Sam Nazarian
Encyclopedia
Sam Nazarian is an Iranian-American
entrepreneur. Nazarian is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer
of SBE, a Los Angeles based luxury hospitality, real estate development and lifestyle company which includes hotel, restaurant, nightlife, and real estate divisions. As a real estate financier, hotelier, and restaurateur, Nazarian owns and operates several award-winning hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs, located throughout Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Miami. In 2006 Nazarian was honored as the youngest executive to be named one of the "Top 100 Most Powerful People in Southern California" by West, the Los Angeles Times
’ Magazine, and was named among "The Influentials" in Los Angeles
magazine. He has also been featured and quoted in The New York Times
, The Wall Street Journal
, Newsweek
, People
, Fortune
, W
, Variety
and The New Yorker
.
Nazarian is also a member of the Southern California Institute of Architecture's Board of Directors, serves on the Los Angeles World Airports' Board of Airport Commissioners, and is a supporter of the Beverly Hills Education Foundation.
. Son of wealthy Qualcomm
co-founder Younes Nazarian, Sam was raised in Los Angeles, California
. Sam attended Beverly Hills High School and later studied at New York University
and the University of Southern California
.
Nazarian's first entrepreneurial venture was in 1998, when he founded Platinum Wireless, a telecommunications business specializing in the distribution of Nextel software. Within one year of its founding, Platinum Wireless was the number one Nextel distributor in Southern California. Nazarian then entered the world of real estate by diversifying his family's assets into real estate holdings, beginning with the establishment of 3Wall Development in 1999. Under Sam's guidance 3Wall quickly became one of Southern California's largest owners of multi-family housing.
. Nazarian owns each club outright without other investors. These venues continue to see a high level of popularity and celebrity patronage, as well as being frequently visited by the characters of HBO's Entourage
. Nazarian made an appearance as himself greeting the main characters of the show in the episode "No Cannes Do". Nazarian's SBE brand has also been featured on an episode of The Hills
.
and chefs Katsuya Uechi, José Andrés
and Michael Mina
. His partnership with Katsuya and Starck
resulted in the restaurant Katsuya, with locations in Brentwood, Hollywood, Glendale and downtown Los Angeles. XIV, in partnership with Chef Michael Mina
, opened on the Sunset Strip
in October 2008. (XIV closed in August 2011.) Nazarian opened The Bazaar with José Andrés
, which is integrated into SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, in 2008.
for the films Waiting..., , Down in the Valley, Five Fingers, The Last Time
, Pride
, Mr. Brooks
and College
.
Iranian-American
Iranian-Americans are Americans of Iranian ancestry or people possessing Iranian and American dual citizenship.Iranian-Americans are amongst the most highly educated groups in the United States...
entrepreneur. Nazarian is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of SBE, a Los Angeles based luxury hospitality, real estate development and lifestyle company which includes hotel, restaurant, nightlife, and real estate divisions. As a real estate financier, hotelier, and restaurateur, Nazarian owns and operates several award-winning hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs, located throughout Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Miami. In 2006 Nazarian was honored as the youngest executive to be named one of the "Top 100 Most Powerful People in Southern California" by West, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
’ Magazine, and was named among "The Influentials" in Los Angeles
Los Angeles (magazine)
Los Angeles magazine is a monthly regional magazine of national stature. Published by Emmis Communications and produced monthly since the spring of 1961, LA Magazine is a combination of award-winning feature writing, investigative reporting, service journalism, and design, the definitive resource...
magazine. He has also been featured and quoted in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
, Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
, W
W (magazine)
W is a monthly American fashion magazine published by Condé Nast Publications, who purchased original owner Fairchild Publications in 1999. It was created in 1971 by the publisher of sister magazine Woman's Wear Daily, James Brady. The magazine is an oversize format – ten inches wide and...
, Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
and The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
.
Nazarian is also a member of the Southern California Institute of Architecture's Board of Directors, serves on the Los Angeles World Airports' Board of Airport Commissioners, and is a supporter of the Beverly Hills Education Foundation.
Early life
Nazarian's family immigrated to the United States following the Iranian RevolutionIranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
. Son of wealthy Qualcomm
Qualcomm
Qualcomm is an American global telecommunication corporation that designs, manufactures and markets digital wireless telecommunications products and services based on its code division multiple access technology and other technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, USA...
co-founder Younes Nazarian, Sam was raised in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Sam attended Beverly Hills High School and later studied at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
Nazarian's first entrepreneurial venture was in 1998, when he founded Platinum Wireless, a telecommunications business specializing in the distribution of Nextel software. Within one year of its founding, Platinum Wireless was the number one Nextel distributor in Southern California. Nazarian then entered the world of real estate by diversifying his family's assets into real estate holdings, beginning with the establishment of 3Wall Development in 1999. Under Sam's guidance 3Wall quickly became one of Southern California's largest owners of multi-family housing.
Hospitality
Nazarian's SBE owns eight Los Angeles nightclubs and lounges: Area, MI-6, Hyde, XIV, Colony, Eden, MyHouse, MyStudio and The AbbeyThe Abbey (club)
The Abbey is a bar and nightclub in West Hollywood, California.The bar originally opened in 1991 as a gay coffeehouse. Wanting more of an evening appeal, a bar area was made...
. Nazarian owns each club outright without other investors. These venues continue to see a high level of popularity and celebrity patronage, as well as being frequently visited by the characters of HBO's Entourage
Entourage (TV series)
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
. Nazarian made an appearance as himself greeting the main characters of the show in the episode "No Cannes Do". Nazarian's SBE brand has also been featured on an episode of The Hills
The Hills
The Hills is a reality television series which originally aired on MTV from May 31, 2006 until July 13, 2010. The show uses a reality television format, following the personal lives of several young adults living in Los Angeles, California, but tends towards a narrative format more commonly found...
.
Restaurants
Nazarian has secured partnerships with Philippe StarckPhilippe Starck
Philippe Patrick Starck is a French product designer and probably the best known designer in the New Design style...
and chefs Katsuya Uechi, José Andrés
José Andrés
José Ramón Andrés Puerta , known as José Andrés, is a Spanish chef often credited for bringing the small plates dining concept to America...
and Michael Mina
Michael Mina
Michael Mina is an award-winning American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. He is the executive chef at his two namesake restaurants in San Francisco and Las Vegas, Nevada, and partners with Andre Agassi in Mina Group, a restaurant management company that owns 16 restaurants in...
. His partnership with Katsuya and Starck
Starck
Starck is used by a number of people as a surname.* Philippe Starck, designer* Karl von Starck, politician- See also :* Stark * Starck * Stark...
resulted in the restaurant Katsuya, with locations in Brentwood, Hollywood, Glendale and downtown Los Angeles. XIV, in partnership with Chef Michael Mina
Michael Mina
Michael Mina is an award-winning American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. He is the executive chef at his two namesake restaurants in San Francisco and Las Vegas, Nevada, and partners with Andre Agassi in Mina Group, a restaurant management company that owns 16 restaurants in...
, opened on the Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood at Harper Avenue, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive...
in October 2008. (XIV closed in August 2011.) Nazarian opened The Bazaar with José Andrés
José Andrés
José Ramón Andrés Puerta , known as José Andrés, is a Spanish chef often credited for bringing the small plates dining concept to America...
, which is integrated into SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, in 2008.
Hotels
In 2007, SBE acquired the Sahara Hotel & Casino. Nazarian has also invested in several other hotels, such as Viceroy hotels and resorts; Chamberlain West Hollywood; Sheraton Delfina Santa Monica; Sheraton Gateway LAX, and Hilton Garden Inns in resort locales in Southern California and Florida.[4].Producer
Nazarian has served as executive producerExecutive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
for the films Waiting..., , Down in the Valley, Five Fingers, The Last Time
The Last Time (film)
The Last Time is a 2006 film starring Michael Keaton, Brendan Fraser and Amber Valletta.-Plot:Ted Ryker is the top salesman in the New York office of a business machine company. The corporate stock lives by quarterly sales numbers, the competition is very intense, and the economy may be headed...
, Pride
Pride
Pride is an inwardly directed emotion that carries two common meanings. With a negative connotation, pride refers to an inflated sense of one's personal status or accomplishments, often used synonymously with hubris...
, Mr. Brooks
Mr. Brooks
Mr. Brooks is a 2007 thriller film directed by Bruce A. Evans starring Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, Dane Cook, and William Hurt. It was released on June 1, 2007...
and College
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
.