Kenneth Jeffrey Feld (born October 31, 1948) is the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Feld Entertainment Feld Entertainment Inc. is an American live show production company which owns a number of traveling shows. The company began with the now-defunct Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus then expanded into additional live events, including Di ...

, which has operated the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (relaunched September 2023),

Disney on Ice Disney on Ice, originally Walt Disney's World on Ice, is a series of touring ice shows produced by Feld Entertainment's Ice Follies And Holiday on Ice, Inc. under agreement with The Walt Disney Company. Aimed primarily at children, the shows fea ...

, Doodlebops Live,

Disney Live The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...

Monster Jam Monster Jam is a live motorsport event tour operated by Feld Entertainment. The series began in 1992, and is sanctioned under the umbrella of the United States Hot Rod Association. Events are primarily held in North America, with some additional ...

International Hot Rod Association The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) is the second-largest drag racing sanctioning body after the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). The Carrier Era 1971-1987 The IHRA was formed in November 1970 by businessman Larry Carrier. Througho ...

, and

AMA Supercross Championship The AMA Supercross Championship (commercially known as Monster Energy AMA Supercross) is an American motorcycle racing series. Founded by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1974, the AMA Supercross Championship races are held from ...

. He is also the producer of several Broadway plays. The business was started by his father

Irvin Feld Irvin Feld (April 19, 1918 – September 6, 1984) was a business entrepreneur who built a chain of record stores, promoted rock groups, produced concerts involving some of the biggest names in popular music. He was also the head of Ringling Bros ...

who also promoted Beatles concerts. Ken became CEO of the company upon his father's death in 1984.

Biography

Feld is the son of Adele and

. He graduated from the

Boston University School of Management The Questrom School of Business (formerly, the Boston University School of Management) is the business school at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1913 as the College of Business Administration, the school offe ...

in 1970 with a management degree (Feld is currently a member of the BU Board of Trustees). According to a 2004 article in ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' magazine, he was worth $775 million and lives in

Potomac, Maryland Potomac () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, named after the nearby Potomac River. Potomac is the seventh most educated small town in America, based on percentage of residents with postsecondary deg ...

. His mother committed suicide in 1958 so he and his sister Karen were raised by their aunt and uncle. Irvin Feld bought Ringling Bros. Circus in 1967 for $8 million. Disney Studio co-produced "Largely New York" with Feld that premiered on , at St. James Theatre. In July 2006, he was inducted into the

International Circus Hall of Fame The International Circus Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame which honors important figures in circus history. It is located in Peru, Indiana on the former grounds of the Wallace Circus and American Circus Corporation Winter Quarters, also ...

Clair George Clair Elroy George (August 3, 1930 – August 11, 2011) was a veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) clandestine service who oversaw all global espionage activities for the agency in the mid-1980s. According to ''The New York Times'', ...

has testified in court that he worked as a consultant for Kenneth Feld and the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. From 1990 to 1997, he was involved in a program of surveillance, which included wiretapping, directed against

Janice Pottker Janice Pottker is a Potomac, Maryland, author. She has a Ph.D. in sociology from Columbia University. She has lectured for the Smithsonian Institution, for the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum and for the Corcoran Gallery of Ar ...

, a journalist who had written about the Feld family, and of various animal rights groups such as

PETA Peta or PETA may refer to: Acronym * Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943 * People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization * People Eating Tasty Animals, an ...

and the

Performing Animal Welfare Society The Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) is a U.S.-based group for abandoned or abused performing animals as well as victims of the exotic animal trade. They claim 30,000 members. As a member accredited by The Association of Sanctuaries (TAOS ...

(PAWS). In January, 2014 ''

'' reported that Feld had become a billionaire. The magazine estimated his stake in the company to be conservatively worth about $1.8 billion after running price-to-sales comparisons with comparable companies. Feld is the world’s second circus industry billionaire after Cirque du Soleil’s

Guy Laliberte Guy or GUY may refer to: Personal names * Guy (given name) * Guy (surname) * That Guy (...), the New Zealand street performer Leigh Hart Places * Guy, Alberta, a Canadian hamlet * Guy, Arkansas, US, a city * Guy, Indiana, US, an unin ...

, whose net worth Forbes also estimated to be $1.8 billion. In 2009, the Feld Family Foundation pledged $10 million to

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

Personal life

He is married to Bonnie Turen, who is also

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. They have three daughters: Nicole Feld, Alana Feld, and Juliette Feld. All three of his daughters work at Feld Entertainment: Nicole Feld produced the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus shows; Alana Feld is executive vice president and producer of Feld Entertainment's stage shows;http://www.portfolio.com/views/columns/the-world-according-to/2008/08/28/Interview-With-Kenneth-Feld/ and Juliette Feld is chief operating officer of Feld Entertainment.

References

External links

Ringling Brothers Feld Stewardship

August 2007 Inc. Magazine profile {{DEFAULTSORT:Feld, Kenneth 1948 births Living people American billionaires American chief executives American entertainment industry businesspeople American people of Russian-Jewish descent Boston University School of Management alumni Businesspeople from Maryland Circus owners People from Potomac, Maryland Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus people