Strauss Zelnick

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.

Strauss Zelnick
Zelnick in 2015
Born
Harry Strauss Zelnick

(1957-06-26) June 26, 1957
Boston, US
NationalityAmerican
Education
Occupation
Years active1983–present
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[1]
Spouse(s)
Wendy J. Belzberg
​
(m. 1990)​
Children3
Parents
  • Allan Zelnick (father)
  • Elsa Zelnick (mother)

Early life and education

Harry Strauss Zelnick was born on June 26, 1957, in Boston.[2][3] He was the second-oldest of six children of Elsa (née Strauss) and Allan Zelnick (died in 2013) and grew up in South Orange, New Jersey.[2][4][5] Strauss Zelnick graduated from Columbia High School in 1975 and studied psychology and English at Wesleyan University from 1975 until 1979, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors.[2][3][4][6] During his time at Wesleyan, he was the national public relations director for the Coalition of Independent College and University Students (COPUS).[7] 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][4][6][8]

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.[9] He founded it in 2001 with a starting capital of US$300,000.[10][11] 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.[12]

Personal life

Zelnick is Jewish.[13] He has four sisters: Karen Davis, Beth Kaufman, Marci Zelnick Rodriguez, and Laurie Zelnick.[5] His brother, Carl D. Zelnick, died in 1995.[14] Strauss Zelnick married Wendy J. Belzberg (the daughter of Samuel Belzberg) in January 1990; their engagement was announced by Belzberg's parents in December 1989.[15] They have two sons, Cooper (born in 1992) and Lucas, as well as a daughter, Leigh.[2][13]: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. 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. "Harry Strauss Zelnick from Columbia High School". Classmates.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  4. Machan, Dyan (November 30, 2013). "Master of the Game". Barron's. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  5. "AlanAllan Zelnick Obituary". The Star-Ledger. April 24, 2013. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  6. 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.
  7. Shalala, Donna E. (June 12, 1978). "Letters". Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  8. "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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. Zelnick, Strauss (September 4, 2018). Becoming Ageless: The Four Secrets To Looking and Feeling Younger Than Ever. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781940358192.
  14. "Deaths". Bates College. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  15. "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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