes
Industry Basketball
Company Magic Johnson Enterprises
What Makes Him Haute The retired athlete was one of the NBA’s finest players and the tallest point guard in league history at 6-foot, 9-inches. He now is a commentator for ESPN and strongly participates in HIV education. Magic Johnson Enterprises is a non-profit that represents and serves ethnically diverse communities, while Magic Johnson Foundation develops programs that support the educational, health, and social needs of the underprivileged.
George Joseph
Category Billionaires
Industry Insurance
Company Mercury General
What Makes Him Haute The self-made billionaire developed Mercury General insurance company for individuals having difficulty obtaining auto insurance; the company went public in 1985. He is currently combating California officials saying that driving records should be the deciding factor when setting insurance rates; Joseph believes that ZIP code statistics are the key.
Bruce Karatz
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Development
Company KB Home
What Makes Him Haute KB’s former chairman has spent two decades helming the firm that practically created suburban Southern California. He invented the tactic of “pre-selling” homes before the homes were built. He’s also a major public figure, serving on many significant local boards, from USC to RAND Corporation.
Jeffrey Katzenberg
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Film
Company DreamWorks Animation
What Makes Him Haute The CEO of DreamWorks Animation has been said to have “the hand of God” when it comes to his knack for animation. Prior to DreamWorks, he served as chairman for The Walt Disney Company. He’s responsible for major blockbuster hits Shrek, Bee Movie, Shark Tale, and Madagascar.
Kirk Kerkorian
Category Billionaires
Industry Real Estate
Company MGM
What Makes Him Haute With only a high school diploma, Kerkorian is arguably one of the greatest business visionaries in the world. After serving as a fighter pilot in WWII he went on to buy and sell hotels, an airline, and sold and bought MGM studios three times. Today MGM Mirage owns more than half the hotel rooms on the Las Vegas Strip, so it comes as no surprise that Kerkorian’s net worth is $16 billion.
Brad Korzen & Kelly Wearstler
Category Power Couples
Industries Development/Design
Companies Kor Group/KWIC
What Makes Them Haute He’s the founder of Kor Realty Group and has developed a vibrant portfolio of resorts, hotels, and commercial investment properties, including Viceroy Palm Springs and Viceroy Santa Monica, and Beverly Hills’ Avalon Hotel and Maison 140. His wife Kelly is a famed interior designer and appears as a judge on Bravo’s hit series Top Design. She is behind the award-winning interiors of her husband’s hotels, infusing the properties with her signature classic minimalist lines and old Hollywood glamour. She also has a line at Bergdorf Goodman, and for Groundworks at Lee Jofa and The Rug Company.
Ashton Kutcher & Demi Moore
Category Power Couples
Industries TV/Film
Company Katalyst Films
What Makes Them Haute She was the first actress to hit the $10 million mark; he’s best known for his role on That 70s Show, his MTV show Punk’d, and a myriad of movies. His production company, Katalyst Films, keeps Kutcher as one of the busiest television producers in Hollywood, and he’s gunning for films as well. The media was shocked that the two were tying the knot despite their 15 year age difference, but their relationship is still going strong.
John Lasseter
Category Thinkers
Industry Film
Company Walt Disney
What Makes Him Haute The Academy Award-winning animator and chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney animation studios directs and produces. He recently took the position as principal creative advisor at Walt Disney Imagineering where he will work with a team developing ideas for Disney theme park attractions.
Tim Leiweke
Category Thinkers
Industry Entertainment
Company AEG
What Makes him Haute Hailed as one of the most influential men in sports, the CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group is responsible for bringing David Beckham to the Los Angeles Galaxy, and is bringing L.A. a $2.5 billion entertainment and sports complex.
Jay Leno
Category Entertainers
Industry Television
What Makes Him Haute The Emmy-award winning stand-up comedian and talk show host is an eminent fixture of American pop-culture. From President-elect Barrack Obama to Lindsay Lohan, Leno has hosted them all, and the announcement that he will move into the coveted 10 p.m. prime-time slot guarantees that he’ll continue to be a fixture on our televisions nightly after he departs The Tonight Show in 2009.
Robert Maguire III
Category Billionaires
Industry Real Estate
Company Maguire Properties Inc.
What Makes Them Haute He founded Maguire Properties in 1965 and developed major commercial property in downtown L.A. He stepped down as chairman just this year after a futile attempt at taking the company private, although he still owns 16.5 percent of shares with an estimated value of $100 million. He also owns property in prime locations of L.A., Dallas, and at the Barnett Shale gas reserve in Texas,
Alfred Mann
Category Billionaires
Industry Health Care
Company MannKind Corporation
What Makes Him Haute The health care entrepreneur-turned-billionaire literally is behind some of the greatest medical innovations of the century, including pacemakers, cochlear implants, and insulin pumps. He sold his insulin pump company MiniMed in 2001 for $3.1 billion. He is actively involved in funding the future of bio meds by donating $100 million to USC 1998 and $100 million to Purdue U. in 2007. Mann is currently chairman of the board of trustees of the Alfred Mann Foundation and of the Alfred Mann Institutes at the University of Southern California, Purdue University, and The Technion Institute (Israel).
John McMonigle
Category Entrepreneur
Industry Real Estate
Company McMonigle Group
What Makes Him Haute The principal of his eponymous luxury real estate outfit, McMonigle has overseen four straight years of being Coldwell Banker’s No. 1 sales team. In the last five years, the group made history by selling more than $1 billion, and McMonigle himself has been recognized as the top-selling agent in the nation.
Richard Meruelo
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Property Management
Company Meruelo Maddux Properties
What Makes Him Haute Meruelo co-founded this residential, commercial, and industrial real estate firm, which is the largest private land owner in downtown L.A.
Gary Michelson
Category Billionaires
Industry Medicine
Company Found Animals
What Makes Him Haute Michelson found his fortune by licensing tools that are often integral to the completion of complicated back surgery. He then enforced his patents in two legal cases, one of which resulted in $1.35 billion settlement. He now uses his fortune for charities and is working on a solution for the large number of unwanted pets in the U.S., focusing on the Los Angeles area.
Michael Milken
Category Billionaires
Industry Finance, Philanthropy
Company Milken Family Foundation/Milken Institute/Melanoma Research Alliance
What Makes Him Haute Responsible for creating the market for junk bonds during the 1970s and 1980s, this financier spent a brief stint in prison for finance-related charges, and since his release has donated more than $1 billion to medical research. He currently has a net worth of $2.5 billion.
Doug Morris
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Music
Company Universal Music Group
What Makes Him Haute The chairman and CEO of Universal is responsible for guiding the overall global activities of the world’s largest music company. He’s worked with some of the most popular and influential artists of the past four decades including Bette Midler, Led Zeppelin, Mariah Carey, and The Rolling Stones. Morris serves on the board of directors of The Robin Hood Foundation and The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and is also a director of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Peter Morton
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Hospitality
Company Hard Rock Cafe
What Makes Him Haute He’s the co-founder of the Hard Rock Cafe and sold the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel to New York-based Morgans Hotel Company for $770 million. His father is the founder of Morton’s, The Steakhouse, and his son, Harry, is behind the interestingly named Pink Taco chain.
Charles Munger
Category Billionaires
Industry Finance
Company Berkshire Hathaway
What Makes Him Haute Munger met Warren Buffet at a dinner party in 1959, and the two began investing together. He is now referred to as Buffet’s “indispensable consigliore.” Munger serves as the vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, where he owns shares valued at $2.2 billion.
David Murdock
Category Billionaires
Industry Investment/Real Estate
Company Dole Food Company, Inc./Castle & Cook
What Makes Him Haute This high school dropout made a tidy fortune in the real estate industry, then he bought portions of Dole Food Company, Inc. and Castle & Cook. The two combined companies result in one of the largest privately held entities in the U.S., with 63,000 employees in more than 90 countries. Its portfolio includes development and ownership of real estate, leasing of transportation equipment, manufacture of brick and building materials, oil and gas holdings, aviation services, and ownership of public warehouses. In Hawaii the company also owns a significant portion of the 90,000-acre island of Lana’i and two award-winning Four Seasons Hotels.
Sam Nazarian
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Entertainment/Real Estate
Company SBE Entertainment Group
What Makes Him Haute In 2006 he was the youngest executive to be named one of the “Top 100 Most Powerful People in Southern California,” and his empire has only continued to grow. From nightclubs, hotels, and casinos to real estate, finance, and films, Nazarian has mastered them all. He delves into his latest venture, SLS Hotel Beverly Hills, on the back page of this issue.
Igor Olenicoff
Category Billionaires
Industry Real Estate
Company Olen Properties
What Makes Him Haute On the list of “The World’s Wealthiest Tax Cheats,” Olenicoff paid $52 million in back taxes as part of a plea deal with the U.S. government in 2008 for fibbing about the state of his overseas accounts. His company owns 6.4 million square feet of commercial space and 11,200 residential units in L.A., Las Vegas, and Florida.
Michael & Judy Ovitz
Category Power Couples
Industries Film and Television
What Makes Them Haute As the former-head of CAA, Michael has been one of Hollywood’s most influential talent agents since the ’70s. He also had a stint at Disney that resulted in a $140 million severance package. Wife Judy appeared in classics films such as Back to the Future II and Ghostbusters II. Together, they’re Hollywood gold.
Chuck Pelly
Category Thinker
Industry Industrial Design
Company Pelly Design Management
What Makes Him Haute In a region that boasts the world’s largest concentration of auto design studios, Pelly is the dean—he’s been mentoring, judging, lecturing, and imagining innovative cars for more than 40 years. As the founder of Designworks/USA, which became a BMW subsidiary, he turned it into one of the top industrial design consultancies in the world. He continues to work on projects for Nokia Design, LA Auto Show, and BMW Group, to name a few.
A. Jerrold Perenchio
Category Billionaires
Industry Television/Communications
Company Univision Communications
What Makes Him Haute This talent-agent-turned-network-mogul is a self-made billionaire. The UCLA grad’s first big break was when he sold the TV and film company he founded with Norman Lear, Embassy Communications, to Coca-Cola for $485 million in 1985. He then made a quick turnaround profit of $140 million from buying and selling Lowes movie theaters. Currently, he is best known for his reign over the Hispanic broadcasting market thanks to his purchase of Univision Communications Inc., the nation’s largest Spanish-language TV network. He lives a private life in Malibu (where he is one of the city’s largest private land owners), and is known for his generous donations to charity and politicians.
Wolfgang Puck
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Cuisine
Company Wolfgang Puck Companies
What Makes Him Haute This Austrian-born restaurateur and celebrity chef has built a culinary empire that includes fine dining establishments, franchise restaurants, catering, cookbooks, and products. His flagship restaurant, Spago, is still the go-to establishment for Hollywood’s elite, and in 2008, the James Beard Foundation nominated Puck for the Outstanding Restaurateur award.
David Pyott
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Pharmaceuticals
Company Allergan Incorporated
What Makes Him Haute Nearly in the top 20 of Forbes executive pay list for 2008, this pharmaceutical mastermind serves as the CEO, chairman of the board, and director of Allergan Incorporated, a multi-billion-dollar specialty healthcare company. He also serves as director for Avery Dennison Corporation and director of Edwards Life Sciences Corp., all of which are publicly traded companies.
Brett Ratner
Category Thinkers
Industry Film
Company HSI Productions
What Makes Him Haute The billion-dollar director is behind a slew of action packed blockbusters, including X-Men, The Last Stand, Red Dragon, and the Rush Hour trilogy. His Beverly Hills home is the stomping grounds for the area’s A-listers, many of whom have sat for pictures in his black and white photobooth. The shots, which include everyone from Michael Jackson to Chelsea Clinton, were published in Hilhaven Lodge: The Photo Booth Pictures.
Sumner Redstone
Category Billionaires
Industry Media
Company National Amusements Inc.
What Makes Him Haute The 85-year-old Redstone is still one of the most powerful media moguls in the industry. His National Amusements, Inc., is the parent company of Viacom and CBS Corporation; Redstone serves as executive chairman of both.
Joyce Rey
Category Entrepreneurs
Category Real Estate
Company Coldwell Banker Previews International
What Makes Her Haute Three decades of milestone achievements in Southern California landmark and luxury real estate have earned Rey innumerable accolades, awards, and honors. Today, she is head of the Estates Division of Coldwell Banker Previews International in Los Angeles, as well as one of the three national executive directors.
Edward Roski Jr.
Category Billionaires
Industry Real Estate
Company Majestic
Realty Co.
What Makes Him Haute He owns more than 73 million square feet of commercial property from Los Angeles to Atlanta, as well as minor parts of the L.A. Lakers and hockey’s L.A. Kings. The noted risk taker, who will attack anything from Mount Everest to the Titanic wreckage, is also an avid philanthropist. He donated $23 million to alma mater USC in 2006 to fund a fine arts school. He serves on board for a number of local organizations, museums, and science centers.
Haim & Cheryl Saban
Category Power Couples
Industries Media/Entertainment
Company Saban Capital Group, Inc.
What Makes Them Haute She’s a prominent author that writes about social issues, predominately concerning the wellbeing of women, children, and families. He’s the chairman and CEO of Saban Capital Group, Inc., a private investment firm specializing in the media, entertainment, and communications industries. Together, they are avid philanthropists, namely through the Saban Family Foundation, which supports medical, education, and children’s programs.
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Category Entertainers
Industry Music
What Makes Him Haute Almost two decades ago, the Los Angeles Philharmonic took a chance on a young fellow from Finland who was at the beginning of his conducting career. Since then, the maestro has built an orchestra of the 21st century: vital, of our time, and in constant forward motion. His profound musical vision and legacy reaches far beyond Los Angeles. After stepping down as music director in 2009, he intends to devote more time to opera and composing.
Arnold Schwarzenegger & Maria Shriver
Category Power Couples
Industry Politics
Company State of California
What Makes Them Haute Famed body builder-turned-actor-turned-38th governor of California is happily married to Shriver, former NBC anchor and niece of the late President John F. Kennedy and Senators Robert and Ted Kennedy. Though she’s a democrat and he’s a republican, the duo have set their political differences aside and are one of the state’s most influential couples; they reside happily in Brentwood with their four children.
Seal & Heidi Klum
Category Power Couples
Industry Music/Fashion
What Makes Them Haute The crooner and the supermodel are one of Hollywood’s most beloved—and highest grossing, earning $15.5 million last year alone—couples.
Henry Segerstrom
Category Originators
Industry Real Estate
Company C.J. Segerstrom & Sons
What Makes Him Haute A managing partner of South Coast Plaza, and owner of C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, one of the largest real estate empires in California, Henry has been integral to the expansion of the Performing Arts Center (which includes the $200 million Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall) and the surrounding “arts park” complex.
Joel Silver
Category Thinkers
Industry Film
Company Silver Pictures, Dark Castle Productions
What Makes Him Haute He currently heads production companies Silver Pictures and Dark Castle Productions, and has produced nearly 100 films, many of which have been blockbusters. His latest project is producing Sherlock Holmes featuring Robert Downy Jr., Jude Law, and Guy Ritchie. The creative visionary also invented Ultimate Frisbee at his New England boarding school, and began the first official college team while attending Lafayette.
Jeffrey Skoll
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Internet
Company eBay
What Makes Him Haute The second employee and first president of renowned online auction house eBay, Skoll has put his earnings towards philanthropy. His independent film production company, Participant Productions, is behind the Academy Award-winning An Inconvenient Truth.
Will & Jada Pinkett Smith
Category Power Couples
Industry Film/Television
What Makes Them
Haute Behind Jay-Z & Beyoncé, the Smiths are Hollywood’s highest grossing couple, raking in some $85 million last year.
Stacey Snider
Category Thinkers
Industry Film
Company DreamWorks SKG
What Makes Her Haute Ranked as one of the 50 most important women in business, Snider is co-chairman of DreamWorks with Spielberg. The company recently ended its two-year partnership with Paramount, and it is now full-speed ahead as they strive to meet their goal of four to six films per year. Universal is lined up as the film distribution partner.
Steven Soderbergh
Category Originator
Industry Film
What Makes Him Haute This producer, cinematographer, and Academy Award-winning director is best known for the thought-provoking Traffic, Erin Brockovich, and the Ocean’s 11 franchise. His upcoming Che, based on the life of Che Guevara, is already stirring up Oscar talks.
Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong
Category Billionaires
Industry Medicine
Company Abraxis BioScience
What Makes Him Haute This medical genius was a doctor by the age of 23 and began to develop treatments for diabetes and cancer. He recently sold his American Pharmaceutical Partners to a German company for $5.6 billion. He will use this profit to build research labs for physicists, mathematicians, computer scientists, and doctors to create a database of biological markers.
Steven Spielberg
Category Billionaires
Industry Film
Company DreamWorks
What Makes Him Haute Arguably the world’s most famous filmmaker, Spielberg shares his wealth, donating $3 million to charities last year.
Sylvester Stallone & Jennifer Flavin-Stallone
Category Power Couples
Industry Film/Cosmetics
Company Seriesse International
What Makes THEM Haute He is forever Rocky and Rambo, one of the biggest box office draws and pop cultural icons the world has ever seen, and he’s still going strong. She is the former model who is the co-owner of $1 billion skincare and wellness company Seriesse International.
David Sun
Category Billionaires
Industry Technology
Company Kingston Technology
What Makes Him Haute This self-made billionaire co-founded Kingston Technology in 1987. The company is now the nation’s largest privately-held computer memory outfit, with more than 2,000 products that serve nearly every device that uses memory. Fortune named the Fountain valley-based Kingston—which had revenues of $4.5 billion in 2007—as one of the best places to work in America.
Arn and Nancy Tellem
Category Power Couples
Industry Television
Company SFX Sports Group/CBS
What Makes Them Haute He’s a legendary sports agent, she’s the president of the CBS Paramount Television Network Entertainment Group, ranked one of the 50 most influential women in business. She is responsible for spearheading the company’s efforts to expand its content into new media and across all emerging platforms, including the development and production of original content for CBS.com, the new CBS Audience Network, and wireless.
John Tu
Category Billionaires
Industry Technology
Company Kingston Technology
What Makes Him Haute This self-made billionaire co-founded Kingston with David Sun, which is currently the largest computer memory firm. When they sold an 80 percent stake in Kingston Technology in 1996 for $1.5 billion, they spent $100 million of it on lavish bonuses for their employees, with the average bonus exceeding $100,000.
Steven Udvar-Hazy
Category Billionaires
Industry Investments
Company International Lease Finance Corporation
What Makes Him Haute Watch planes taking off at most airports around the world, and you are probably looking at planes owned by Hazy. ILFC, which he founded with the Gondas, is one of the world’s largest aircraft lessors. His $66 million donation led to the Steven Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air & Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institute.
Antonio Villaraigosa
Category Thinkers
Industry Politics
Company The City of Los Angeles
What Makes Him Haute The first Hispanic L.A. mayor in the city’s 133-year history has revitalized the city with infrastructure projects, the wooing of tech companies, actively supporting small business, ensuring growth of the area’s unique creative capital, and an emphasis on education.
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April 16th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Nice to have Ricky Meruelo on the list… unfortunately Meruelo Maddox filed for bankruptcy a few weeks ago. Still haute? (whatever that means).