Casey Wasserman
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Casey Wasserman (b. 1974) is an entertainment executive and owner of the Los Angeles Avengers Arena League football team. Born Casey Meyer, he is the son of the Los Angeles socialite and philanthropist Lynne Wasserman. Casey's parents were divorced and he took his mother's maiden name. His sister's name is Carol Ann Leif. He is married to movie music supervisor Laura Ziffren.[1].
Wasserman obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). But it was his grandfather, Lew Wasserman, head of MCA, whom he claims to be his greatest teacher. The two would have breakfast together every Saturday and Sunday from the time when Casey was a child to the elder Wasserman's death in 2002. The younger Wasserman was quoted as saying, "He was my most valuable resource in terms of information. In broad terms he knew what he wanted to do and I followed in his footsteps." [2] After graduation from UCLA, Casey Wasserman worked as an investment banker. In 1998, he purchased the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League (AFL), paying about $5 million for the franchise rights, and thus becoming the youngest person ever to own a professional sports team. Active in the AFL, and well liked by other owners in the league, despite his age, he was elected Chairman. In 2002 he negotiated a groundbreaking national television partnership between the league and NBC television, as well as the collective bargaining agreement with its players.
The same year that he purchased the football team, Casey Wasserman started Wasserman Media Group (WMG), a talent management company, of which he remains CEO. In 2002, WMG acquired the sports marketing and naming-rights company Envision and the action sports marketing and representation firm The Familie. In 2004, he purchased 411 Productions and a few months later relaunched it as Studio 411, a sports entertainment film studio. The business is designed to provide financing, obtain sponsorships and arrange distribution in support of original productions. With various other strategic acquisitions, by 2006, WMG had four divisions: Management, Marketing, Content and Investments, and operated on several continents.
Wasserman also acts as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Wasserman Foundation, a charitable organization founded by Lew Wasserman and his wife Edie in 1952 [3].
