Ted Leonsis

Theodore "Ted" J. Leonsis (born January 8, 1957 in Brooklyn, New York [http://www.cwhonors.org/archives/histories/Leonsis.pdf Transcript: Ted Leonsis ] ] ) is a long-time AOL executive and owner of the NHL's Washington Capitals.

Leonsis was born to Greek American [ [http://ted.aol.com/index.php?ID=69 Ted's Take - The American Dream ] ] parents in Brooklyn, and spent his early years there. His parents worked as a waiter and a secretary, respectively. [ [http://www.examiner.com/a-977347~Power_Profile__Ted_Leonsis__The_former_dot_com_pioneer_tackles_new_challenges_in_sports_and_filmmaking.html Power Profile: Ted Leonsis: The former dot-com pioneer tackles new challenges in sports and filmmaking - Examiner.com ] ] After skipping 8th grade, Leonsis attended Brooklyn Tech but before graduation, his family moved back to their hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts. He graduated from Lowell High School in 1973 and attended Georgetown University. [ [http://ted.aol.com/index.php?ID=179 Ted's Take - The College Experience ] ] After graduation, Leonsis moved back to his parents' home in Lowell and began working for Wang Laboratories.

His career with AOL started in 1993 when AOL (Then America Online) purchased his marketing company, Redgate Communications Corp and ended with his retirement in 2006. He held numerous positions at AOL during his years there, completing his tenure as the audience group's president and vice-chairman. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/14/AR2006091401809.html Leonsis Pulls Away From Helm of AOL - washingtonpost.com ] ] He now serves as vice chairman emeritus of AOL.

Leonsis is also the founder, chairman, and majority owner of Lincoln Holdings LLC, a sports and entertainment company that holds ownership rights in several entities including 100% of the NHL's Washington Capitals and the WNBA's Washington Mystics. Lincoln Holdings also owns approximately 44% of Washington Sports and Entertainment Limited Partnership (WSELP), which owns the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the Verizon Center and the Baltimore-Washington Ticketmaster franchise. [ [http://www.gatewayva.com/biz/virginiabusiness/magazine/yr2006/jun06/rich1.shtml Virginia Business Magazine: The Virginia 100 2006, Part 1 ] ]

Leonsis has become involved in film investing as a philanthropic interest, which he calls "filmanthropy". "The driver of filmanthropy is that the world is more screwed up every day and people want to call attention to issues," he told the Financial Times. [ [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a29f5050-12e0-11dd-8d91-0000779fd2ac.html FT.com / Wealth / Philanthropy - Shooting the message ] ] His first production was the documentary "Nanking" which made its world premiere at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. [ [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i4a4504d41787dd9225b465503aa98249 The Hollywood Reporter ] ] The film is based on the best selling book "The Rape of Nanking" by Iris Chang.

After a Capitals game in January 2004, Leonsis allegedly attacked Jason Hammer, a disgruntled fan. Hammer had been displaying a sign that read: "Caps Hockey; AOL Stock -- See a Pattern?" [ [http://cbs.sportsline.com/nhl/story/7040452 Caps owner Leonsis apologizes to fan after alleged attack - NHL - CBSSports.com Live Scores, Standings, Stats ] ] The NHL fined Leonsis $100,000 and suspended him for one week. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=kelley_jim&id=1721422 ESPN - Leonsis deserves more severe penalties - NHL ] ]

After surviving an airplane crash landing in 1983, he drafted a list of 101 things to do in life and has completed many of the tasks including owning a sports franchise. [ [http://espn.go.com/page2/wash/s/020312leonsis.html ESPN.com - Page2 - 101 things to do in D.C. when you're Ted ] ]

References

External links

* [http://ted.aol.com/ Ted's Take (blog)]
* [http://espn.go.com/page2/wash/s/020312leonsis.html Leonsis' list of 101 things to do (from ESPN)]
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/liveonline/03/special/business/sp_business_leonsis011003.htm Ted Leonsis Q&A]
* [http://www.nankingthefilm.com Nanking]
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=NwvxYjRcYU8 Capitals commercial featuring Leonsis]
* [http://journals.aol.com/monponsett/HighAboveCourtside/ Stacey Monponsett on AOL]
* [http://www.yurasko.net/wfy/2006/10/metroblogging-dc-qa-ted-leonsis.html Q&A: Ted Leonsis (October 2006)]