Michael Kives (born January 31, 1981) is a Canadian investor and former talent agent; he is known for his extensive network and influential connections.[1]

Early life and education

Kives grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba.[2] He went to St. John's-Ravenscourt School in Winnipeg. He was active on the debating team, and won the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships in 1998 and 1999.[3][4] After reading books about entertainment players David Geffen, Michael Ovitz and Barry Diller, he decided from an early age he wanted to be a talent agent.[5] He went to Stanford, where he met the Clintons. President Bill and Hillary Clinton came in for daughter Chelsea's 2001 graduation. He found a way to cover the story for the college newspaper, and this led to a longstanding relationship with the Clintons.[2]

Career

After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford, his first job was as an interim spokesperson for former President Clinton at his Harlem, New York office. This was followed by working as an aide for Senator Hillary Clinton at her D.C. office. His first media break was getting a job in the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) mailroom. Being Canadian he needed a work visa, and CAA made an exception to their standard practice to sponsor him for one.[5] He spent 15 years there,[6] working his way up to agent, representing Katy Perry, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Eisenberg and Bruce Willis, among others. He left in 2018 to co-found a media and financial investment-advisory firm, K5 Global.[7] In June, 2023, K5 reported over $1 billion in managed assets and investments in 148 companies apart from funds linked to FTX.[8]

He has been described as a super connector.[9] He introduces clients to "a who's who of business and social leaders, from Leonardo DiCaprio to the governor of the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund."[1]

A beneficiary of Kives' network was Sam Bankman-Fried,[10] the former FTX CEO. Bankman-Fried was connected to MasterClass,[11] President Clinton, Orlando Bloom, Nelson Peltz, Bobby Kotick, Larry Fink, and Katy Perry, among others. The relationship between Kives and Bankman-Fried has been noted to be mutually beneficial. Bankman-Fried invested $700 million in K5 Global, with Kives receiving $125 million as part of the deal.[8] Bankman-Fried was alleged to have said Kives was “something of a one-stop shop for relationships that we should utilize.”[1] On June 22, 2023, FTX bankruptcy lawyers sued to claw back[12] the $700 million, claiming that the investment was made to burnish his own political and social influence.[1][13]

Personal

Kives married Lydia Gray in 2018. Gray is a civil rights lawyer with a focus on criminal justice and First Amendment issues, and a graduate of Stanford Law. Guests at the wedding included the Clintons, who gave a speech together.[14][15]

Kives was a major fund-raiser for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 campaign, bundling more than $5 million.[2]

Kives has two homes in Southern California; a $12.7 million house in Beverly Hills and a $9.1 million historic Tudor-style home in Montecito, known as the Porter House.[16]

He is the nephew of the founder of K-Tel Records, Philip Kives.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Yaffe-Bellany, David; Griffith, Erin (2023-06-23). "The Super Connector Who Built Sam Bankman-Fried's Celebrity World". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  2. 1 2 3 Savodnik, Peter (2020-03-03). "Meet the Hollywood super-networkers working to beat Trump at any price". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  3. ↑ Posted, Alexandra Paul (2011-02-07). "Feb 2011: A contest for those with gift of gab". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  4. ↑ "Hosts/ World Champions". Home. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  5. 1 2 T. H. R. Staff (2012-11-07). "Next Gen 2012: Hollywood's Fastest-Rising Stars". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
  6. ↑ "Michael Kives - Co-Founder at K5 Global". THE ORG. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  7. ↑ Lang, Brent (2018-02-26). "CAA's Michael Kives Exits to Launch Advisory Firm K5 Global". Variety. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  8. 1 2 Carnevale, Robert (2023-06-23). "Former Hollywood Agent Michael Kives Took $700 Million From Sam Bankman-Fried for Investment Firm, Lawsuit Says". TheWrap. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  9. ↑ Leaver, Joel (2023-11-08). "Harry and Meghan spotted with Hollywood 'super-networker' Michael Kives". The Mirror. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  10. ↑ Sancton, Julian (2023-10-03). "SBF Ties to Hollywood Super-Connector and Taylor Swift's Openness to FTX Money Revealed in New Book". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  11. ↑ McDade, Aaron. "Sam Bankman-Fried shot a MasterClass video about crypto trading months before FTX collapsed, report says". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
  12. ↑ "FTX sues ex-Clinton aide's investment firm K5 Global for $700 million". The Economic Times. 2023-06-23. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  13. ↑ "Sam Bankman-Fried directed political donations despite $13 billion 'hole', ex-colleague testified". StreetInsider.com. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  14. ↑ Gardner, Chris (2018-11-28). "Wedding or Power Summit? Inside the Hollywood Nuptials That Lured the Clintons and Sheryl Sandberg". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  15. ↑ "Inside Lydia and Michael Kives's California Cool Wedding at the Parker in Palm Springs". Vogue. 2019-03-26. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  16. ↑ "Ariana Grande Sells Historic Tudor-Style Montecito Home for $9.1 Million". Architectural Digest. 2022-09-29. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
  17. ↑ showbiz411 (2023-06-26). "FTX Sues Hollywood "Connector" Michael Kives for $700 Mil, Hangs with Geffen and Diller, Comes from K-Tel Records Family in Canada". Showbiz411. Retrieved 2023-12-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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