Archived // Cover Story
POWER IN ENTERTAINMENT / PRODUCTION:
David Geffen
Film and Music Mogul/ Founder of Geffen Records and DreamWorks SKG
By: Mimi Makabi
Film and Music Mogul/ Founder of Geffen Records and DreamWorks SKG
By: Mimi Makabi
brilliant dealmakers ever to work in Hollywood.” Not one to rest on his laurels, in 1994, along with his powerful peers Stephen Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, Geffen launched the most ambitious challenge to the Hollywood studio system in some time—DreamWorks SKG. DreamWorks has won three consecutive best picture Oscars for “American Beauty” (1999), “Gladiator” (2000) and “A Beautiful Mind” (2001). More than 10 DreamWorks films have earned box office grosses totaling over $100 million.
Geffen has also developed a reputation as a prominent philanthropist for his publicized support of medical research, AIDS organizations, the arts and theatre through the David
Geffen Foundation. “I have no interest in making money anymore. Everything I make in the entertainment business will go to charity,” explains Geffen. In 1995, he donated $5 million towards UCLA's Westwood Playhouse, which was later renamed the Geffen Playhouse. His $200-million unrestricted gift to UCLA Medical School in 2002 was the largest bequest ever given to an American medical school. Geffen had stated, "I have great respect and affection for UCLA, and my hope is that with this gift, UCLA's doctors and researchers will be better equipped to unravel medicine's mysteries—and deliver the cures for tomorrow." Today, The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is an internationally recognized leader in research, medical education, and patient care. “I hope my gifts will encourage more people to come forward and give generously. In the face of so much death, we must do all we can to support life,” states Geffen.
“The one thing I despise is making decisions based on how other people will view or judge me.”- David Geffen
Geffen has also developed a reputation as a prominent philanthropist for his publicized support of medical research, AIDS organizations, the arts and theatre through the David
Geffen Foundation. “I have no interest in making money anymore. Everything I make in the entertainment business will go to charity,” explains Geffen. In 1995, he donated $5 million towards UCLA's Westwood Playhouse, which was later renamed the Geffen Playhouse. His $200-million unrestricted gift to UCLA Medical School in 2002 was the largest bequest ever given to an American medical school. Geffen had stated, "I have great respect and affection for UCLA, and my hope is that with this gift, UCLA's doctors and researchers will be better equipped to unravel medicine's mysteries—and deliver the cures for tomorrow." Today, The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is an internationally recognized leader in research, medical education, and patient care. “I hope my gifts will encourage more people to come forward and give generously. In the face of so much death, we must do all we can to support life,” states Geffen.
“The one thing I despise is making decisions based on how other people will view or judge me.”- David Geffen
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