Will Ward (producer)
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Will Ward | |
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | College of Charleston |
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William Ward is an American businessman, film producer, and talent manager. He is the founder of Fourward Inc., Fourward Music, and Fourward Ventures. Prior to that, he founded ROAR in 2003. As a manager, Ward has represented some of the biggest names in film, TV, and music. He has produced a number of projects, including Warner Bros.' 2015 film In the Heart of the Sea. In May of 2022, Ward launched a $50M fund to invest in early-stage companies within the Health and Wellness, Sustainability, Media-Tech, and Consumer Packaged Goods sectors.[1]
Early Life
Ward grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, the older of two children. His father was in finance and his mother was in real estate. For high school, Ward graduated from a boys boarding school, Baylor School, in Chattanooga.[2] Ward graduated from the College of Charleston in 1993, where he received his bachelors degree in business, with a minor in Japanese. In May of 2023, Ward gave the undergraduate commencement speech at the College of Charleston.
Career
Ward started his career at CAA, commencing in the music department's Nashville mailroom and then promoted to trainee, motivated by his admiration for the Chairman at the time, Michael Ovitz. He was then recruited by Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, to serve as a Motion Picture Talent trainee. Demonstrating a rapid ascent, Ward was promoted to Motion Picture Talent Agent within his first year, representing well-known figures such as Adam Sandler, Dustin Hoffman, Ryan Reynolds, Mark Wahlberg, and David Spade.
Following 4+ years at Endeavor, Ward and several partners including Bernie Cahill and Greg Suess established their own management and production company, ROAR.[3] There, Ward navigated the careers of industry talents including Chris Hemsworth, Liam Hemsworth, Cobie Smulders, Ken Watanabe, Brie Larson, and Aisha Tyler. Furthermore, Ward managed and built the career of the Zac Brown Band and co-managed Dead and Co, a new iteration of the Grateful Dead.
In 2013, Ward produced the Warner Bros.' high-budget film, In the Heart of the Sea, directed by Ron Howard and starring Chris Hemsworth.
In 2015 and 2017, Ward was listed on "Billboard's Nashville Top 50 Power Players List" and on "Billboard's Country Power Players List" respectively.[4][5]
In April of 2018, Ward left ROAR along with 13 key employees to found Fourward Inc., a worldwide management, production, and business development company with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, and Melbourne.[6]
At Fourward Inc., Ward orchestrated a notable business deal that saw a partnership with Chris Hemsworth and Quadrant, a prominent private equity firm, to acquire 600 gyms across Southeast Asia. This partnership also facilitated the creation and subsequent sale of a successful fitness app, Centr, to the Bezos family office's private equity firm, HighPost.[7]
In 2019, Ward launched the publishing company Fourward Music in Nashville.[8] In 2023, Fourward Music launched Fourward Records, signing folk-pop artist, Brenn!, in partnership with Darkroom, as well as indie-rock group Sarah and the Sundays in partnership with AWAL.[9] [10]
In May of 2022, Ward further diversified his portfolio with the launch and raise of Fourward Ventures, a $50M venture capital fund investing in early-stage companies within the Health and Wellness, Sustainability, Media-Tech, and Consumer Packaged Goods sectors.[11] The venture fund is rapidly gaining recognition in the VC realm, because of Ward's unique access to deal flow.[12]
Personal Life
Ward was previously married to former William Morris and UTA power agent Louise Spinner, who built the careers of many stars including Channing Tatum. Ward has 3 children from this marriage.[13] In June 2019, Ward married Christy Jones, a friend from his middle school days. Christy has 3 children from a previous marriage. [2]
Credits
| Year | Project | Network / Distributor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBD | Untitled Alabama Football Integration Project | Independent | Executive Producer |
| 2023 | Flip The Strip | HGTV | Producer |
| 2021 | Alex Murdaugh: Death. Deception. Power. | Oxygen | Executive Producer |
| 2019 | Bad Dream | Independent | Executive Producer - Music Video |
| 2015 | In The Heart Of The Sea | Warner Bros. | Producer |
| 2009 | Aisha Tyler Is Lit: Live at the Fillmore | Comedy Central | Executive Producer |
| 2006 | Pittsburgh | Starz | Co-Executive Producer |
References
- ↑ Brock, James (2023-05-22). "Forward Debuts $50M VC Fund". Los Angeles Business Journal. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cunneff, Tom (2020-01-16). "College of Charleston Alum is Shooting for the Stars". The College Today. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
- ↑ Gardner, Chris (2017-02-03). "What Happens When Two Talent Reps With the Same Name Represent Multiple Hemsworths?". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ↑ Staff, Billboard (2017-07-27). "Billboard's 2017 Country Power Players List Revealed: Music City's Most Influential". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
- ↑ Staff, Billboard (2015-07-23). "Billboard's First-Ever Nashville Top 50 Power Players List Revealed". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
- ↑ Jr, Mike Fleming (2018-04-04). "Will Ward & 13 Cohorts Exit Roar To Form Mgmt/Production Venture Fourward". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ↑ "Chris Hemsworth's Centr Fitness App Bought by Mark Bezos's HighPost". Bloomberg.com. 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
- ↑ Kroll, Justin (2019-09-24). "Fourward Taps Shannan Hatch as President of Music Publishing Company Fourward Music". Variety. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ↑ Cantrell, L. B. (2023-06-13). "Fourward Records Launches In Nashville". MusicRow.com. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ↑ Eggertsen, Chris (2023-05-17). "Will Ward's Fourward Launches Record Label, Signs Brenn! & Sarah and the Sundays". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ↑ Collings, Richard (May 3, 2023). "Fourward Ventures raising $50M fund". Axios. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ↑ Moses, Lucia. "Read the 17-page pitch deck that helped a former WME agent raise $25 million in VC to capitalize on celebrity-backed brands like Gal Gadot's mac and cheese". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ↑ Press, Empty,The Associated; Empty; Press, The Associated (2007-09-11). "births". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ "Will Ward | Manager, Producer, Executive". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
External links
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