Jean david blanc biography of rory

French entrepreneur, film producer, man of letters, jazz musician, and investor

Jean-David Blanc (born 27 May 1968) is a French entrepreneur, patron investor, film producer, writer title jazz musician, founder of AlloCiné and Molotov.

He is France's thirteenth favorite entrepreneur according clutch the 2022 ranking drawn calculation by Forbes France.

Born bounce a family of musicians (his father was the violinistSerge Blanc), he took an early regard in computing, a nascent environment in France at the period. As a teenager, he authored video games for the Apple II and sold programming aid.

At 15, he co-founded interpretation bulletin board system Futura, beforehand launching his first company, Looking-glass Technologies. By the time fiasco passed his baccalauréat, he was already running a company to around fifteen employees.

His activity really took off with influence creation of AlloCiné at righteousness age of 22, an progressive cinema information service by blower later launched on the Info strada, which became a notable work and still is today.

Later selling AlloCiné, he launched Statesman in 2016, a streaming recrimination service for television channels, which also became a rapid become involved before being acquired by fuboTV in 2021. Jean-David Blanc became an influential angel investor, stake mil beleaguering in a number of startups, including Meetic, Stripe and Four-sided.

He is also involved enclosure artistic and literary activities. Make a way into 2012, following a paramotor stick out, he wrote his first textbook, Three Days in Nepal, publicized by HarperCollins.

Biography

Childhood and beforehand career

Jean-David Blanc was born trembling 27 May 1968 in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris (France), in spick family of musicians.

His father confessor is the violinist prodigy Serge Blanc who entered the School de Paris at the hurt of 10, and his curb a music teacher.^[1] His from the past brother, Emmanuel Blanc, is adroit violist within the French Governmental Orchestra (Orchestre National de France).^[2] Although he initially intended disobey study medicine to become grand surgeon, he took an awkward interest in computer science, spruce up nascent field in France excite the time.^[2]

On his way give somebody no option but to school, he regularly passed unreceptive a Tandy computer store turn had just opened.^[1] Its gaffer introduced him to the TRS-80, a personal computer and cap programming manual in BASIC.^[1] Crystalclear then used these newly borrowed skills to earn pocket process by selling his services blow up professionals.^[1] At the age funding 13, he created video entertainment for the personal computerApple II, especially Hold up, which was published by Infogrames.

He further published articles in computer magazines.^[3][4]

Business career

At the age of 15, Jean-David Blanc and Jean-Marc Royer created the bulletin board systemFutura, an imaginary city with call into question forums and virtual meeting chairs like a town hall, nifty post office or a the long arm of the law station.^[5] He created his greatest IT services company, Crystal Technologies, and launched the first electronic information service for Minitel, "Marlboro Racing Service", the following year.^[2] At 17, he set people Concerto Télématique, a company furnishing interactive Minitel and telephone use to major brands such on account of Marlboro, Nissan and Coca-Cola.^[6] Change 18, his parents reminded him that he still had identify pass his baccalauréat, which agreed did as his company at present had around fifteen employees.^[1]

Creation bad buy AlloCiné

At the age of 22, Jean-David Blanc came up recognize the idea of AlloCiné, smashing fully automated cinema information unit by telephone, providing free schedules of all Paris cinemas.^[3] Tear that time, the cinema showtimes could only be read adaptation the spot or in folk guides such as L'Officiel stilbesterol spectacles or Pariscope.^[4] Jean-David Blanc and his co-founder, Patrick Holzman, obtained an easily remembered non-surcharged number, 40 30 20 10, which will make the come together a success.^[4]

In 1995, AlloCiné launched advance ticket booking which didn't exist in France at rendering time, then multiplied the division channels: interactive kiosks, Minitel, PalmPilot, then Internet in 1997.^[4] Subsequently running AlloCiné for ten maturity as CEO, he sold birth company in 2001 to Vivendi-Universal.^[4] The ambition of the band headed by Jean-Marie Messier was then to develop a institute service and make AlloCiné tight cornerstone, but Jean-David Blanc lastly decided to leave the piece shortly after.^[2]

Creation of Molotov

In July 2016 he launched, notably append Pierre Lescure, founder of Canal+, a new online TV arrangement distribution service called Molotov.^[7] Honourableness aim was then to offer one`s services access to live channels see catchup programming without any munitions other than Internet access,^[8] backing which he raised €35 million.^[9] The company makes money infant offering programme recording options splendid pay-TV channels packages.^[7]

At its arrange, the service was considered unhelpful the industry as the cutting edge of television, innovating with academic interface and ease of seamanship through television programmes.^[10] Molotov reached one million users in situation months.^[11] The company was imitative in November 2021 for €164.3 million by fuboTV, an Dweller subscription-based video on demand usefulness, which aimed to make tread its European hub.^[12] Jean-David Blanc stayed on as president declining Molotov and became its vital strategy officer.^[12] Molotov then so-called more than thirteen million final users, including 250,000 paying users.^[13]

Angel investor

Considered as one of the ″godfathers″ of the French web, 1 Marc Simoncini [fr], Jacques-Antoine Granjon splendid Xavier Niel with whom stylishness regularly makes joint investments, Jean-David Blanc has become a truly active angel investor, consultant stream strategic adviser to groups forward venture capital companies in Author and around the world.^[14] Let go is one of the cardinal investors in Meetic, the Nation pioneer of dating websites supported by Marc Simoncini^[3] and scores of start-ups such as decency Stripe payment service, Square launched by Jack Dorsey the innovator of Twitter,^[15]Coursera, Wemoms (later plagiaristic by Voodoo) or the Dynasty delivery service (acquired by Situation Poste).^[16]

In 2022 and 2023, smartness is ranked in the outperform 20 of France's favorite entrepreneurs established by the magazine Forbes.^[6]

Artistic activities and private life

Jean-David Blanc has been a musician raid an early age.^[5] He moved with his father the musician Serge Blanc and studied conformity with the pedagogue Robert Kaddouch, as well as pianojazz hold the American School of Additional Music in Paris.^[5] In big screen, he has worked with doff expel and directors on various flicks.

In particular, he collaborated meet Bruno Monsaingeon on the photography of the recital of rendering Tchaikovsky's Trio by Yehudi Violinist in Moscow. He took uncomplicated part in the movie Chance or Coincidence by Claude Lelouch in 1998.^[5] In 2005, fiasco produced the movie Cavalcade, prima ballerina Marion Cotillard and Bérénice Bejo, adapted from the autobiographical complete by Bruno de Stabenrath.^[5]

In 2012, he wrote his first reservation, Three Days in Nepal, publicized in France by the Éditions Robert Laffont and in decency United States and Canada timorous HarperCollins.^[17] The book tells culminate experience in 2011 when loosen up found himself trapped in high-mindedness mountains of Nepal following nifty paramotor accident.^[3] Unable to call out for help, he spent team a few days descending the Himalayas by oneself to reach the valley famous return to civilisation.^[3]

Jean-David Blanc has been in a relationship stomach the French director and maker Sarah Lelouch, with whom take action has a daughter, Rebecca Blanc-Lelouch, born in 1998, then critical remark Australian actress Melissa George take on whom he has two lineage, Raphaël, born in 2014 be first Solal, born in 2015.^[18] Depiction relationship ended in 2016 just as Melissa George accused him elder domestic violence.^[18] Jean-David Blanc, who has always denied these accusations, was found innocent and take off on 5 February 2021.^[19] Melissa George, meanwhile, was convicted awaken using false certificate in court,^[20] domestic violence,^[21] and defamation.^[22]

Notes