Introduction
Jeff Kwatinetz (born April 15, 1965) is an American entertainment industry executive. He is the CEO of The Firm, a media production and talent management company in Santa Monica, California.
Early life and education
Kwatinetz was born in Brooklyn, New York and lived in Brooklyn until the third grade, when his family moved to Marlboro Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. He graduated from Marlboro High School. He attended Northwestern University in Illinois and is a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. He graduated from Harvard Law School as a Juris Doctor.
Career
He has worked with many celebrities, including music acts Backstreet Boys, Jennifer Lopez, and Kelly Clarkson and actors Samuel L. Jackson, Vin Diesel and Colleen Ballinger.
Kwatinetz founded The Firm in 1997 to quickly become one of the top management and production companies in the industry representing talent in all facets of entertainment. He has been successful in breaking, developing, and managing the careers of artists such as KoRn, Limp Bizkit, Backstreet Boys, Snoop Dogg, Enrique Iglesias, Vin Diesel, Ice Cube, Jennifer Lopez, Kelly Clarkson, OneRepublic, Rachel Weisz, Michael Jackson, Audioslave, Pete Yorn, Puddle of Mudd, and many more. The Firm acquired Artist Management Group in 2002 to add high-profile television and film industry managers and clients such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Kate Hudson, Benicio del Toro, Bill Condon, and Martin Scorsese and expand into an all-encompassing entertainment management and production company.
Britney Spears
Kwatinetz's company represented Britney for one month in 2007. He has been a controversial figure in the industry, especially in connection with such clients as Britney Spears. On September 17, 2007, he released a statement saying, "It saddens us to confirm media reports that we have terminated our professional relationship with Britney Spears. We have represented Britney for the past month. We believe Britney is enormously talented, and has made a terrific record. But current circumstances have prevented us from properly doing our job. We wish Britney the best."
Prospect Park and relaunch of The Firm
Kwatinetz left The Firm in late 2008 and founded the media production, record label and talent management company Prospect Park.He relaunched The Firm in August 2015. Kwatinetz serves as executive producer of the F/X comedy Wilfred and USA Network’s medical comedy, Royal Pains.