Who is Mark Cuban?
Mark Cuban was an entrepreneur at an early age. He began as a 12-year-old, selling garbage bags door-to-door, and then put himself through Indiana University by doing everything from providing dancing lessons to starting a chain letter. He always seemed to have a knack for selling what people wanted.
Today, Mark Cuban is the highly successful entrepreneur and investor who founded HDNet, Broadcast.com and MicroSolutions. He has also been an investor in startups including Mahalo, JungleCents.com, motionloft.com, Filesanywhere.com, Naked Pizza, 140Fire.com and many others.
In addition to his entrepreneurial and investment accomplishments Mark has been honored and recognized by his peers and the media for his impact across multiple industries.
He has been named a winner of the GQ ”Man of the Year,” and recognized by the New York Times Magazine multiple times for inclusion in their “Year in Ideas.” He is annually recognized as being among the most influential in both the Cable and Sports Industries.
He may be best known for his purchase of the Dallas Mavericks on January 4, 2000, changing the organization and the NBA forever. Under his leadership, the team’s home games have become more than just an ordinary NBA event – they have become a total entertainment experience. Despite initial criticism from many in the media and across professional sports, he added much more to the usual game day experience by introducing original video content, advanced technology and unique entertainment options like the Mavs ManiAACs.
Cuban has been successful in bringing a sense of pride and passion to Mavericks fans – presenting himself as the ultimate role model, cheering from the same seats he has had for many seasons. He is the first owner in team sports to encourage fan interaction through e-mail. It was through this personal touch that fans throughout the Metroplex, and around the world, began to notice Cuban’s energetic personality and take notice of the Mavericks. He has personally responded to hundreds of thousands of e-mails and several suggestions directly from fans have led to innovative changes.
Cuban’s whatever-it-takes attitude and commitment to winning have grabbed everyone’s attention. From his first introduction to the team, to the end of his first season as owner, the players responded with a 31-19 record, including a 9-1 mark in April. The organization’s upward trend has continued ever since. The Dallas Mavericks are one of only two NBA teams to have won at least 50 games in each of the past 10 seasons.
In 2006-07, the Mavericks won a franchise-high 67 games and posted the NBA’s sixth-best record in history. Dallas won 60 games in 2002-03 and 2005-06, advancing to the Western Conference Finals in both seasons. The Mavericks also made the franchise’s first appearance in the NBA Finals in 2006.
Prior to his purchase of the Mavericks, Cuban co-founded Broadcast.com, the leading provider of multimedia and streaming on the Internet. Broadcast.com was sold to Yahoo! Inc. in July of 1999. MicroSolutions, a leading national systems integrator, was co-founded by Cuban and partner Martin Woodall in 1983 and later sold to CompuServe.
In addition to his ownership of the Mavericks, Cuban is the owner and chairman of HDNet (www.HD.net). HDNet and its sister network HDNet Movies are one of the few remaining independently owned and operated TV networks in the US - and the first in the world to be programmed exclusively in high definition. KIDS FIRST! Film Critics regularly review films that play for HDNet Movies KidScene Channel. He takes personal responsibility for the programming on both networks, creating a schedule of exclusive, original programs that are as unique as the network’s owner. Behind his leadership - and that of his co -founder Phillip Garvin - HDNet continues to outperform networks owned by much larger corporations and those with much greater distribution.
Mr. Cuban also co-owns the Landmark Theater chain, Magnolia Pictures and Magnolia Home Video along with partner Todd Wagner. Together, they are the only vertically integrated entertainment company in the country. With the release of the movie “Bubble,” Magnolia and Landmark Theaters pioneered the release of movies “day and date,” meaning the movie was released in theaters, on TV (HDNet Movies) and on DVD all on the same day. Taking this unique process one step further, Mr. Cuban changed the face of movie distribution by creating the “Ultra VOD” platform for movies.
“Ultra VOD” has completely changed the industry by releasing movies to video-on-demand on both cable and satellite up to four weeks PRIOR to their release in theaters, thus creating a new revenue stream for movie producers and changing the dynamics of the industry forever.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
HOMETOWN Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
BIRTHDATE July 31
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