| Simon Fuller | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 17 May 1960 (age 49) Hastings, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom |
| Occupations | Talent manager, television producer, creator of the Idol franchise |
| Years active | 1981 – present |
| Labels | 19 Entertainment |
| Associated acts | David and Victoria Beckham, Claudia Schiffer, Andy Murray, Annie Lennox, Spice Girls, Cathy Dennis, Carrie Underwood, Will Young, David Cook, S Club, Adam Lambert, and others |
Simon Fuller (born May 17, 1960 in Hastings, England) is an English entrepreneur and creator of the Idol series
Music[]
Career[]
First seen as Pop Idol in the UK and over 100 other versions including American Idol, Australian Idol, Canadian Idol, and World Idol.
Simon Fuller is also the creator and executive producer of the US hit talent series So You Think You Can Dance and several other US and European TV shows. He is manager of David and Victoria Beckham, Claudia Schiffer, Annie Lennox, the Spice Girls and others. He is named by Time magazine (May 3rd, 2007) as one of the 100 Most Influential People In the World.
Spice Girls[]
Simon Fuller was brought to the attention of the Spice Girls and had arranged to meet them. Upon meeting them, Fuller had this to say:
“I remember them coming into my office for the first time very well. They had so much energy and determination, all of them were talking at once and they were very funny. They were very different to the boy groups that were dominating the chart at that time, they had a real sense of personality and I knew that we could achieve great things together”.
Simon Fuller had taken them through a new direction, which Melanie Brown commented on:
"Simon was really cool. We had so many managers saying 'dress like this, sing that song, I can make you big stars'. Simon was really laid back and understood that we wanted a say in how our careers would go."
In November 1997 the girls decided to manage themselves and they parted company with Fuller. The group later disbanded and it was not long before Fuller was approached to manage the career of former Spice Girls Emma Bunton and Victoria Beckham.
Fashion[]
In August 2006 Fuller entered the fashion business through 19RM a joint venture company between 19 Entertainment and critically acclaimed fashion designer Roland Mouret, the man behind the Galaxy dress made famous by Scarlett Johansson and other Hollywood celebrities. Ladieswear is branded RM by the designer Roland Mouret due to Mouret's previous business partners owning the Roland Mouret brand. The eagerly awaited 2010 Menswear collection will be branded MR by Roland Mouret.
Since then 19 has bought a majority share in Storm Model Management, the celebrated British agency that has Kate Moss, Emma Watson, Jourdan Dunn, Cindy Crawford, Lily Cole, Eva Herzigova and Alek Wek and many others on their books. It has launched the Beckhams' fashion label which includes perfume and denim ranges. The Beckham's fashion range has become one of the most successful celebrity lines in the world with a retail value in excess of $200 million. In 2008 Simon Fuller masterminded the new Victoria Beckham Dress collection, which has been critically applauded and has since become the best selling high end label of the season. 2009 saw the launch of FASHIONAIR, an online fashion and style website founded by Fuller and former Net-A-Porter director Sojin Lee.
Sport[]
A lifelong football fan and Manchester United season ticket holder, Fuller first ventured into sports management in the mid 1990s, where he guided England and Liverpool FC footballer Steve McManaman to Real Madrid. Fuller later formed a joint venture partnership with David Beckham, and masterminded Beckham's $250 million move to LA Galaxy in 2007. He remains Beckham's closest advisor. Fuller co-founded a sports company named 1966 with Beckham's sports agent Terry Byrne to help improve the public image of the England Football team players interests. He founded the player's charity which has since raised almost £1,000,000 for good causes. 1966 is now owned solely by Byrne. Fuller's 19 Entertainment was the first company to successfully persuade a Formula One racing car to promote the environment. His "Earth Car" created for Honda Racing F1 competed throughout the 2007 Formula One season driven by British driver Jenson Button and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello and Fuller went on to win a leading Green Award in the UK for his contribution to environmental awareness. Fuller, Beckham and Barrichello are at work on a project in Natal, Brazil, Cabo Sao Roque, which will incorporate Fuller's World of Sport concept with a resort and land preserve, being designed by Hart Howerton, a New York architectural firm which specializes in large-scale land use. Hart Howerton previously worked with the Disney Company in the 1960s, developing a master plan for Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Personal life[]
Fuller was born in Hastings, East Sussex, England. He has two brothers, Kim and Mark. He married his long term girlfriend Natalie Swanston in May 2008. Fuller has a portfolio of real estate including properties in London, Sussex, South of France, Uruguay, New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville. 2010's Sunday Times Rich List values Fuller at £350m, sixth richest music millionaire in Britain. Ahead of Fuller are Warner Music Group Chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr.(now resident in the UK), Zomba Music Group founder Clive Calder, theatre impresarios Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sir Cameron Mackintosh and Sir Paul McCartney
Awards and Citations[]
- 2003 Grammy: Album of the Year - Nominee
- 2004 Emmy: Outstanding Reality/Competition Program - Nominee
- 2005 Emmy: Outstanding Reality/Competition Program - Nominee
- 2006 Emmy: Outstanding Reality/Competition Program - Nominee
- 2006 Entrepreneur Of The Year, GQ Magazine
- 2007 100 Most Influential People In The World, Time Magazine
- 2007 Emmy: Governor's Award: Idol Gives Back
- 2007 Green Award
- 2007 Top Trend Setter, Forbes Magazine
- 2008 Visionary Award, Producers Guild of America
- 2008 Peter Grant Award, Music Managers Forum
- 2008 Humanitarian Honour, Black Ball