Benjamin Bronfman
Benjamin Bronfman | |
|---|---|
 Bronfman in 2023 | |
| Born | August 6, 1982 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, musician |
| Partner | Mathangi Arulpragasam (2008–2012) |
| Children | 1 |
| Father | Edgar Bronfman Jr. |
| Relatives | John Langeloth Loeb Sr. (great-grandfather) Samuel Bronfman (great-grandfather) Edgar Miles Bronfman (grandfather) Hannah Bronfman (sister) |
Benjamin Zachary Bronfman (born August 6, 1982) is an American businessman and musician.[1] Bronfman is a founding partner and board member of Global Thermostat, a direct air capture company that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.[2][3]
Early life
[edit]Benjamin Zachary Bronfman was born on August 6, 1982 in New York City to African American actress Sherry Brewer Bronfman and Edgar Bronfman Jr., former chief executive officer of Warner Music Group. He has two sisters, Hannah and Vanessa.[4]
Bronfman lived in London briefly when his father was managing director of Seagram Distilleries Europe. The family returned to New York in 1984 after his father became president of Seagram's US marketing division.[5]
Bronfman attended Collegiate High School in New York City, graduating in 2000.[citation needed] He enrolled in Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts where he studied politics and law.[citation needed]
Environment and technology
[edit]
In 2007, Bronfman became interested in direct carbon dioxide removal from the Earth's atmosphere, teamed up with Columbia University economist Graciela Chichilnisky and founded Global Thermostat, where he is a founding partner and a director.[6] Global Thermostat completed the construction of its first pilot plant at The Stanford Research Institute in November 2010.[7] In the year 2018, Bronfman founded DGH, an investment firm for the medical cannabis industry which invested in Bedrocan International. He then contributed as a member of the board of directors from 2018 - 2023 at Bedrocan International., a pharmaceutically focused medical cannabis API supply company in Europe.[citation needed]
Music
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A music enthusiast since his childhood, Bronfman met Gunnar Olsen in high school and both performed in various bands. One of those bands became an early incarnation of The Exit in 2000 when Bronfman met Jeff DaRosa while attending Emerson College in Boston. The Exit is a critically acclaimed, New York City-based Indie / Post-Punk / Reggae group released two albums.[citation needed]
Bronfman received a Grammy nomination for Best rap song for his collaborative contribution to Kanye West's single "New Slaves" featured on the album Yeezus.[8] He co-produced the track "Monster" which was included on Kanye West's Grammy Award-winning album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Bronfman is the founder of Green Owl, which claims to be the world's first sustainability-focused record label.[9]
| Year | Album | Track List |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | New Beat |
|
| 2004 | Home for an Island |
|
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Sing four favorites |
| 2006 | The live session EP (iTunes exclusive release) |
| Year | Title | Directed by |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Lonely Man's wallet | Major Lightner |
| 2004 | Let's go to Haiti | Major Lightner |
| 2005 | Don't push | Terry Timley |
| 2005 | Soldier | Lightner |
| 2006 | Back to the Rebels | Lightner and Javier Hernandez |
Personal life
[edit]Bronfman met British rapper M.I.A. in 2008. They became engaged and M.I.A. gave birth to their son on February 13, 2009.[10] In February 2012, it was announced that the two had separated.[11]
Non-profit work and activism
[edit]Since 2010, Bronfman has engaged in cannabis advocacy efforts aimed at promoting legislative changes to grant patients access to cannabis.[12]
He has served on the boards of the following non-profit organizations: Pioneer Works, Liberty Science Center, Americans for Safe Access, and 15 Percent Pledge.
In 2017, Bronfman fought Kweku Mandela in a charity boxing match in London to raise awareness and funds against animal poaching.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ "56th Annual Grammy awards". www.grammy.com. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
- ^ Thermostat, Global. "Global Thermostat unveils one of the world's largest units for removing carbon dioxide directly from air". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ Trendafilova, Petya (April 5, 2023). "Global Thermostat Unveils Its Demonstration Direct Air Capture Plant". Carbon Herald. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
- ^ Ogunnaike, Lola (July 15, 2011). "Ebony: Meet The Black Bronfmans". SandraRose.com. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "Seagram Company Ltd". www.britannica.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- ^ "About | Global Thermostat". www.globalthermostat.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- ^ "Can a 'Global Thermostat' Turn Climate Change Around? | GreenBiz". www.greenbiz.com. December 23, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- ^ "Grammy nominations 2014: The top nominees". galleries.apps.chicagotribune.com. December 6, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- ^ "Green Beat: The First Eco-friendly Record Label". Vanity Fair. April 8, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- ^ Pompeo, Joe. "The Bed-Stuy Bronfman", The New York Observer, November 24, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "About | Global Thermostat".
- ^ Mallinson, Daniel J. (April 11, 2020). "Policy and Political Learning: The Development of Medical Marijuana Policies in the States". Publius. 50 (3): 344–369. doi:10.1093/publius/pjaa006.
- ^ Domin, Martin (December 14, 2017). "Nelson Mandela's grandson left needing oxygen after charity boxing fight". The Mirror. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
External links
[edit]| Authority control databases: Artists |
|---|
- 1982 births
- African-American Jews
- African-American musicians
- American environmentalists
- American people of Russian-Jewish descent
- Bronfman family
- Family of Carl M. Loeb
- Lehman family
- Lewisohn family
- Collegiate School (New York) alumni
- Emerson College alumni
- Living people
- Musicians from New York City
- Canadian people of African-American descent