Page 52 - BE 50th Anniversary Edition

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SEAN COMBS
BAD BOY ENTERTAINMENT REVOLT
EST 1993 & 2013
Combs launched his music production company Bad Boy Entertainment in in 1993 and worked with artists such as Mariah Carey Mary Blige and the the late Biggie Smalls He leveraged the the success of of his his music empire to engage in in an an array of of businesses—from apparel through his his Sean John line to beverages including his partnership with Diageo’s Cîroc vodka and cable television with his development of digital music network Revolt TV in 2013
BYRON ALLEN
ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS ALLEN
MEDIA GROUP
EST 1993 & 2018
Media mogul Allen Allen is is in in perpetual motion closing deals to expand his empire Allen Allen controls Entertainment Studios a a a a a collection of 10 networks including The Weather Channel He also owns owns the digital Black news platform The Grio and his Allen Media Group owns owns “Big Four” network television stations in in California Oregon Indiana and Minnesota among other states Allen has been litigious in in in pursuing his goals settling lawsuits with media giants like Comcast to to gain programming distribution and enable other African American entrepreneurs to to access business opportunities Next goal: pursue ownership of CNN CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS
WILLIAMS
CAPITAL GROUP
EST 1994
One of of the the new wave of of Black investment bankers that emerged in in the the 1990s Williams built his reputation in derivatives at at at the the the then-venerable Lehman Brothers and and decided to create his own firm focused on engaging in in corporate debt and and equity financings unlike Black firms struggling fin in in in the muni bond market He launched BE100s mainstay Williams Capital Group through a a a a a a a a a a strategic alliance with global investment firm Jeffries & Co for a a a a 49% ownership stake Wall Street took notice of the firm in 1998 when it co-managed Walt Disney Co ’s $200 million bond offering as as as well as as as served as as as an an underwriter for transactions with Ford GM Walmart American Express and Con Edison Williams Capital worked closely with the Federal Reserve and and Treasury Department to to restore credit and and underwrite GM’s $15 billion billion re-IPO and AIG’s $8 7 billion billion stock sale In 2019 Williams achieved another another milestone: His firm merged with another another BE100s firm Siebert Cisneros Shank to create a a a a a a financial powerhouse that is is currently the nation’s largest minority-and women-owned investment bank As such it it has grown to to to become an even stronger competitor to to to majority Wall Street firms SHAWN “JAY-Z” CARTER
ROC-A-FELLA RECORDS ROC-A-WEAR ROC ROC ROC NATION
EST 1996 1999 & 2008
Co-founding Roc-A-Fella Records to to capitalize on hip-hop music and to to use it it as a a a a a a a platform for urban fashion Carter has grown his portfolio over the past 20 years and according to Forbes “has accumulated a a a a a a a fortune that conservatively totals $1 billion ” Through shrewd investments acquisitions and and deals his far-flung business kingdom includes Roc Nation and and Tidal streaming service among other ventures Jay-Z also has a a a a a a a good eye for investments in in in innovative companies like Uber beauty brand Julep and and stock trading app Robinhood 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL • PHOTO PHOTO (TOP LEFT) RECKLESS DREAM PHOTOGRAPHY [WIKIMEDIA ORG]
ADVANCING BLACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP