Strauss Zelnick

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Strauss Zelnick
Strauss Zelnick, 2015 (16339090774).jpg
Zelnick in 2015
Born
Harry Strauss Zelnick

(1957-06-26) June 26, 1957 (age 64)
Boston, US
NationalityAmerican
Education
Occupation
Years active1983–present
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[1]
Spouse(s)
Wendy J. Belzberg
​
(m. 1990)​
Children3

Harry Strauss Zelnick (born June 26, 1957) is an American businessman. Born in Boston and raised in South Orange, New Jersey, he attended Columbia High School, Wesleyan University, Harvard Business School, and Harvard Law School. 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.[2][3] His mother, Susan Strauss Manello, died on October 22, 1967, when Harry was ten years old.[4] 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.[2][5][6] 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.[2][3][5][7] During his time at Wesleyan, he was the national public relations director for the Coalition of Independent College and University Students (COPUS).[8] 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.[3][5][7][9]

Career[]

Zelnick is the chief executive officer and managing partner of ZMC, a private equity investment firm based in New York City that specializes in leveraged buyouts and growth capital.[10] He founded ZMC in 2001 with a starting capital of US$300,000.[11][12] 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.[13]

Personal life[]

Zelnick is Jewish.[14] He has four sisters: Karen Davis, Beth Kaufman, Marci Zelnick Rodriguez, and Laurie Zelnick.[6] His brother, Carl D. Zelnick, died in 1995.[15] Zelnick married Wendy J. Belzberg (the daughter of Samuel Belzberg) in January 1990; their engagement was announced by Belzberg's parents in December 1989.[16] They have two sons, Cooper (born in 1992) and Lucas, as well as a daughter, Leigh.[2][14]: 204 

References[]

  1. ^ Gardnet, Chris (November 1, 2018). "CBS' New Board Chief Is 60 and Has 8 Percent Body Fat". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Fisher, Lawrence M. (February 13, 1994). "Sound Bytes; The Not-So-Silent Screen". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Harry Strauss Zelnick from Columbia High School". Classmates.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  4. ^ "Obituary for Susan Strauss Manello". The Boston Globe. October 24, 1967. p. 43. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c Machan, Dyan (November 30, 2013). "Master of the Game". Barron's. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Alan [sic] Zelnick Obituary". The Star-Ledger. April 24, 2013. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Needleman, Sarah E. (August 9, 2019). "How Take-Two's CEO Powered Up". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  8. ^ Shalala, Donna E. (June 12, 1978). "Letters". Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  9. ^ "Alumni and Faculty Books for December 2018". Harvard Business School. December 1, 2018. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  10. ^ Takahashi, Dean (July 21, 2008). "E3 perspective: Q&A with Chairman Strauss Zelnick on the future of Take-Two Interactive". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on September 5, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  11. ^ The Business of Fashion (May 21, 2018). Why Age Is Irrelevant | Strauss Zelnick | #BoFVOICES 2017. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2018 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ Coffrey, Brendan (May 16, 2011). "CEOs Who Make One Dollar (Or Less) A Year". Forbes. Archived from the original on September 3, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  13. ^ Morris, Chris (July 1, 2015). "This non-gamer runs one of the world's biggest video game companies". Fortune. Archived from the original on June 5, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  14. ^ a b Zelnick, Strauss (September 4, 2018). Becoming Ageless: The Four Secrets To Looking and Feeling Younger Than Ever. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781940358192. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  15. ^ "Deaths". Bates College. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  16. ^ "Wendy J. Belzberg to Wed in January". The New York Times. December 3, 1989. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
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