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Re: Art2Gecko post# 34

Thursday, 01/26/2006 9:47:45 PM

Thursday, January 26, 2006 9:47:45 PM

Post# of 886
Mark Cuban biography


http://www.askmen.com/men/business_politics_60/60c_mark_cuban.html


Mark Cuban was born on July 31, 1958, in the working-class city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and his penchant for business was evident right from the start. As a 12-year-old goofy kid with thick glasses, he sold garbage bags door-to-door. For what it's worth, he did pretty well and learned his first valuable lessons about business.

An excellent student, he decided to go to Indiana University because it was the cheapest of America's Top 10 business schools. He put himself through school by giving disco dancing lessons and he even started a chain letter that helped cover one whole semester. At IU, he continued to achieve high grades, but was reprimanded by the dean after taking graduate-level classes as a freshman. Cuban was allowed to keep the credits he took from these classes but was banned from the program. As a result, he was dissuaded from getting his MBA after receiving a bachelor's degree.

mark cuban succeeds with microsolutions

Fulfilling his dream of starting up a business, Cuban decided to tackle the blossoming computer industry despite having no background knowledge of the subject. Cuban founded MicroSolutions, a computer consulting firm, in 1983, which went on to become a leading National Systems Integrator. By 1990, his company was grossing $30 million per year, but the real payoff came when he sold his company to CompuServe and bagged millions of dollars.

With this newfound wealth, Cuban could truly declare himself a success story. His hard work and dedication had paid off, so he chose to take an early retirement.

mark cuban starts up broadcast.com

Though he may have stopped working physically, his mind never did. Reminiscing with a friend in his new hometown of Dallas about the good old days at Indiana University, Cuban wished he could hear Hoosiers games on the radio. This led to a flash of brilliance: why not broadcast radio and TV on the Internet? With that, Broadcast.com was born in 1995, and became a major player in multimedia.

Thanks to Broadcast.com, people could enjoy a variety of programs and sports events online. Revolutionary advances like streaming video helped the company explode when it went public, and when Yahoo! bought it in 1999, Cuban profited two bills -- as in billions.

mark buys the dallas mavericks

Now officially loaded beyond belief, Cuban went on a little spending binge. First came a 24,000-square-foot mansion in Dallas, then a $41 million jet and finally, the largest present to himself: the Dallas Mavericks franchise, for about $285 million. An avid basketball fan, he intended on revamping the Mavericks and making them major contenders.

Cuban brought a whole new approach to marketing basketball after purchasing the team on January 14, 2000. With enthusiasm and gusto, he changed the face of the NBA team by creating new uniforms and catchy marketing schemes, and most important of all, acquiring solid talent. Players like Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki helped turn the Mavericks from perennial losers to playoff contenders in a matter of one season.

mark cuban makes headlines

Cuban's approach in Dallas was quickly revered as the model for how to run a franchise from the ground up. With all this success, however, Cuban still received bad press, as he constantly badgered the referees he thought were affecting the outcome of the Mavs' games. All in all, he has racked up over $1 million in fines. His most notable outburst came when he was quoted as saying that the league director of officials, Ed Rush, couldn't even manage a Dairy Queen. So as not to insult DQ, Cuban quickly followed up the comment by becoming an "employee of the day" at one of the local franchises in a Dallas neighborhood.

mark cuban and hdnet

To add to his incredible feats with the Mavericks, Cuban has started an all high-definition TV network called HDNet. Carrying sports, movies and quality programming, the channels represent the wave of HDTV that is storming living rooms across America. Cuban even has his own sports show, which is filmed in the team's home, the American Airlines Center.

Cuban has also reunited with his former Broadcast.com partner Todd Wagner in another project, 2929 Entertainment. The firm produced the "new" Star Search, which aired from 2002 to 2004, and even purchased a chain of art house movie theaters.

mark cuban is the benefactor

In 2004, non-sports fans were introduced to Mark Cuban with the debut of his Apprentice-style reality show, ABC's The Benefactor. Unfortunately, it did not see the kind of ratings that Donald Trump experienced, and the show tanked.

mark cuban is living the dream

While Cuban has said that he is married to his job, it looks like he made room for another love: his wife, Tiffany Stewart, who he married on September 21, 2002.

His mansion remains very modestly furnished as he travels with his beloved team, supporting them the whole season. A brilliant man with lots of ambition, one cannot even anticipate which industry Cuban will dive into next.

What else do you need to know?


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