Scott Samuel Braun, more popularly known as Scooter Braun, is not your typical music executive and entrepreneur. He is an industry mogul who owns an empire of major companies, including SB Projects, Schoolboy Records, RBMG Records, Hybe Corporation, and 100 Thieves. He also manages A-list talents like Justin Bieber, Ashley Graham, Ava Max, Dan + Shay, and Tori Kelly.
College Dropout
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Scooter Braun was born in New York on June 18, 1981, to Conservative Jewish parents Ervin Braun and Susan Schlussel. They were both immigrants from Hungary who moved to the US in 1956. Ervin grew up in Queens and worked as a dentist and high-school basketball coach, while Susan was an orthodontist.
The couple raised Braun and his four siblings in Cos Cob, Connecticut. Braun finished high school at Greenwich High School, then went to Atlanta to attend Emory University to continue playing basketball.
However, less than a year later, his focus shifted from basketball to organizing lavish parties at the Riviera nightclub. It didn’t take long for him and everyone else to realize he had the knack for this.
In an interview with the Greenwich Magazine, Braun shared that his friends would say it was instinct. But to him, part of it was the hustler mentality that his father wanted to get out of him. “I was quick. I figured things out,” he said.
College parties turned into music celebrity after-parties – and everyone wanted in. It then opened the door to meeting the So So Def Records director, Jermaine Dupri. Dupri offered him the position of marketing head, which he accepted.
A year later, he was named as executive director of marketing. Among the many events he organized were the parties for the NBA All-Star Game in 2003 and Britney Spears’s Onyx Hotel Tour in 2004.
Breakthrough with Bieber
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Braun’s meteoric rise is credited to a single moment: his accidental discovery of Justin Bieber’s YouTube video. He knew that Bieber had the potential to become big and scouted him, and he was right. The then-young singer turned out to be a hit bigger than anyone in his time.
Braun then signed more big-name singers – Ariana Grande, Kanye West, Psy, Tori Kelly, Black Eyes Peas, Carly Rae Jepsen, Demi Lovato, David Guetta, Idina Menzel, and more – and his empire grew.
As it did, his influence in the industry became more impactful. His acquisition portfolio grew thick. His name became cemented as a music heavyweight.
Behind The Scenes
Behind the loud, glamorous life of being a music executive, Braun has a simple, private personal life. He married his wife, Yael Cohen, in 2014 at Cohen’s parents’ home in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.
They welcomed their first son in 2015 and another a year later. Their daughter arrived in 2018. Unfortunately, their relationship ended in 2021 when Braun filed for divorce.
Scooter Braun is also heavily involved in philanthropy. In fact, he was honored by the Billboard Touring Awards with the Humanitarian Award in 2016 for his support of Pencils of Promise, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Fuck Cancer.
