Mark Shapiro
Born1969 or 1970 (age 53–54)[1]
Glenview, Illinois
Alma materUniversity of Iowa (BA)
Occupation(s)Television and media executive
Years active1993–present
EmployerEndeavor
Known forExecutive positions at ESPN and Six Flags
TitlePresident
SpouseKim Copeland Shapiro
AwardsPeabody Award and Sports Emmy Award

Mark Shapiro (born 1969/1970)[2] is an American television and media executive. In 2018, he was promoted to become the president of Endeavor,[3][4] after working as the co-president of WME-IMG since 2016. He was executive vice president for programming and production at ESPN until 2005, before becoming CEO and president of Six Flags, Inc. Shapiro has also been the CEO and executive producer of Dick Clark Productions.

Shapiro is also on the board of directors of Equity Residential,[5] and is chairman of the board for Captivate Network.[6]

Early life and education

Shapiro was raised in Glenview, Illinois, the eldest child of Judith and Harold Shapiro[7][8] where he graduated from Glenbrook South High School.[1] He was exposed to the media industry at an early age after his parents divorced and he would regularly fly to New York City where his mother worked for Time Magazine.[9] In 1992, he graduated with a B.A. communication studies from the University of Iowa.[10][8] He was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.[11] During college, he interned for NBC Sports and then at a CBS affiliate in Cedar Rapids.[8]

Career

Early years and ESPN (1993–2005)

In 1993, he accepted a position as a production assistant at ESPN.[12] He was responsible for the production of the documentary, SportsCentury. a comprehensive retrospective of the people and events that shaped the face of sports in North America over the past 100 years.[13][14][15] Between 1997 and 1999, Shapiro was the executive producer of the series, which received an Emmy and Peabody Award as well as an Excellence in Sports Journalism Award from the Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society.[15][16][17][18]

Shapiro became senior vice president and general manager of programming in 2001 and then executive vice president for programming and production in 2002.[16] In 2003, Entertainment Weekly named Shapiro one of 2003's rising stars in entertainment.[19] He secured new properties for ESPN and acquired rights to Monday Night Football, Wimbledon and the NBA.[10][20][21][12] Beginning in 2002, ratings on ESPN rose for 10 straight quarters.[22][23]

He was the executive producer for Tilt, Dream Job, and Playmakers. Playmakers was awarded a 2003 American Film Institute award for TV Program of the Year, and the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2004.[citation needed]

During his tenure, the network was awarded a number of Emmy awards and an additional Peabody. He was also the recipient of the UJA-Federation of New York 2005 Sports for Youth Award and in 2006 he was again honored by the federation in the Broadcast Cable category.[24][25] Shapiro was named to the Sports Business Daily 40 under 40 Hall of Fame in 2005 after being named to the list in 2002, 2003, and 2004.[26][27]

Six Flags and media roles (2005–2022)

Shapiro left his position of executive vice president of programming and production at ESPN in May 2005. From October to December 2005, Shapiro was the CEO of Red Zone LLC as the company pushed for control over Six Flags.[28] Once Red Zone solidified control over the company, Shapiro became director, president, and chief executive officer of Six Flags, with a tenure lasting from August 2005 until May 2010. Red Zone LLC was founded and controlled by former Washington Commanders owner, Daniel Snyder. Six Flags tenure was marked by a decision to market the theme parks to children and families instead of just targeting teenagers and young adults as the parks had attracted in the past.[16]

Shapiro became chief executive officer and an executive producer of Dick Clark Productions in May 2010. While there, he was involved with the expansion of the company's programming format.[29] Shapiro left the position of CEO soon after the sale of the company to Guggenheim Partners in 2012.[30]

After working as an advisor for Silver Lake Partners and William Morris Endeavor (WME) during the latter's acquisition of IMG.[31][32] Shapiro's role was made permanent, becoming Chief Content Officer.[32] He was then named co-president of WME-IMG in November 2016,[33][34] before becoming president of the fully integrated company under the Endeavor name in 2018.[35] Also in 2016, Variety named him to its New New York Power List.[36]

Shapiro is also the co-owner of the Los Angeles FC MLS franchise.[37] He was the executive producer of the HBO series, Being Serena which was honored with a Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Sports Program.[38][39][40][41] He was previously on the boards of Papa John's International,[42][43] as well as Live Nation Entertainment.[44][45] After joining in 2008, he resigned along with other Endeavor executives from the Live Nation board in June 2021 after the US Department of Justice raised antitrust concerns.[45]

Personal life

Shapiro is married to Kim Copeland Shapiro, a Louisville, Kentucky, native whom he met just after graduating from college;[46][47] the couple have three sons together.[48]

References

  1. ^ a b "ESPN playmaker Shapiro opts for a new challenge". The Chicago Tribune. August 18, 2005. The 35-year-old Glenbrook South graduate's name has surfaced several times
  2. ^ Friedman, Vanessa (September 9, 2015). "Fashion Week, Reinvented". The New York Times. Retrieved December 22, 2015. … Mark Shapiro, the 45-year-old kinetic chief content officer for IMG.
  3. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (December 10, 2018). "Endeavor Promotes Mark Shapiro to President". Variety. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  4. ^ LaPorte, Nicole (December 10, 2018). "Mark Shapiro promoted to Endeavor president as the multimedia behemoth continues to scale". Fast Company. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  5. ^ Hipes, Patrick (December 10, 2018). "Endeavor Elevates Mark Shapiro To President". Deadline. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  6. ^ "Mark Shapiro | Chairman of the Board". Captivate. January 4, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  7. ^ "ESPN's Tribute to Mark Shapiro (2003)". GBS-TV via Internet Archive. 2003.
  8. ^ a b c "Distinguished Alumni Award - Mark S. Shapiro, 92BA Younf Award 2004". Iowa Center for Advancement]. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  9. ^ Fast Company Magazine: "Meet Mark Shapiro, WME-IMG’s Storyteller-In-Chief; WME-IMG co-President Mark Shapiro’s formula for creating good stories is at the heart of the talent and sports agency’s strategy" November 16, 2016
  10. ^ a b Teddy Greenstein (July 1, 2007). "ESPN's 'lowball' offer triggered Big Ten expansion". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  11. ^ "Significant Sig Detailed". Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  12. ^ a b Marchand, Andrew (August 11, 2005). "MARK SET TO GO – ABC SPORTS WHIZ SHAPIRO MAY LEAVE FOR SIX FLAGS". New York Post. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  13. ^ "ESPN's SportsCentury panel". Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  14. ^ Anthony F. Smith & Keith Hollihan (2009). ESPN The Company: The Story and Lessons Behind the Most Fanatical Brand in Sports. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 150–151. ISBN 9780470564004. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  15. ^ a b "The Daily Goes One-On-One With ESPN's Mark Shapiro". www.sportsbusinessdaily.com. October 31, 2002. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  16. ^ a b c Michael D. Schaffer (August 19, 2005). "Top programmer leaves ESPN Mark Shapiro's next task will be to make Six Flags more fun for families". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  17. ^ Dave Nagel (January 2, 2000). "ESPN, INC.: 1999 IN REVIEW". Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  18. ^ "ESPN SportsCentury". www.peabodyawards.com. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  19. ^ "Rising Stars". Entertainment Weekly. October 16, 2003. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  20. ^ Richard Deitsch (July 7, 2003). "Under Review: OTL's Big Switch, Courageous Coach". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  21. ^ Don Steinberg (September 5, 2004). "Q & A WITH ESPN'S MARK SHAPIRO Network to keep building on, breaking tradition". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  22. ^ Sean Gregory (December 1, 2003). "ESPN's Hot Play Caller". Time Magazine. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  23. ^ SHERMAN, ED (November 14, 2005). "Shapiro raised ESPN's profile". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  24. ^ "Sports for Youth". Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  25. ^ "Broadcast Cable division". Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  26. ^ "Forty Under 40: Hall of Fame Classes". Sports Business Daily. March 18, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  27. ^ "2002–04". Sports Business Daily. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  28. ^ Miller, Shales, James Andrew, Tom. Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN (PDF). p. 578.((cite book)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ Brian Stelter (December 30, 2011). "Like Clockwork, Dick Clark Is to Ring in Another Year". New York Times. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  30. ^ Jannarone, John (September 4, 2012). "Guggenheim, Partners Buy Dick Clark Productions". Wall Street Journal.
  31. ^ Tripp Mickle (September 8, 2014). "Shapiro to drive IMG's content creation". Sports Business Daily. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  32. ^ a b Atkinson, Claire (September 4, 2014). "Mark Shapiro joins IMG unit". New York Post. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  33. ^ Busch, Anita (November 7, 2016). "Mark Shapiro, Ioris Francini Named Co-Presidents Of WME/IMG". Deadline. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  34. ^ "Meet Mark Shapiro, WME-IMG's Storyteller-In-Chief". Fast Company. November 16, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  35. ^ "Endeavor Names Mark Shapiro as President" The Hollywood Reporter, 2018-12-10
  36. ^ "The New Power New York List". Variety. September 27, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  37. ^ "www.lafc.com - Ownership".
  38. ^ "'Being Serena' shows viewers star's private life". Newsday. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  39. ^ Holloway, Daniel (March 26, 2018). "HBO, IMG Partner on Serena Williams Documentary Series". Variety. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  40. ^ Pedersen, Erik (January 20, 2019). "Producers Guild Awards: 'Green Book' Takes Best Picture; 'Americans' & 'Mrs. Maisel' Lead TV – Winners List". Deadline. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  41. ^ "Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Theatrical Motion Pictures - Producers Guild Awards: 'Green Book' Named Outstanding Motion Picture". The Hollywood Reporter. January 19, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  42. ^ "Mark S. Shapiro | Board of Directors". Papa John's International, Inc. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  43. ^ "Papa John's Founder Tries to Clarify Eyebrow-Raising Comment Made During Interview" Justin Chan, Entrepreneur, 2021-03-11
  44. ^ "Leadership". Live Nation Entertainment. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  45. ^ a b "Top Endeavor execs leave Live Nation board under antitrust pressure" Reuters, 2021-06-21
  46. ^ "One Wild Ride". ilovefc.com. January 17, 2007.
  47. ^ Heath, Thomas; Shin, Annys (October 31, 2005). "By the time Mark Shapiro and D..." The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2017. He lives close to ESPN headquarters in Connecticut with his wife, Kim, and their two sons.
  48. ^ "Westporters join glittering crowd at Oscars party". Westport Journal. March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
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