Simon Fuller

Simon Fuller

Simon Fuller (born May 17 1960 in Hastings, England) is the creator of the Idol series, first seen as Pop Idol and over 50 other versions including American Idol, Australian Idol, Canadian Idol, and World Idol. Simon Fuller is also the creator and executive producer of the hit talent series So You Think You Can Dance and several other US and European TV shows. He is manager of David and Victoria Beckham, Claudia Schiffer, Annie Lennox and The Spice Girls. He is named by Time Magazine (May 3rd, 2007) as one of the 100 most Influential People In the World.

Business

Fuller is Chief Executive of 19 Entertainment, based in London, LA and NYC, which he founded in 1985. Prior to forming 19 Entertainment, from 1981 to 1985, Mr. Fuller worked at Chrysalis, in publishing (Chrysalis Limited) and A&R (Chrysalis Records). He was responsible for signing Madonna's first hit 'Holiday' to the company. When he discovered Paul Hardcastle in the mid-1980s he set out, aged 25, on his own and propelled Hardcastle to number one with his Vietnam war song, "19". After this success, he decided to name his management company 19 Management. He also manages Annie Lennox, originally from the 1980s pop group Eurythmics.

Spice Girls

Fuller did not create the Spice Girls but he managed them through the peak of their success. The 'PR svengali' (as 'affectionately' described by the British media) also ventured into sports management in the mid 1990s, where he guided footballer Steve McManaman to Real Madrid and then later managed to land superstar David Beckham as well. The latter had famously married one of the Spice Girls - "Posh Spice" (Victoria). Under Fuller, the Spice Girls rose to chart topper status and went on to sell over 53 million records. In November 1997 the girls decided to manage themselves and they parted company with Fuller.

The group later disbanded and it was not long before Fuller was approached to manage the career of former Spice Girls Emma Bunton and Victoria Beckham. Soon afterwards Fuller launched his next creation, a mixed-gender pop group with a twist. S Club S Club 7 became a No.1 pop act and TV show in over 100 territories. The group has since split up with former members Rachel Stevens, Jon Lee and Hannah Spearritt going on to enjoy solo success in music and film.

In 1998 Fuller came up with an idea that would prove to be one of the definitive television and music brands of the 2000s when he created the television show formats of Pop Idol, American Idol, World Idol and other spin-offs. Pop Idol broke TV records when it was broadcast over two series in the UK, as well as uncovering a major new talent in Will Young. Fuller sold the show to the Fox network in the States, and American Idol quickly became a No.1 rated show. The show has made stars of it's presenters Ryan Seacrest, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell, as well as many of its performers.

Now in it's sixth series American Idol is claimed to be the most valuable TV format in the world with a value of over $2,500,000,000 (2.5 billion dollars) made up of revenue from sponsors, merchandising, telephone, music sales, broadcast and advertising sources. Over 34 million viewers saw Jordin Sparks win the sixth series of American Idol in May 2007 on a night where over 74 million votes were cast.

Simon Fuller's interests in music and TV now make him one of the most powerful figures in the global entertainment industry. His company 19 Recordings has achieved million selling acts including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Fantasia, Will Young and Gareth Gates, as well as stars from Germany, Australia, Canada and other territories. His label 19 Recordings has sold over 50 million copies of American Idol music since the show was first broadcast.

Simon Fuller also manages the careers of a number of hit songwriters and producers, most notably Cathy Dennis, who first met Fuller as a part of D Mob in the 1980s. Under Fuller's guidance Cathy Dennis has become the UK's No.1 female songwriter with a string of global hits for artists including Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears and others.

In March 2005, Fuller sold his company, 19 Entertainment, to Robert Sillerman's CKX, Inc. in a cash and stock deal worth in excess of £100 million ($192 million). Fuller remains in his role as 19's CEO and becomes a director of CKX. Fuller's personal wealth is now estimated at over £460 million, and in 2007 he launched a bid to buy CKX for $1.6 billion.

In August 2006 Fuller announced a new fashion project and launched 19RM a joint venture company with critically acclaimed fashion designer Roland Mouret, the man behind the Galaxy dress made famous by Scarlett Johansson and other Hollywood celebrities. Fuller has since taken on global representation for Claudia Schiffer and the Beckhams fashion label DVB brand which includes perfume and denim ranges.

More recently Fuller has signed a deal to represent comedians Matt Lucas and David Walliams with regard to developing their award winning BBC TV show Little Britain for the United States [1].

Simon Fuller has a number of interests in sport including his partnership with David Beckham. Fuller masterminded Beckham's $250 million move to LA Galaxy in 2007, and recently won the contract to represent the England football team player's interests, through his 1966 company. Fuller also represents young British golfer Henni Brockway. Fuller's 19 Entertainment was also the first company to successfully persuade a Formula 1racing car to promote the environment link title. His "Earth Car" created for Honda Racing F1 was competitive throughout the 2007 Formula 1 season driven by British driver Jenson Button and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello.

In 2007, Fuller was listed among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World.

On June 27th 2007, BBC reported that 19 Entertainment will be responsible for the management of a Spice Girl reunion world tour under the management of Simon Fuller. Performances will be limited to eleven shows including stops at Tokyo, London, Las Vegas, Cologne, Madrid, Cape Town, Los Angeles, New York and Sydney, with the possibility of more to be added later.