Theodore "Ted" J. Leonsis
Chairman and CEO, Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Ted Leonsis is known as one of the country's premier businessmen and a pioneer in the Internet industry, holding numerous leadership positions at AOL in his 15-year tenure, including vice chairman and president. He is a professional sports team owner; founder and chairman of Web 2.0 start-up SnagFilms; chairman and investor in Clearspring Technologies and Revolution Money; a film producer; a private-angel investor; an active board member; and a committed philanthropist.
Leonsis recently retired as AOL's vice chairman emeritus. He recently founded and launched SnagFilms, a Web 2.0 company that brings the best nonfiction films to a global web audience. He is also the chairman of Clearspring Technologies, the leading provider of cross-platform widget services; as well as Revolution Money, an innovative new Web 2.0 payment platform and credit-card service. Revolution Money was recently acquired by American Express Company and Ted now serves as a special advisor to Ken Chenault, the Chairman & CEO of American Express.
Leonsis is the founder, chairman and majority owner of Lincoln Holdings LLC, a sports and entertainment company that holds ownership rights in several Washington, D.C., entities, including 100% of the 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, D.C.’s Verizon Center and the Baltimore-Washington Ticketmaster franchise.
In addition to Lincoln Holdings, Leonsis has active investments in serveral companies: Algentis LLC; Beacon Capital Strategies LLC; Bridgevine Inc.; Capitol Acquisition Corp; GridPoint; Groupon; LaunchBox Digital; Mahalo.com; MediaBank; Mevio; MobilePosse; ObjectVideo; SB Nation; TidalTV; and Zedge. Leonsis is also on the board of directors of his alma mater, Georgetown University; NutriSystem; Rosetta Stone; and several private firms.
Leonsis is a film producer having conceptualized and produced "Nanking," a documentary film that tells the story of the Japanese invasion of Nanking, China, in the early days of World War II. "Nanking" made its world premiere at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, where it was awarded the Documentary Editing Award, and was released by THINKFilm in December 2007. The film aired on HBO and is available on DVD.
While at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, Leonsis coined the phrase "filmanthropy" to describe a new category of filmmaking that sheds light on important issues around the world and activates discussion as well as new volunteers and new funds to benefit a social cause. Leonsis is also the producer of "Kicking It," another example of filmanthropy, which debuted at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. "Kicking It" aired on ESPN and Netflix.
Leonsis is a committed philanthropist and is very involved with numerous charities, including Best Buddies, Hoop Dreams, See Forever Foundation, Venture Philanthropy Partners, YouthAIDS and others through the work of the Leonsis Foundation.
Early in his career Leonsis was the founder of several new media companies, including Redgate Communications Corporation, a pioneering new media company that in 1993 was the first company acquired by AOL. He was also the founder of six personal computer magazines, authored four books and worked on the introduction of the IBM PC and the Apple Macintosh. His new book The Business of Happiness is available in bookstores and through online outlets including Amazon.com. He co-invented a very successful board game called "Only in New York" and served as a marketing executive with Harris Corp and Wang Laboratories.
He once served as mayor of Orchid, Fla. Among his many honors, Leonsis has been named Washington's Businessman of the Year, a Washingtonian of the Year, one of the 20 most influential people in sports, one of America's most creative executives and a top 10 entrepreneur of the year. Leonsis blogs daily at TedsTake.com. Originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., and later, Lowell, Mass., he now lives in McLean, Va., and Vero Beach, Fla., with his wife and two children.
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