BILLIONAIRE tycoon Todd Boehly is one half of a consortium with Hansjorg Wyss trying to buy Chelsea football club.
The American, 46, who owns a stake in the LA Dodgers, is said to be readying a bid with the Swiss businessman this week.
But Boehly already has his hands full as the interim CEO of the scandal hit Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
The investor, said to be worth around £5billion, was hired last October to clean up the organisation that produces the cancelled Golden Globe Awards in the wake of racial discrimination.
Although he’s heavily involved with sport, as an owner of Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and WNBA team Los Angeles Sparks, Boehly has enriched his business portfolio in entertainment.
Through his holding company Eldridge, he owns MRC entertainment company, which produces Netflix hit Ozark, and Dick Clark Productions.
While MRC also invests in independent film and TV companies A24, who have received 25 Oscar nominations and Fulwell73, which James Corden is a partner of.
Well-connected in Hollywood, it is not inconceivable that Boehly could pursue turning Chelsea’s fortunes into a TV series.
With a route already into Netflix, as well as a share of Fulwell73 who created Sunderland ‘Til I Die, it almost seems inevitable.
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His own sporting pedigree
Boehly is of German heritage, after his grandparents emigrated to the US.
At school he was on the wrestling team which won state tournament titles in 1990 and 1991.
So key was Boehly’s role on the team, the school named their facilities after him – calling it the Boehly Family Wrestling Room.
In terms of further education, Boehly graduated from both the College of William and Mary, as well as the London School of Economics – where he would have first got a taste for life in the English capital.
Back in 2019, he was linked with a move for the Blues as well as London rivals Tottenham.
However, he deemed Spurs as too expensive an option with a proposed new stadium on the horizon and an upgrade in facilities.
Family life
Away from business, Boehly is a dedicated family man.
He is married to wife Katie – and they have three sons, Nick, Zach and Clay.
One of Boehly’s credit funds is called NZC Guggenheim – with the NZC coming from his sons’ initials.
The reason for that is an investor wanted assurances from Boehly he would take it seriously, so he named it after his loved ones.
Does his bit for charity
Alongside wife Katie, Boehly founded the Boehly Center for Excellence in Finance in 2014 at his old university.
The billionaire is on the board of Faces – Finding a Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures – and the Brunswick School, a private school in Connecticut.
Elsewhere, Boehly is involved with helping the Prostate Cancer Foundation, as well as the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption – the only non-profit charity in North America dedicated to finding permanent homes for children in foster care.
Heads investigation
In 2021, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was exposed by the Los Angeles Times for its lack of diversity.
At the time, the HFPA, an organisation of journalists and photographers who report on the entertainment industry and cast nominations for the Golden Glove Awards, didn’t have a black member within its then 87-person strong group.
That was reflected who was receiving awards, as notable shows including British TV hit I May Destroy You were disappointingly snubbed.
The LA Time report dropped one week before the ceremony, and caused a massive stir in Hollywood with viewing figures dipping to an all-time low.
Wholesale changes were made as the organisation was forced to change its practices.
21 new members were added, with 29 per cent being Black, 24 per cent Asian, 29 per cent are Latino and 19 per cent Middle Eastern or North African.
As an interim chief executive officer, Boehly was brought in to lead the HFPA in continuing to increase the diversity of its membership, as well as form measures that will change its practices moving forward.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
