Blake Mycoskie
| Blake Mycoskie | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 26, 1976 |
| Residence | Los Angeles, CA |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
Southern Methodist University SMU Cox School of Business |
| Occupation | Founder and Chief Shoe Giver, Toms Shoes |
| Organization | Clinton Global Initiative |
| Notable work | Start Something That Matters" |
| Television | The Amazing Race |
| Spouse(s) | Heather Lang Mycoskie (m. 2012) |
| Children | Summit (born 2015) |
| Parent(s) | Mike Mycoskie, Pam Mycoskie |
| Relatives | Paige Mycoskie (sister) Tyler Mycoskie (brother) |
| Awards | Secretary of State’s 2009 Award for Corporate Excellence |
| Website | toms |
Blake Mycoskie (born August 26, 1976) is an American entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist, best known as the founder and Chief Shoe Giver of Toms Shoes (stylized as TOMS Shoes).
Mycoskie was born in Arlington, Texas to Mike Mycoskie, an orthopedic surgeon, and Pam Mycoskie, an author. After first attending Arlington Martin High School, he graduated from St. Stephen's Episcopal School in Austin in 1995. Mycoskie, who began playing tennis when he was 10, attended Southern Methodist University on a partial tennis scholarship in 1995, and elected a dual major in philosophy and business. After an Achilles tendon injury he sustained as a sophomore, which effectively ended his tennis career, Mycoskie left SMU and launched his first business, EZ Laundry. Originally focused on SMU, which had no on-campus dry cleaning service, EZ Laundry expanded, ultimately employing more than 40 people, servicing three universities, and generating approximately $1 million in sales. Mycoskie sold the company to his partner in 1999.
Following college, Mycoskie moved to Nashville to found Mycoskie Media, an outdoor billboard company which focused mainly on marketing country music. The company was quickly profitable, and was bought by Clear Channel nine months after its launch.
In 2001, Mycoskie and his sister, Paige Mycoskie, applied for the cast of Survivor. A member of the Survivor production team told them about The Amazing Race, which had yet to debut, and they instead pursued a team position on that show. They competed in the second season of The Amazing Race and finished in third place, missing a million dollar prize by four minutes. Mycoskie moved to Los Angeles later that year.
In Los Angeles, Mycoskie co-founded the cable network Reality Central with Larry Namer, a founder of E! Entertainment Television. Raising $25 million from venture capitalists, along with other members of reality show casts, the network launched in 2003 with a plan of airing original content and re-runs of reality programming. Although the network had moderate success, it folded in 2005 after Rupert Murdoch launched the Fox Reality Channel and outbid Reality Central for advertisers and programming. Determined to pursue an entrepreneurial path, Mycoskie then partnered with the founders of TrafficSchool.com to create DriversEd Direct, an online driver's education service which additionally offered behind-the-wheel training in hybrid and sport utility vehicles. To promote DriversEdDirect, he created Closer Marketing Group, a Santa Monica-based marketing firm specializing in brand development and viral marketing.
...
Wikipedia