John Paul DeJoria
Encyclopedia
John Paul Jones DeJoria (born April 13, 1944) is famous as a former homeless person who went on to become a billionaire businessman. According to Forbes
magazine, he is worth US$
4 billion.
neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. His parents divorced by the time he was two years old, and at nine he began selling Christmas cards and newspapers with his older brother to support his family. When his single mother proved unable to support both children, they were sent to an East Los Angeles
foster home.
DeJoria spent much of his youth in a street gang in East Los Angeles, but changed when he was told that he would "never succeed at anything in life" by a math teacher at John Marshall High School
. He graduated in 1962 and spent two years in the United States Navy, after which he floated through a series of jobs ranging from janitor
to insurance
salesman.
as an employee of Redken Laboratories. He was fired from this position, he claims over a disagreement on business strategies. In 1980, he formed John Paul Mitchell Systems
with hairdresser
Paul Mitchell and a loan for $700. In 1989, Paul Mitchell died and was replaced by his son, Angus as company co-owner. , John Paul Mitchell Systems had revenues of $900 million annually.
he co-founded in 1989 with business partner Martin Crowley sells more than 2 million cases of tequila
annually. He was a founding partner of the House of Blues
nightclub chain, subsequently sold to Live Nation
for $350 million in 2006, and has interests in Pyrat Rum, Ultimat Vodka
, Solar Utility, Sun King Solar, Touchstone Natural Gas
, Three Star Energy, Diamond Audio
, a Harley Davidson dealership, a diamond company (DeJoria), mobile technology developer ROK AMERICAS and the John Paul Pet company, which does hair and personal grooming for animals.
, trying to convince Zohan to join his salon and also in The Big Tease
as the fictional John Paul Mitchell, who acted as a judge in the Platinum Scissors competition in which Craig Ferguson's character, Crawford, was competing. DeJoria also made a cameo appearance in the hit Showtime series Weeds
season 2.
DeJoria both narrates and is seen in television commercials for Patron in November 2011.
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
magazine, he is worth US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
4 billion.
Early life and education
John Paul Jones DeJoria was born the second son of an Italian immigrant father and Greek immigrant mother on April 13, 1944 in the Echo ParkEcho Park, Los Angeles, California
Echo Park is a hilly neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, northwest of Downtown Los Angeles and southeast of Hollywood.-History:At the end of the 19th century, when the hills were still covered with native vegetation, a horse-drawn streetcar line served the dirt road that is now Echo Park Avenue...
neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. His parents divorced by the time he was two years old, and at nine he began selling Christmas cards and newspapers with his older brother to support his family. When his single mother proved unable to support both children, they were sent to an East Los Angeles
East Los Angeles (region)
East Los Angeles is the portion of the City of Los Angeles that lies east of Downtown Los Angeles, the Los Angeles River and the unincorporated areas of Lincoln Heights, west of the San Gabriel Valley, East Los Angeles and City Terrace, south of Cypress Park, and north of Vernon, California and...
foster home.
DeJoria spent much of his youth in a street gang in East Los Angeles, but changed when he was told that he would "never succeed at anything in life" by a math teacher at John Marshall High School
John Marshall High School (Los Angeles, California)
John Marshall High School is a high school located in the Los Feliz district of the City of Los Angeles at 3939 Tracy Street, in Los Angeles, California, USA.Marshall, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District...
. He graduated in 1962 and spent two years in the United States Navy, after which he floated through a series of jobs ranging from janitor
Janitor
A janitor or custodian is a professional who takes care of buildings, such as hospitals and schools. Janitors are responsible primarily for cleaning, and often some maintenance and security...
to insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
salesman.
Hair products
DeJoria entered the world of hair careHair care
Hair care is an overall term for parts of hygiene and cosmetology involving the hair on the human head. Hair care will differ according to one's hair type and according to various processes that can be applied to hair...
as an employee of Redken Laboratories. He was fired from this position, he claims over a disagreement on business strategies. In 1980, he formed John Paul Mitchell Systems
John Paul Mitchell Systems
John Paul Mitchell Systems is the company known for Paul Mitchell hair care products and styling tools. It was founded by John Paul DeJoria and Paul Mitchell in 1980 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills. Paul Mitchell also has beauty schools in multiple locations. The company sponsors a martial...
with hairdresser
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
Paul Mitchell and a loan for $700. In 1989, Paul Mitchell died and was replaced by his son, Angus as company co-owner. , John Paul Mitchell Systems had revenues of $900 million annually.
Other businesses
DeJoria is involved in a number of other business ventures. The Patrón Spirits CompanyPatrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
he co-founded in 1989 with business partner Martin Crowley sells more than 2 million cases of tequila
Tequila
Tequila is a spirit made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, northwest of Guadalajara, and in the highlands of the western Mexican state of Jalisco....
annually. He was a founding partner of the House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
nightclub chain, subsequently sold to Live Nation
Live Nation
Live Nation is a live-events company based in Beverly Hills, California, focused on concert promotions. Live Nation formed in 2005 as a spin-off from Clear Channel Communications, which then merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment....
for $350 million in 2006, and has interests in Pyrat Rum, Ultimat Vodka
Ultimat Vodka
Ultimat is a luxury brand of vodka produced in Poland and sold through the Patrón Spirits Company.Made from a blend of three different vodkas - potato, wheat and rye...
, Solar Utility, Sun King Solar, Touchstone Natural Gas
Touchstone Energy
Touchstone Energy Cooperatives is a cooperative federation composed of over 660 local, consumer-owned utility cooperatives in 46 of the 50 United States. Touchstone Energy co-ops serve more than 30 million members. Electric utility cooperatives distribute power for 75 percent of the U.S. land mass...
, Three Star Energy, Diamond Audio
Diamond Multimedia
Diamond Multimedia is a company that specializes in many forms of multimedia technology. They have produced graphics cards, motherboards, modems, sound cards and MP3 players, however the company began with the production of the TrackStar, a PC add-on card which emulated Apple II computers...
, a Harley Davidson dealership, a diamond company (DeJoria), mobile technology developer ROK AMERICAS and the John Paul Pet company, which does hair and personal grooming for animals.
In media
DeJoria made a cameo appearance as his own former business partner, Paul Mitchell, in the 2008 comedy You Don't Mess with the ZohanYou Don't Mess with the Zohan
You Don't Mess with the Zohan is a 2008 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Carlito Cabardo, and produced by and starring Adam Sandler. This is the fourth film which has starred Sandler and has been directed by Dugan...
, trying to convince Zohan to join his salon and also in The Big Tease
The Big Tease
The Big Tease is a 1999 comedy film starring Craig Ferguson, directed by Kevin Allen, and written by Ferguson and Sacha Gervasi.- Plot :Ferguson plays Crawford Mackenzie, a Scottish hairdresser who, while being filmed as part of a fly-on-the-wall documentary, is invited to the World Hairdresser...
as the fictional John Paul Mitchell, who acted as a judge in the Platinum Scissors competition in which Craig Ferguson's character, Crawford, was competing. DeJoria also made a cameo appearance in the hit Showtime series Weeds
Weeds (TV series)
Weeds is an American television comedy created by Jenji Kohan and produced by Tilted Productions in association with Lionsgate Television. The central character is Nancy Botwin , a widowed mother of two boys who begins selling marijuana to support her family after her husband dies suddenly of a...
season 2.
DeJoria both narrates and is seen in television commercials for Patron in November 2011.