Eric Eisner (lawyer)

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This article is about the entertainment lawyer and philanthropist. For the producer, see Eric Eisner.
Eric Eisner
Born
New York City, U.S.
EducationLittle Red School House
Columbia University (BA, JD)
Occupationlawyer, studio executive, philanthropist
Titleformer president of Geffen Pictures, founder of Young Eisner Scholars

Eric Eisner is an entertainment industry lawyer and executive who served as president of The Geffen Film Company and Island World Inc.[1][2] He also founded the Young Eisner Scholars (YES) program.[3][4]

Biography[]

Eisner grew up in Greenwich Village and attended Little Red Schoolhouse and Elisabeth Irwin High School. worked as a songwriter and played drums for The Strangers, a New York rock band.[5]

He received his B.A. from Columbia University in 1970 and J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1973.[1] In college, he joined Students for a Democratic Society and took part in the Columbia University protests of 1968.

After law school, Eisner accepted an offer at the law firm Kaplan Livingston Goodwin Berkowitz & Selvin in Los Angeles, then the largest entertainment law firm in the world.[6] In 1980, he was recruited by David Geffen to be head of his production company and oversaw the production of films such as Risky Business and Beetlejuice, as well as Broadway plays M. Butterfly and Cats.[7]

After retiring from the entertainment industry, Eisner founded the Young Eisner Scholars program in 1998.[8] The program identifies gifted students from disadvantaged schools in Los Angeles and places them in the city's best prep and magnet schools.[9] The program has also mobilized $50 million in financial aid and scholarships to fund its scholars’ college tuition and fees, and has placed participants in top-tier universities in the country.[8]

For his activism in improving public school education, Malcolm Gladwell described Eisner as the "DuBois of the barrio" and "the L.A. school system’s Lone Ranger."[10] Eisner was also featured in Gladwell's podcast, Revisionist History.[11] He was named "Innovator of the Year" in education by The Wall Street Journal in 2012 [9] and one of the "Biggest Philanthropists of 2015" by Town & Country.[12]

Personal life and family[]

His wife, Lisa (née Norris)[13] Eisner, worked as the West Coast editor for Vogue magazine.[14] She is also a photographer, jewelry designer, and art collector.[15][16] The couple lives in a Bel Air, Los Angeles home designed by Cliff May.[14]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "The Power of YES | Columbia College Today". www.college.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  2. ^ "Eric Eisner has been named chief executive..." Los Angeles Times. 1992-01-08. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  3. ^ Herold, Ann (2014-09-10). "Follow The Leader Los Angeles Magazine". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  4. ^ Odman, Sydney (2021-09-24). "Bob Iger and Willow Bay Honored at the YES 20th Anniversary Celebration Gala". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  5. ^ "Eric Eisner Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  6. ^ Lewis, Marilyn Black,Andy; Black, Marilyn; Lewis, Andy (2016-04-21). "A Hollywood Power Lawyer's Lost Memoir on Birthing Independent Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  7. ^ Siegel, Alan (2018-03-30). "How 'Beetlejuice' Was Born". The Ringer. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  8. ^ a b "YES Emphasizes Learning Over Memorization". NationSwell. 2016-02-03. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  9. ^ a b O'Rourke, Meghan (2012-10-25). "The Unlikely Reformer". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  10. ^ "Vanity Fair Nominates Eric Eisner". Vanity Fair. 2011-02-21. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  11. ^ Reese, Rachel. "Revising Gladwell's "Revisionist History"". www.cato.org. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  12. ^ "T&C 50: The Biggest Philanthropists of 2015". Town & Country. 2015-04-07. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  13. ^ Herzog, Kenny. "The Golden Age: 16 Very Expensive Highlights From Music-Business Memoirs". Vulture. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  14. ^ a b Spindler, Amy M. (1997-05-13). "In Los Angeles, a Modern Muse". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  15. ^ Trebay, Guy (2017-11-17). "For Lisa Eisner, 'Money Never, Ever Motivates Me'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  16. ^ Hartman, Eviana (2014-12-02). "The Eclectic World of Lisa Eisner". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
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