Charlie Ebersol | |
|---|---|
| Born | Charles Duncan Ebersol[1] (1982-12-30)December 30, 1982 (age 42) Torrington, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Notre Dame (BA) |
| Occupation(s) | Tech entrepreneur, Television producer, television director, film producer, film director, co-founder and CEO of theAlliance of American Football |
| Spouse | |
| Parent(s) | Dick Ebersol (father) Susan Saint James (mother) |
Charles Duncan Ebersol (born December 30, 1982)[2] is an American entrepreneur and filmmaker. Ebersol is best known as the co-founder of Tempus Ex Machina[3] and The Company,[4] executive producer ofUSA Network'sNFL Characters Unite and a co-producer ofThe Profit onCNBC.[5] He was also the co-founder and CEO of the now-defunctAlliance of American Football.[6]
Charlie Ebersol was born inTorrington, Connecticut,[2] the son of actressSusan Saint James and senior television executiveDick Ebersol.[7]
On November 28, 2004, during Ebersol's senior year at theUniversity of Notre Dame, he was involved in a plane crash along with his father.[8][9] Ebersol and his father survived the crash while his younger brother, Teddy, along with the pilot and a flight attendant were killed.[10][11] The injuries the Ebersols sustained in the plane crash were extensive,[12][13] but he returned to Notre Dame to finish his senior year and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.[14]
While studying at Notre Dame, Ebersol created his first documentary entitledIthuteng: Never Stop Learning in 2006.[15] The movie received critical acclaim, winning theToronto International Film Festival's first OneXOne award and inspiredOprah Winfrey to donate $1.14 million to the Ithuteng Trust School.[16] He produced the documentariesDon't Look Down, about the life of OlympianShaun White after he won Olympic Gold in 2006,[17] andTradition Never Graduates, a film aboutNotre Dame Football.[18]
In 2009, Ebersol formed and sold Saint James Films and also co-created and executive producedNBC'sThe Wanted, a primetime show in which Ebersol and producing partnerAdam Ciralsky led a team of formerNavy Seals, a formerUN Ambassador and a former LieutenantGreen Beret around the world in search of the most wanted terrorists and war criminals.[19]
In 2011, Charlie Ebersol co-founded The Hochberg-Ebersol (THE) Company with Justin Hochberg andMike Lanigan.[20] Early projects included TNT'sThe Great Escape,[7] executive produced withBertram van Munster,Ron Howard andBrian Grazer, andHistory'sOff the Grid: Million Dollar Manhunt.[21]
Ebersol created USA Network'sThe Moment in 2013, a show hosted byKurt Warner devoted to giving Americans a second chance to achieve their dreams. Ebersol was inspired to create the show after receiving his own second chance at life after surviving a plane crash in 2004.[22] Ebersol co-created and executive producedNFL Characters Unite, a yearly television special with USA Network,[23] as well asThe Profit andWest Texas Investors Club on CNBC. In 2013 he worked withDolph Lundgren on theReelz competition showRace to the Scene.[24]
The production company changed its name from THE Company to The Company in 2013, upon the exit of Justin Hochberg.[25] In 2014, The Company announced a production and finance partnership with Israeli production houseDori Media.[26][27] Ebersol executive producedThe Untitled Yale Drama for USA Network along withRob Reiner,[28] as well as Warner Brothers'Space Jam: A New Legacy.[29]
Ebersol directedThis Was the XFL, a documentary in the30 for 30 series about theXFL. He was chosen byESPN to direct the documentary because of his father's co-founding of the league, and he used the longtime friendship between Dick andWWE chairmanVince McMahon as the centerpiece for the film.
In March 2018, Ebersol announced the creation of a new professional football league called theAlliance of American Football.[30] Ebersol co-founded the league, which started playing in February 2019, with formerNFL executive andPro Football Hall of Fame inducteeBill Polian.[31] On opening night, the AAF launched an app on which fans could follow games with low latency and win points by predicting plays in real time.[32] The AAF app became the top sports app on the iOS store for the league's duration.[33]
Ebersol's father, who co-founded the XFL and who ledNBC Sports and createdSunday Night Football, sat on the league's board.[34] The league was backed by investors such asPeter Thiel'sFounders Fund,The Chernin Group and former NFL playerJared Allen, and employed coachesMike Singletary,Brad Childress andSteve Spurrier as well as former NFL players includingJustin Tuck,Hines Ward andTroy Polamalu who held executive roles.[35][36]
Games were played during the "off-season," from February to April, and aired onCBS,CBS Sports Network,NFL Network,TNT,B/R Live and the league'smobile app.[37]
After the AAF's primary investor,Reggie Fowler, did not contribute the $200 million he had promised, the AAF was purchased by Carolina Hurricanes ownerThomas Dundon after two weeks of play.[38] Dundon suspended league operations after eight weeks, then filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in April 2019.[39] Former players sued Dundon and Ebersol for breach of contract following the league's collapse,[40] but Ebersol was later removed as a defendant after investigators cleared him of wrongdoing.[41] In 2022, the lawsuit was dropped at the request of all parties involved.[42]
In 2021, Ebersol co-founded Tempus Ex Machina with former AAF CTO Erik Schwartz and COO Annie Gerhart, receiving investment funding from firms including Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, Silver Lake, Endeavor, and Will Ventures.[43][3]
Tempus Ex Machina provides data stream consolidation, data visualization, and integrated player tracking technology to sporting organizations including theNational Football League, the NCAA'sPac-12 Conference, andChelsea FC.[44][45]
In August 2023, Tempus Ex Machina merged with biomechanical analytics firmBiocore to formInfinite Athlete.[46]
Ebersol briefly dated tennis playerMaria Sharapova in 2008.[47] He also dated singerBritney Spears from October 2014 until June 2015.[48][49] On March 17, 2017, Ebersol announced via Twitter his engagement to Melody Brooke McCloskey, Founder and CEO of StyleSeat. On July 29, 2017, Ebersol and McCloskey were married at Blackberry Farm inWalland, Tennessee.[50]
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