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Kenneth Feld

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kenneth Feld
Born (1948-10-31) October 31, 1948 (age 76)
NationalityAmerican
EducationBoston University (BA)
OccupationBusinessman
Known forOwner of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus & CEO of Feld Entertainment.
SpouseBonnie Turen Feld
Children3
Parent(s)Adele Feld
Irvin Feld

Kenneth Jeffrey Feld (born October 31, 1948) is the CEO of Feld Entertainment, which operates the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Disney on Ice, Doodlebops Live, Disney Live, Monster Jam, International Hot Rod Association, and AMA Supercross Championship. He is also the producer of several Broadway plays. The business was started by his father Irvin Feld who also promoted Beatles concerts. Ken became CEO of the company upon his father's death in 1984.

Biography

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Feld is the son of Adele and Irvin Feld.[1] He graduated from the Boston University School of Management in 1970 with a management degree (Feld is currently a member of the BU Board of Trustees).[2] According to a 2004 article in Forbes magazine, he was worth $775 million and lives in Potomac, Maryland. His mother committed suicide in 1958 so he and his sister Karen were raised by their aunt and uncle.[3]

Irvin Feld bought Ringling Bros. Circus in 1967 for $8 million.[4]

Disney Studio co-produced "Largely New York" with Feld that premiered on May 1, 1989, at St. James Theatre.[5]

In July 2006, he was inducted into the International Circus Hall of Fame.[6]

Clair George has testified in court that he worked as a consultant for Kenneth Feld and the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. From 1990 to 1997, he was involved in a program of surveillance, which included wiretapping, directed against Janice Pottker, a journalist who had written about the Feld family, and of various animal rights groups such as PETA and the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).[3][7]

In January, 2014 Forbes reported that Feld had become a billionaire. The magazine estimated his stake in the company to be conservatively worth about $1.8 billion after running price-to-sales comparisons with comparable companies.[8]

Feld is the world’s second circus industry billionaire after Cirque du Soleil’s Guy Laliberte, whose net worth Forbes also estimated to be $1.8 billion.[8] In 2009, the Feld Family Foundation pledged $10 million to Boston University.[9]

Personal life

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He was married to Bonnie Turen, who is also Jewish.[10] They have three daughters: Nicole Feld, Alana Feld, and Juliette Feld.[11] All three of his daughters work at Feld Entertainment: Nicole Feld produces the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus shows; Alana Feld is executive vice president and producer of Feld Entertainment's stage shows;[12] and Juliette Feld is chief operating officer of Feld Entertainment.

References

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  1. ^ Pickler, Nedra (2011-05-08). "Ringling Bros. family engaged in a bitter bereavement fight | The Spokesman-Review". The Spokesman Review. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  2. ^ Members of the BU Board of Trustees
  3. ^ a b Leiby, Richard. "Send In The Clowns". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  4. ^ Vinton, Kate. "Billionaire Kenneth Feld's Ringling Bros. Circus Is Shutting Down In May". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  5. ^ Nelson, Nels (May 2, 1989). "Curtain Up On 'Largely New York'". Philly.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  6. ^ Circus Hall of Fame Inductees Archived 2007-07-29 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "The Greatest Vendetta on Earth". Salon.com. August 30, 2001. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  8. ^ a b Mac, Ryan (28 January 2014). "Ringling Bros. Owner Not Clowning Around With Business, Cannons To Billionaire Status". Forbes.
  9. ^ Boston University: "Feld Family Foundation Pledges $10 Million to BU - Three endowed professorships included in major new gift" September 23, 2009
  10. ^ Legacy.com: "FLORENCE TUREN (1923 - 2014)" retrieved August 24, 2014
  11. ^ Heath, Thomas (2012-06-15). "Feld Entertainment head prepares to pass his empire to his daughters". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  12. ^ http://www.portfolio.com/views/columns/the-world-according-to/2008/08/28/Interview-With-Kenneth-Feld/
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