David Maisel

Name	David Maisel
Image
Caption	David Maisel (2019)
Nationality	American
Alma Mater	Duke University Harvard Business School
Occupation	Entertainment executive, film and Broadway producer
Years Active	1994-present
Known For	Marvel Studios (founding chairman)
Notable Works	Marvel Studios Iron Man (producer) The Angry Birds Movie (producer) Fosse (producer)
Birth Place	Saratoga Springs, New York
Awards	Tony Award for Best Musical
Website	mythosstudios.com

Early life

David Maisel was raised in Saratoga Springs, New York. He graduated from Duke University and then earned an MBA from Harvard University. His first job was with Boston Consulting Group where he advised entertainment companies.

Career

Maisel joined Creative Artists Agency in 1994 as a corporate advisory agent working with Michael Ovitz, the agency's founder and CEO. Maisel assisted in Matsushita’s sale of entertainment conglomerate MCA/Universal to Seagram in 1995. When Ovitz joined Walt Disney Company as president in 1995, the company also added Maisel as its Director of Corporate Development and Strategic Planning. When Ovitz left Disney he invited Maisel to plan his next venture. Ovitz acquired a minority stake in the largest publicly traded live-theater company, Livent, and named Maisel President. While at Livent, Maisel produced the Broadway show, Fosse, which won a Tony Award for Best Musical in 1999. Maisel restructured the company and then engineered the sale of Livent to SFX in 1999 for $100 to $110 million.



From 1999 to 2001, Maisel was Managing Director of chello, Europe’s largest broadband-service provider. In 2001, Maisel joined Endeavor Talent Agency to lead its corporate strategy and business development efforts.

Marvel Studios

In 2003, Maisel pitched Marvel Studios’ CEO and Chairman, Avi Arad and then pitched CEO, Isaac Perlmutter, on his idea of Marvel financing and producing its own movies in a connected cinematic universe. Perlmutter hired Maisel as Marvel Studios’ President. To execute his plan, Maisel engineered a slate-structure financing to total $525 million.



In 2005, Maisel was promoted to Vice Chairman of Marvel Studios and, in 2006, Maisel was also elevated to the Office of the CEO of Marvel Entertainment. Maisel was promoted to Marvel Studios’ Chairman in 2007 and oversaw the launch of the first Iron Man franchise film in 2008. In 2009, Maisel arranged the sale of Marvel to Disney for $4 billion. In 2015, Marvel and Disney recognized and thanked Maisel as the Founding Chairman of Marvel Studios in the credits of Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Post-Marvel

In July 2011, Maisel was hired by Rovio Entertainment to lead its efforts to make an Angry Birds movie as Special Advisor and Executive Producer of The Angry Birds Movie. The film hit #1 for its opening weekend in May 2016 and grossed $350 million in worldwide box office receipts.

In 2018, The New York Times reported that Maisel partnered with Scooter Braun to launch Mythos Studios, which acquired half of Aspen Comics. In June 2018, Mythos announced an additional animated film about mythological god, Cupid, with Justin Bieber as executive producer and as voice talent. Cupid is one film in a cinematic universe, termed Mythos Studios' "MythoVerse". In 2023, Maisel began development of the Ekos universe inspired by the art and creations from Michael Turner and Geoff Johns.

Filmography

References

• Morningstar, David Maisel of Gaia, Inc., 20 March 2018, 31 December 2018, dead
• Bleeding Cool News, Feige Couldn't Shine Ike's Shoes" – Marvel Board Members Talk Marvel Studios, 6 June 2016, 20 March 2018
• MovieWeb, Marvel Studios' Secret Origins Revealed by Founder, 8 May 2016, 20 March 2018
• The Wall Street Journal, 'Angry Birds' Film Is a Gamble for Rovio Entertainment, 20 March 2018
• ScreenRant, The Secret Origin of Marvel Studios, 7 May 2016, 18 March 2018
• screencrush, HOW MARVEL RISKED EVERYTHING TO GO FROM BANKRUPTCY TO BILLIONS, 23 April 2015, 18 March 2018
• Masters, Kim, Marvel Studios' Origin Secrets Revealed by Mysterious Founder: History Was "Rewritten", May 10, 2016, Hollywood Reporter, May 5, 2016
• Leonard, Devin, Calling all superheroes, 2011-05-10, Fortune Magazine, May 23, 2007, ...and Avi Arad, 59, former chairman and CEO of Marvel Studios,..
• Brodesser, Claude, Maisel shifts to Endeavor, May 7, 2014, Variety, October 2, 2001
• 2 Executives to Step Down at Ailing Livent, May 7, 2014, Los Angeles Times, June 15, 1999, Bloomberg News
• Exec makes Marvel move - Entertainment News, Exec Shuffle, Media, December 4, 2011, Variety, November 1, 2005
• Zeitchik, Steven, Marvel lifts pair of execs, dead, June 11, 2014, May 7, 2014, Daily Variety, HighBeam Research, September 27, 2006
• Marvel Studios' David Maisel to step down after Disney deal, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2011, December 7, 2009
• Masters, Kim, Marvel Studios' Origin Secrets Revealed by Mysterious Founder: History Was "Rewritten", The Hollywood Reporter, 22 June 2018, 5 May 2016
• Angry Birds hires movie producer for 'future films', BBC.co.uk, July 5, 2011
• Graser, Marc, 'Angry Birds' movie taps 'Despicable Me' producer, May 7, 2014, Variety, December 11, 2012
• A New Film Studio From the Moguls Behind Justin Bieber and Marvel, New York Times, 28 March 2018
• Deadline, Scooter Braun, David Maisel Acquire 50% Stake In Aspen Comics, Launch Mythos Studios, 27 March 2018, 28 March 2018
• Deadline, Justin Bieber Cast As Voice Talent In Animated Film About Cupid From Mythos Studios, 5 June 2018, 22 October 2019
• The Hollywood Reporter, David Maisel, Scooter Braun Plan Three-Film Animated Slate, 24 October 2019, 26 October 2019
• The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel Studios Founder Bringing His New Universe to Comic-Con, 22 July 2024, 6 September 2024

External links

• David Maisel on Tim Ferriss Podcast