Jeremy Frommer

Jeremy Frommer is an American financier and entrepreneur based in New Jersey. His career includes over two decades on Wall Street, working as a hedge fund and portfolio manager, and on the sell-side of the financial industry, building and selling two financial services companies. He is CEO of JAJ Holdings and Jerrick Ventures LLC, a company that acquires, develops and produces content across all forms of media.

Career

In 1987, Frommer worked as an intern in the equity division of Salomon Brothers Inc. He later graduated magna cum laude from the State University of New York at Albany, with a B.A. in philosophy, and studied at the London School of Economics.^[1]

In 1990, Frommer began his professional career on the high yield bond and distressed debt desk at Kidder, Peabody & Co. He was recruited by Mark Patterson in 1993 to the proprietary distressed debt group at BT Securities (Bankers Trust), responsible for managing trading activities for the firm's distressed debt accounts.^[1] In 1995, Frommer joined Scott Keller at Guard Hill Capital, a merger arbitrage hedge fund founded by Keller. Frommer served as a senior partner. In 1997, he left Guard Hill Capital and joined Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), where he worked for then-head of global equity derivatives and then president/co-CEO of RBC Capital Markets, Mark Standish.^[2] In 2000, Frommer was hired by Bank of America, where he managed portfolios of distressed debt and merger arbitrage securities under the asset management of Jonathan Sandelman, who later founded Sandelman Partners.^[3]

In 2002, Frommer started NextGen Trading, a software development company building proprietary equity trading platforms.^[4] In 2002, NextGen became an affiliate of Carlin Financial Group (Carlin), which bought NextGen in 2004. Frommer became CEO of the company.^[4] Carlin was acquired by RBC Capital Markets Corporation, on January 2, 2007 for an undisclosed amount.^[5]

In a New York Times article dated March 31, 2014, Frommer is depicted as a suspender-wearing, baseball bat-wielding, screaming egomaniac who doesn't understand Carlin Financial's technology the day after it was acquired by RBC. The article further quotes Frommer as once stating in a speech given to business students at his alma mater, SUNY, Albany, that “It’s not just enough to fly in first class; I have to know my friends are flying in coach.”^[6]

At RBC, Frommer was managing director, head of the Global Prime Services group (GPS) and a member of the RBC Global Prime Equities Operating Committee. RBC's Global Prime Services incorporated the bank’s global prime brokerage business and reflected the trend blurring the lines between traditional and hedge funds,^[7] increasing competition between prime brokers and custodian banks.^[8]

In the Michael Lewis book Flash Boys, Frommer is depicted as being the key person who often broke RBC Financial's "no assholes" policy. ^[9]

Investments

Frommer is an investor and active partner in Overnight Productions, a New York-based film and television production company founded by film producer Rick Schwartz, a former executive at Miramax and producer of the award-winning films Gangs of New York, The Aviator and The Departed. Mr. Schwartz's most recent film, Machete Kills, directed by Robert Rodriguez, released by Open Road Films in 2013; upcoming productions include Tatua to star Kellan Lutz.^[10]

Frommer and Schwartz are also partners in Jerrick Ventures LLC, a company that acquires, develops and produces content across all forms of media. Investments and properties include:

• GeekRoom, a website for comic, action figures, sci-fi and pop culture;
• Steam Wars, a steam punk collection of action figures;
• Romper Zombies, an up-and-coming toy line with investor and partner Luke Vaan-Horne;
• Machete action figures and trading cards, developed in collaboration with Simeon Lipman (a regularly featured appraiser on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow and former Pop Culture curator at Christie’s Auction House in New York City);
• Miss Filthy, a line of women's apparel, developed in partnership with celebrity photographer Indrani and stylist GK Reid;
• Astoria Surgical, a women's health and wellness commerce company.
• 1OAK, a New York City nightclub, and 1OAK L.A.

Filthy Gorgeous Media

In 2012 Frommer acquired the creditors assets of the late media mogul Bob Guccione, publisher of Penthouse, Omni, Viva, Kathy Keeton's Longevity, and other periodicals. The collection included artwork and memorabilia once owned by Guccione.^[11] Jerrick Ventures is working on curating a multi-faceted exhibit from the collection, which will include a website museum retrospective, book, TV and film projects, and other media related to Guccione.^[12] The acquisition of the assets is the inspiration behind Frommer's website Filthy Gorgeous.^[13]

Charity

Frommer is a philanthropist, having made donations to a host of educational programs, political campaigns and charitable organizations. In addition, Frommer has been a guest lecturer on financial industry issues at a number of universities including Duke University,^[14] Cornell UNiversity and his alma mater Albany University.^[1]

References

External links

• Official website