Last Updated on March 4, 2024
Who Is Scooter Braun?
Scott Samuel Braun, popularly known as Scooter Braun, is an American media proprietor, music manager, record executive, and investor.
As a music manager, Braun has earned tremendous fame and fortune managing successful artists like Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato. He’s probably best remembered for discovering Justin Bieber on YouTube in 2006, when Bieber was only 12 years old. Other notable musicians that Scooter manages include Justin Timberlake, J Balvin, The Kid Laroi, Black Eyed Peas, Martin Garrix, Cody Simpson, and Taylor Swift, to mention but a few.
Scooter Braun is also known for being the founder of Schoolboy Records and Ithaca Ventures. Plus, he’s a co-founder of RBMG Records, Mythos Studios, and TQ Ventures, as well as a co-owner of esports team 100 Thieves.
Quick Facts
Full Name: | Scott Samuel Braun |
Popular Name: | Scooter Braun |
Gender: | Male |
Birth Date: | June 18, 1981 |
Age: | 41 years |
Parents: | Ervin Braun and Susan Schlussel Braun |
Siblings: | Adam Braun, Sam Braun, Liza Braun, and Cornelio Braun |
Birth Place: | New York City, New York |
Nationality: | American |
Ethnicity: | Jewish |
Education: | Greenwich High School and Emory University |
Marital Status: | Separated; previously married to Yael Cohen (from 2014 until their separation in 2021) |
Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
Wife/Spouse: | N/A |
Children: | Levi Magnus Braun, Hart Violet Braun, and Jagger Joseph Braun |
Dating: | N/A |
Net Worth: | USD 400 million |
Source of Wealth: | Talent Management, Music Video Directing, and Other Entrepreneurial Ventures |
Height: | 5′ 11″ (1.8 m) |
Weight: | 78 kg; In pounds: 171 lbs. |
Early Life
Scooter Braun was born on June 18, 1981, in New York City, New York, to Ervin Braun and Susan Schlussel Braun. His father was a dentist, whereas his mother was an orthodontist.
Braun attended Greenwich High School and later Emory University in Atlanta. He reportedly dropped out of college to accept Jermaine Dupri’s offer to become the head of marketing at Dupri’s record label, So So Def.
Career Information
Scooter Braun started organizing events while in Emory University. In 2002, he planned after-parties in all five cities on the Anger Management Tour by Ludacris and Eminem. It’s while organizing hip-hop events that Braun crossed paths with So So Def Records’ director Jermaine Dupri who offered him a chance to head the label’s marketing department.
After taking Dupri up on his offer, Scooter Braun became So So Def’s executive director for marketing. Braun was only 20 years old then and still in his sophomore year at Emory University. Some of his notable achievements working with So So Def include organizing parties for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game as well as after-parties on the Onyx Hotel Tour by Britney Spears.
Scooter Braun left So So Def after a successful stint at the record label. He subsequently started a private business venture, which included a music label, a marketing business, and artist representation.
In 2006, Braun discovered Justin Bieber after watching a sensational YouTube video in which the-then 12-year-old Bieber was performing a song by Ne-Yo. He contacted Bieber’s mother, Pattie Mallette, and convinced her to bring her son to Atlanta for a music audition. Mallette accepted Braun’s request and the auditions went successfully. Braun eventually became Justin Bieber’s talent manager and successfully pitched Bieber’s music to established artists like Justin Timberlake and Usher. Through Braun’s pitching, Bieber was able to land a record deal with Island Def Jam in partnership with Raymond-Braun Media Group (RBMG). In 2011, Scooter Braun produced a documentary titled Never Say Never, which chronicles the rise of Justin Bieber through the pop ladder. The documentary grossed $100 million worldwide from a production budget of $14 million, becoming one of the highest-grossing music documentaries in the history of the domestic box-office.
In 2007, Braun founded SB Projects, a marketing and entertainment company encompassing multiple ventures, including SB Management, Schoolboy Records, RBMG, and Sheba Publishing. He went on to sign several established artists to his talent management company, including Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, the Black Eyed Peas, etc.
Scooter is also associated with Ithaca Holdings LLC, an investment he launched in 2010. The holding company raised $120 million in venture capital from several startups, including Uber and Spotify. On April 2, 2021, reports emerged of an imminent acquisition of Ithaca Holdings by South Korean company Hybe to the tune of $1 billion.
Scooter Braun’s Net Worth
As of 2023, Scooter Braun had a net worth of $400 million. Braun has earned his wealth from his various business undertakings, which include artist management, music video directing, media proprietorship, and record executive.
Ithaca Holdings LLC is arguably the most successful business venture ever to have been founded by Scooter Braun. By the time Hybe acquired the holding company, Braun was its majority stakeholder. So, it’s safe to assume that he pocketed the lion’s share of the $1 billion purchase price.
In early June 2021, it emerged that Scooter Braun’s former business partner Peter Comisar was suing him for $50 million on allegations that Scooter deceived him into leaving his job. Comisar alleges that Braun persuaded him to leave his job at Guggenheim Securities by promising him a better-paying job at a new boutique investment firm. It’s still unclear how the lawsuit will be determined. But whichever way the court decides, Braun is unlikely to go bankrupt.
Lessons from Scooter Braun
1. Repay kindness with kindness
Scooter Braun was discovered by Jermaine Dupri. Braun later discovered Justin Bieber in what appears to be an act of repaying kindness with kindness.
2. Be a risk-taker
Braun is a calculative businessman who doesn’t shy away from investing in potentially risky but ultimately rewarding ventures. Over the years, he has successfully expanded his business empire into several industries not necessarily related to record producing or talent management.
3. Capitalize on your social connections to form meaningful businesses
Scooter Braun and Usher Raymond are bosom buddies. Not only did the two team up in mentoring Justin Bieber but also in founding Raymond-Braun Media Group (RBMG).
Famous Quotes by Scooter Braun
• I don’t look at money as success. I look at it as an avenue to freedom.
• I find nothing wrong with striving for the impossible. But I find a lot wrong with giving up.
• If you want to inspire the world, first inspire yourself.
• If you’re not going to do it to the best of your ability, then don’t do it at all.
• You should never do something kind in hopes of recognition. Do it because it’s right. Do it because it makes you feel good.
Wrap Up
Scooter Braun is undeniably one of the most accomplished talent managers alive. Braun manages Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and a host of other highly talented music artists.
Besides talent management, Scooter pursues a number of other undertakings. His various endeavors have earned him a net worth of $400 million.