What is Billy McFarland’s net worth?Billy McFarland is an American convicted felon and former CEO who has a net worth of -$26 million. Billy McFarland is most famous for organizing the disastrous Fyre Festival which was supposed to be held in April 2017 but turned into one of the most infamous concert disasters in history. Due to the ultimately aborted event, which defrauded investors of millions and left many attendees stranded, he was arrested and charged with wire fraud and sentenced to six years in prison. McFarland was released in early 2022 after serving just over four years.In the wake of the disastrous festival, Billy and his partner, rapper Ja Rule, were quickly sued for $100 million.In March 2018 Billy pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud in federal court. He admitted to using fake documents to secure $26 million in funding. He eventually agreed to pay $26 million in restitution and was sentenced to six years in prison.Billy was released from prison in May 2022.? Compare Billy McFarland’s Net WorthEarly Life and EducationBilly McFarland was born in 1991 in New York City, New York and was raised by his real-estate developer parents in a project in Millburn, New Jersey. There, he went to the Pingry School, from which he graduated in 2010. For his higher education, McFarland enrolled at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, but ended up dropping out toward the end of his freshman year.Career BeginningsAfter leaving college, McFarland founded the online advertising platform Spling, which he served as the CEO of. The company proved to be short-lived. Following this, McFarland co-founded the card-based membership club Magnises with rapper Ja Rule. Although the card was marketed to millennials as being comparable to American Express’s Black Card,’ Magnise’s card was not in fact a charge card, and could only be used it to make purchases by linking it to a preexisting credit card account. The company ceased operations in 2017, after which it was retroactively considered a scam.Fyre FestivalWith Ja Rule, McFarland co-founded the Fyre Festival in 2017. Advertised as a luxury music festival, it was meant to promote a music talent book application for the parent company Fyre Media.Not long after launching the concept for Fyre Festival, McFarland claimed in a letter sent to potential investors that the concert business was already worth $90 million. He justified that valuation by alleging that the company had received millions of sponsorship dollars and ticket sales. Authorities would later prove that at that point the company had generated just $57,000 in revenue.The festival was scheduled to take place in the spring on the island of Great Exuma in the Bahamas. Numerous models and social media influencers took to Instagram to advertise the event, including Kendall Jenner, Hailey Baldwin, Emily Ratajkowski, and Bella Hadid, all of whom were also expected to attend.Fyre Festival was advertised as a custom-built tropical paradise featuring glamorous models where guests would stay in luxury villas on a private island eating meals prepared by 5-star chefs. VIP tickets to the festival cost $49,000. The average day pass cost $450.The event went viral when ticket holders arrived on the island to find a disorganized third world disaster. Before it could begin, myriad administration and management issues hobbled its progress. Having paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, guests arrived to tents and boxed sandwiches instead of luxury villas and gourmet dishes. There were also a slew of problems related to security, medical services, staffing, and talent relations. The festival was ultimately postponed after the first night, with attendees being sent back to Miami, Florida.Hulu Documentary PaydayBilly appeared in Hulu’s January 2019 documentary “Fyre Fraud”. He reportedly was approached by Netflix to appear in their version of a Fyre documentary but Netflix declined when he asked to be paid. Hulu reportedly ended up paying Billy $250,000.Criminal AftermathAs a result of the festival debacle – which saw a number of attendees stranded in the Bahamas when many flights back to Miami were canceled – McFarland and co-organizer Ja Rule were sued in a $100 million class-action lawsuit. On top of that lawsuit, six federal and four individual suits were also filed. In June of 2017, McFarland was arrested and charged with wire fraud; he was released on July 1 on $300,000 bail. However, while on bail, he continued to commit fraud via a new scam known as NYC VIP, which he used to sell fraudulent tickets to events such as the Met Gala and Coachella.Before a federal court in Manhattan in March of 2018, McFarland pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud. Additionally, he conceded to using fraudulent documents to draw investors to his company. As punishment, McFarland was sentenced to six years in prison and was ordered to pay $26 million in restitution. In the spring of 2020, he requested compassionate release from prison in order to avoid contracting COVID-19, arguing that the virus posed an added threat to him due to his asthma. The request was ultimately denied. McFarland was eventually moved to the RRM New York facility, where he tested positive for COVID-19. In the spring of 2022, he was released early from prison and sent to a halfway house ahead of his release in August.In the MediaThe massive logistical failure of the Fyre Festival and its legal repercussions for McFarland became the catalyst for two documentary films released in early 2019. The first was Hulu’s “Fyre Fraud,” written and directed by Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason. The film consists of testimony from victims of the festival, as well as from whistleblowers and other insiders. Just days later, Netflix released “Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened,” which was directed by Chris Smith. Notably, the film was co-produced by Jerry Media, the same social media company that promoted the Fyre Festival and helped cover up its fraudulence. Both the Hulu and Netflix documentaries earned positive reviews from critics, and both also received Emmy Award nominations.
What is Vin Di Bona’s Net Worth and Salary?Vin Di Bona is an American television super producer and director who has a net worth of $200 million. Vin Di Bona is best known for producing the shows “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “Entertainment Tonight,” and “MacGyver.” In addition to his eponymous production company, he has a second independent production company called FishBowl Worldwide Media, which he established in 2010.Vin Di Bona started his career in the entertainment industry as a singer, with the name Johnny Lindy, strangely enough. After having just marginal success, he decided to turn his attention to producing, a move that has proven to be extremely lucrative. He started producing TV specials in 1976. Some of his most well known productions are, “MacGyver” and “Entertainment Tonight”.He is most well-known for being the creator and co-owner of “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” AFV is arguably the inspiration for YouTube and is clearly the inspiration for shows like Tosh.O. AFV is one of the longest running shows on television. The show premiered in 1989 and has since produced more than 600 episodes and two spin off shows.? Compare Vin Di Bona’s Net WorthAmerica’s Funniest Home Videos EarningsDi Bona co-owns AFV with the television network ABC. At its peak, the show generated over $100 million per year in revenue. Today it generates an estimated $30 million per year. It’s believed that the show has generated well over $1.5 billion in revenue over its run. The show has been syndicated to 193 countries.Between his producing fees, syndication royalties and clip licensing fees, Vin Di Bona personally earns around $20 million per year from the show. Impressively, Di Bona and AFV have not been taken out entirely by the advent of the internet and sites like YouTube. This is perhaps attributable to the fact that Di Bona and his company are diligent about copyright and a sign that the American people in general still enjoy seeking their video on primetime television.Early Life and EducationVin Di Bona was born on April 10, 1944 in Cranston, Rhode Island. As a young adult, he went to Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, where he worked as the manager of the campus radio station WECB. After graduating in 1966, Di Bona earned an MFA in film from UCLA.Career Beginnings in EntertainmentDi Bona started his show business career as a singer, going by the stage name Johnny Lindy. By the age of 16, he had already released two records, both of which were regional hits. Later, following his graduation from UCLA, Di Bona worked for nearly a decade at Boston’s NBC affiliate station WBZ-TV. After this, he moved with his family to Los Angeles, where he initially struggled to find work. Eventually, Di Bona landed a job directing and producing documentaries at CBS. For his work, he earned a Peabody Award and multiple Emmys. Di Bona also earned some renown in the 70s for producing “Battle of the Network Stars,” which is considered a precursor of the reality competition television boom. Among his other notable early credits was the syndicated newsmagazine show “Entertainment Tonight,” which he began producing in the 80s, and the ABC action series “MacGyver,” which he produced for one season.Animal Crack-Ups and America’s Funniest Home VideosThe first two television series created by Di Bona were both based on programs from Japan. The first was the game show “Animal Crack-Ups,” based on the Japanese series “Wakuwaku Dōbutsu Land.” Hosted by “Growing Pains” actor Alan Thicke, the show featured four celebrities competing to rack up toy animals by correctly answering questions about animal videos. The series ran on ABC from 1987 to 1990.Di Bona’s most famous show is “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” which first aired as a special on ABC in 1989 before becoming a regular series in 1990. Based on the Japanese variety show “Kato-chan Ken-chan Gokigen TV,” the program features clips of humorous homemade videos submitted by viewers. Over the decades, “America’s Funniest Home Videos” has been hosted by Bob Saget, John Fugelsang, Daisy Fuentes, Tom Bergeron, and Alfonso Ribeiro, among others. The longest-running primetime entertainment program on ABC, the show has spawned the spinoff programs “America’s Funniest People,” “World’s Funniest Videos,” and “Videos After Dark.”Further CreditsDi Bona’s other producing credits have included the Showtime series “Sherman Oaks” and the ABC series “The Heart Speaks,” based on Dr. Mimi Guarneri’s eponymous book. He has also served as an executive producer on the truTV series “Upload with Shaquille O’Neal,” which features the titular basketball superstar commenting on viral online video clips with his friends.Di Bona has also done some television directing. His credits as a director include broadcasts of the American Music Awards and the Academy of Country Music Awards.Board PositionsFor four years, Di Bona served as the chair of the Caucus for Television Producers, Writers and Directors. He also served on the board of trustees of his alma mater Emerson College, later becoming the board’s vice chairman.ControversiesOver the years, Di Bona has been involved in some notable controversies. In 1992, he was sued by Arleen Sorkin, a co-host of “America’s Funniest People,” who claimed she was fired from her position due to being white. Di Bona was encouraged by ABC chairman Dan Burke to hire an ethnic minority in her place; however, he ultimately chose to hire another white woman, Tawny Kitaen.Di Bona faced greater controversy in early 2019 when both of his production companies, Vin Di Bona Entertainment and FishBowl Worldwide Media, were sued alongside an individual defendant on charges of sexual assault. The lawsuit was filed by three former female employees of the companies.Vin Personal LifeDi Bona’s first marriage, to wife Gina, produced a daughter named Cara. The couple eventually divorced. Di Bona married his second wife, television executive Erica Gerard, in 2006; they had originally met when Di Bona worked at CBS. Through the marriage, he has a step-daughter named Jamie.
What is Elisabeth Murdoch’s Net Worth?Elisabeth Murdoch is a British American television industry and international media executive who has a net worth of $1.375 billion. The daughter of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, she founded the international television production and distribution company Shine Group in 2001. In 2019, Elisabeth Murdoch founded another global production company called Sister.After graduating from college Elisabeth she started her career as a manager at her father’s FX Networks. It was in 1994 that Murdoch made her first acquisition together with her then husband, Elkin Kwesi Pianim, buying a pair of NBC-affiliate television stations, KSBW and KSBY, in California using a $35 million loan provided by her father. In less than a year and a half, the pair re-arranged and re-sold the stations at a $12 million profit. Next, Elizabeth moved with her husband to England, where she landed a key role in BSkyB, where her father shared the CEO position with Sam Chisholm at the time. Eventually, she took over the position of a Managing Director and during her tenure BSkyB became one of the most profitable companies in the UK. However, she went on to veer out on her own as a television and film producer in London, following a public quarrel with Chisholm. After a futile attempt to set up a film and production unit similar to BBC Films and Film4 Productions, Elisabeth successfully established Shine Limited in March 2001. She owns 80% of the company, with 15% of the shares are owned by Lord Alli and 5% owned by BskyB. In 2011, she sold Shine to News Corporation, but she is still Chairman and CEO at Shine.? Compare Elisabeth Murdoch’s Net WorthEarly Life and EducationElisabeth Murdoch was born on August 22, 1968 in Sydney, Australia to media tycoon Rupert and writer Anna. She was named after her grandmother, a philanthropist. For her education, Murdoch went to the Brearley School in New York City, and then to Vassar College in Poughkeepsie.Career BeginningsMurdoch started her career as a manager of program acquisitions at the cable television company FX Networks, which was owned by her father. Later, using a $35 million loan from her father, she and her then-husband bought the California NBC affiliate stations KSBW and KSBY.BSkyBAfter moving to the United Kingdom, Murdoch went on to work with her father at the British broadcaster and telecommunications company BSkyB, which was experiencing financial problems at the time. There, she served as second-in-command to television executive Sam Chisholm, who was put in charge of managing the company’s daily operations and cultivating its subscriber base. The strategy worked, as BSkyB became the United Kingdom’s most profitable company by the time of Chisholm’s departure. Subsequently, Murdoch became the new managing director. During her tenure, she oversaw the successful £12 million sponsorship of London’s troubled Millennium Dome. However, she also courted controversy for brokering her father’s failed £623.4 million bid for the champion Manchester United football team. Murdoch left BSkyB in 2000.Shine GroupIn early 2001, Murdoch founded Shine Group, a global television production and distribution group. Comprising over 20 production companies across multiple countries, the group is responsible for creating both scripted and non-scripted content. Some of its divisions include Kudos, Dragonfly, Princess Productions, and Metronome Film & Television, which is the largest production company in the Nordic region. Shine Group also includes Shine 360°, a commercial rights division. Globally distributed programs from the group include the reality competition series “MasterChef,” “The Biggest Loser,” and “Minute to Win It,” as well as such drama series as “The Bridge,” “Grantchester,” “Humans,” “Broadchurch,” and “Utopia.”In 2011, Shine Group was acquired by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation for $415 million. This controversial purchase elicited widespread cries of nepotism, with many of News Corporation’s shareholders suing the company. Later, in 2014, Shine Group merged with Apollo Global Management’s Endemol and Core Media to form Endemol Shine Group. The new company distributed such programs as “Big Brother,” “Peaky Blinders,” “Black Mirror,” and “Tin Star.” In the summer of 2020, Endemol Shine Group was acquired by the French company Banijay.Other Business EndeavorsDuring her career, Murdoch has served on the organizational boards of a number of companies, including the data and software firm Afiniti. She also established a new global production company called Sister in 2019. Headquartered in London with offices in Los Angeles, Sister is executive-chaired by Murdoch.Personal LifeMurdoch has been married multiple times. Her first husband was fellow Vassar College alum Elkin Kwesi Pianim, an associate in the New York corporate finance department of the Rothschild investment bank. The pair got married in 1993, and had two daughters named Cornelia and Anna. Murdoch and Pianim eventually divorced in 1998. A few years later, in August of 2001, Murdoch wed PR executive Matthew Freud, the great-grandson of Sigmund Freud. The couple had homes in both Oxfordshire and London. They had two children together before divorcing in 2014. Murdoch married her third husband, artist Keith Tyson, in 2017.A dual citizen of the United States and the United Kingdom, Murdoch lives in the St John’s Wood district of London, where she purchased a home in 2014 for £38.5 million. In 2022, she was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to the arts and philanthropy.
What is Chris Carter’s Net Worth and Salary?Chris Carter is an American television show creator, writer, producer and director who has a net worth of $200 million. Not to be confused with the retired NFL player Cris Carter, this Chris Carter is best known for being the creator, executive producer and writer of “The X-Files”. The X-Files debuted on September 10, 1993 and ran until May 19, 2002. During that time The X-Files aired 202 episodes over nine seasons on the Fox network.The X-Files would eventually go on to become one of the highest rated and most profitable shows for Fox and launched both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson’s careers into A-List status. The show also spawned two feature films that performed modestly at the box office. At the peak of his success, Carter signed lucrative production deals with Fox that allowed him to create several new series in addition to The X-Files. Unfortunately none of these new shows ended up lasting very long. But The X-Files still holds a coveted spot in the history of popular television. It can still be seen in syndication on a regular basis today and arguably changed dramatic television forever.In 2016 The X-Files was brought back to network television for a six episode run. It came back for a ten episode run in 2018.? Compare Chris Carter’s Net Worth1998 Fox DealAs we mentioned a moment ago, in 1998 at the peak of X-Files mania, Chris signed a production deal with 20th Century Fox that paid him an estimated $25 million upfront to keep him at the network for dive years. That’s the same as $45 million in today’s dollars. Crucially, the deal also allowed for Chris to renegotiate his syndication ownership deal. Under the new terms of the deal, Carter is entitled to 25% of gross licensing fees earned over $300,000 per episode. This deal point has likely earned Chris hundreds of millions of dollars over the years. Minimum $100-150 million.Separately at the same time he also signed a lucrative production deal with the film division of Fox.Early LifeCarter was born on October 13, 1956 in Bellflower, California. He grew up playing baseball and surfing because his family lived near the beach. His father worked in the construction industry while his mother primarily stayed home with the family.Carter attended California State University – Long Beach and studied journalism. After he graduated in 1979, he started writing for “Surfing Magazine,” a San-Clemente-based journal and eventually became the editor at the age of 28. He remained with the magazine for thirteen years.Early CareerWhile remaining at “Surfing Magazine,” Carter also began pursuing other writing work thanks to his wife’s connections at Walt Disney Studios. Carter was hired on a standard contract and began writing films for the studio in the mid-1980s. He wrote “The B.R.A.T. Patrol” in 1986 and “Meet the Munceys” in 1988. Because of these early films, Carter was associated with contemporary youth comedies though he felt he would actually be more interested in writing serious drama.After meeting the president of NBC, Brandon Tartikoff, as a company softball game, Tartikoff agreed to read some of Carter’s scripts. He liked what he read and invited Carter to write for the network. Carter began his career at NBC by writing a number of pilots that ultimately went unproduced, including “Cameo By Night,” “Brand New Life,” and “Copter Cop,” among others. Carter also accepted a job as a producer on “Rags to Riches,” in order to learn more abut the work it took to produce a series.The X-FilesAround this time, Carter also met Peter Roth, who worked at CBS. Roth had read one of Carter’s unproduced pilot scripts and was interested in working with him. Once Roth left CBS to work for Fox, he brought Carter over as part of the first wave of new staff hired in 1992 to develop material for the network. It was then that Carter began to work on a series based on some of his childhood favorites like “The Twilight Zone” and “Kolchak: The Night Stalker.”Before developing “The X-Files,” Carter had never been interested in creating a science fiction series, having not read much science fiction in his youth. Instead, he based the characters in the script on the English television series, “The Avengers.” He was also inspired by a survey his friend John Mack had conducted that revealed three percent of the population believed they had been abducted by aliens. He wrote an eighteen-page treatment for his new project, which was initially rejected at a pitch meeting at Fox. However, with Roth’s help, he was able to arrange a second meeting and the studio agreed to greenlight the pilot.After the starring leads, Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, agreed to join the project, Carter was given a $2 budget for the pilot episode. The pilot aired in what was considered an unpopular time slot but still earned relatively impressive ratings and Fox ordered twenty-four episodes. Over the course of the season, the series’ ratings and popularity continued to grow. By the third season, it had received a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama and also broke records for the highest price paid by a network for the rights to air re-runs, as Fox’s sister network FX, paid $600,000 per episode.After Carter’s initial three-year contract with Fox ended, he was able to negotiate a five-year contract which included a guarantee of a feature film adaptation of the series as well as another television project. “The X-Files” remained on air for nine total seasons from 1993 until 2002. During its time on air, it received 62 total Emmy Award nominations and 16 total wins. It also was nominated for 12 Golden Globes, winning five of them, and 14 SAG Awards, winning twice.In 1996, Carter also created the feature film, “The X-Files,” which ultimately premiered in 1998 and grossed over $189 million. Carter also created “Millennium,” a new series inspired by an episode from the second season of “The X-Files.” The series earned a People’s Choice Award in the category of Favorite New TV Dramatic Series during its first season in 1996. Carter handed over control of the show to other writers he had previously worked with and by the third season, ratings had fallen and it was cancelled.In March of 2015 Carter confirmed that he was set as the executive producer of “The X-Files” revival, a six-episode television event. In 2017, Fox renewed the series for its 11th season, which Carter wrote and produced. Ratings were positive at the beginning but then trailed off as the season continued.Outside of “The X-Files,” Carter also created “The Lone Gunman” in 2001. It lasted for thirteen episodes. He created the police thriller, “Unique,” in 2011 but it never aired. In 2014, he created the Amazon Studios series, “The After.” The series was green-lit but then cancelled in 2015.Personal LifeIn 1983, Carter began dating Dori Pierson. The two had met through one of Pierson’s cousins who also worked at “Surfing Magazine.” The couple were married in 1987 and live in Santa Barbara.Carter developed an interest in pottery as an adult and has made thousands of pieces. He has compared the hobby to Zen meditation.Real EstateIn March 2017 Chris listed one of his Malibu homes for $10 million. He bought the house in 1999 for $1.6 million. He sold a different Malibu home in 2010 for $16 million to fashion designer James Perse. Perse would sell this house in 2020 for $34 million.Chris and his wife own at least one, and possibly two other homes in Malibu. The also own a condo in Santa Monica, a condo in Oregon, a ranch in Jackson, Wyoming and a $4 million house in Santa Barbara plus three empty parcels in Santa Barbara.In 2004 Chris and his wife Dori Pierson paid $4 million for a 130 acre farm in Santa Ynez, California. They first listed this property in 2013. It took 7 full years for them to find a buyer. It was in October 2020 that they finally clicked at $6.5 million.
What Is Mellody Hobson’s Net Worth?Mellody Hobson is an American businesswoman who has a net worth of $100 million. Mellody Hobson became nationally-known in 2013 when she married billionaire filmmaker George Lucas. Mellody is the president and co-CEO of the Chicago-based company Ariel Investments, and she was previously the chairwoman of DreamWorks Animation. Hobson became the vice-chair of the Starbucks Corporation board of directors in 2018, and she was promoted to non-executive chair in 2021, making her the first Black woman to chair an S&P 500 (Standard and Poor’s 500) company.In 2017, she was named chair of The Economic Club of Chicago, becoming the first African-American woman to hold the position. Hobson has been a Financial Contributor on “Good Morning America” and “CBS This Morning,” and she hosted and executive produced the 2009 ABC special “Un-Broke: What You Need to Know About Money.” Mellody has been featured on “Ebony” magazine’s “20 Leaders of the Future” list (1992), “Esquire” magazine’s “America’s Best and Brightest” list (2002), the “Wall Street Journal’s” list of “50 Women to Watch” (2004), and “Time” magazine’s list of “The World’s 100 Most Influential People” (2015).In June 2022, she was part of a team of investors, led by Walmart heir Rob Walton, to make a successful $4.65 billion bid to acquire the NFL’s Denver Broncos. She is the first black female owner of an NFL team.? Compare Mellody Hobson’s Net WorthEarly LifeMellody Hobson was born on April 3, 1969, in Chicago, Illinois. Mellody has five older siblings, and she attended St. Ignatius College Prep. After graduating in 1987, Hobson enrolled at Princeton University, where she joined the Cottage Club, one of several eating clubs on campus. She graduated from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in 1991, and in 2019, the school presented her with the Woodrow Wilson Award during Alumni Day. In 2020, Mellody and the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation donated funds to Princeton to “establish a new residential college at Princeton University.” The residential college will be named Hobson College and will be built on the site of what was formerly known as Wilson College; Princeton’s Board of Trustees decided to remove Woodrow Wilson’s name from campus buildings in June 2020 due to his “racist views and policies.” Mellody said of her time at Princeton, “No one from my family had graduated from college when I arrived at Princeton from Chicago, and yet even as I looked up at buildings named after the likes of Rockefeller and Forbes, I felt at home. My hope is that my name will remind future generations of students — especially those who are Black and brown and the ‘firsts’ in their families — that they too belong. Renaming Wilson College is my very personal way of letting them know that our past does not have to be our future.”CareerAfter graduating from Princeton, Hobson joined Ariel Investments as an intern. She eventually became the company’s Senior Vice President as well as the Director of Marketing, and in 2000, she became President. By January 2021, the company was managing $15 billion in assets, and it is one of the U.S.A.’s largest African American-owned mutual fund and money management companies. Mellody also chairs the Ariel Investment Trust board of trustees, and she has been a member of the boards for numerous organizations, such as the Sundance Institute, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. She was formerly on the board of directors of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., and before becoming chair of the Starbucks Corporation’s board, she was the head of the company’s finance committee. Mellody hosted the 2009 ABC special “Unbroke: What You Need to Know About Money,” which featured Samuel L. Jackson, Seth Green, Rosario Dawson, Will Smith, the Jonas Brothers, and other celebrities, and she guest-hosted the “CBS Sunday Morning” 2017 “Money Issue” episode. Actress Vanessa L. Williams based her character on the CBS drama “The Good Wife,” businesswoman Courtney Paige, on Hobson and has said that she watched Mellody’s TED Talks to prepare for the role. Hobson became the chairwoman of DreamWorks Animation in 2012, and she negotiated NBCUniversal’s $3.8 billion acquisition of the studio in 2016 before stepping down.Personal LifeIn 2006, Mellody began a relationship with George Lucas after meeting at a business conference, and they became engaged in early 2013. They married at Skywalker Ranch on June 22, 2013, and they welcomed daughter Everest via a surrogate on August 9th of that year. Mellody is stepmother to Amanda, Jett, and Katie Lucas. George adopted Amanda with his first wife, Academy Award-winning editor Marcia Lou Griffin, and he adopted Katie and Jett on his own after their 1983 divorce. In August 2017, Hobson was honored by the City of Birmingham on the “Jack Good Show” for her work with the charity Birmingham’s Bright Leaders of Tomorrow.Awards and HonorsIn 2018, the Governor of Illinois awarded Mellody the Order of Lincoln, which is Illinois’ highest honor, and Hobson was inducted into The Lincoln Academy of Illinois as a Laureate. In 2019, she earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Morning Program for “CBS This Morning.” Mellody has received honorary doctorates from the University of Southern California, Howard University, St. Mary’s College, and Johns Hopkins University.Real EstateMellody Hobson and George Lucas own a vast real estate portfolio. Their properties include a 15,159 square foot home in San Anselmo, California, a $34 million home in the Bel Air area of Los Angeles, a $19 million penthouse in Chicago, and Skywalker Ranch, which is located on a 2,500-acre lot in Marin County, California.In late 2019, the couple paid $28 million for a home in Carpinteria, California, that is next door to a home they purchased in 2010 for $19.5 million.