Biographie
Jeff S. Wald, born Jeffrey Sommers in 1944, began his career in the renowned William Morris Agency mailroom, a starting point for notable Hollywood figures like David Geffen, Barry Diller, Jerry Weintraub, Ron Meyer, and Bernie Brillstein. In 1967, he moved to Chicago to work as the talent buyer for Mister Kelly's, The London House, and the Happy Medium, then relocated to Los Angeles the following year.
In late 1969, Wald partnered with Ron De Blasio to establish their own company, signing George Carlin. Two years later, he secured a record deal with Capitol Records for his then-wife, actress and singer Helen Reddy. They married in 1966 and had two children. Throughout the 1970s, Reddy became one of the top-selling female artists, earning a Grammy for "I Am Woman," one of her 14 hits and her first of four number-one singles. Beginning in 1975, Wald expanded his management company, representing clients such as Miles Davis, Marvin Gaye, Sylvester Stallone, James Brolin, Paul Rodriguez, Elliott Gould, Donna Summer, Flip Wilson, Clint Black, Gary Morris, Roseanne Barr, and Mike Tyson. In 1986, he was named President of Barris Industries, which later became Guber Peters; after Sony acquired the company, Wald remained until 1991.
Wald has produced numerous award-winning projects, including movies of the week, miniseries, game shows, variety specials, scripted dramas, and talk shows. Notable productions include Paul Rodriguez's Latin Nights (1995) on ABC, James Brolin's Pensacola: Wings of Gold (1997) on CBS, and specials featuring Helen Reddy and Donna Summer on NBC and ABC. Alongside Mark Burnett, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Sylvester Stallone, he served as executive producer of The Contender (2005), which aired for four years. Wald also produced feature films such as Opposing Force (1986) for Orion and 2 Days in the Valley (1996) for Rhysher/MGM Entertainment.
Politically active, Wald was a delegate for Jerry Brown at the 1976 Democratic convention and for Kennedy in 1980. President Jimmy Carter appointed him to a four-year term on the USO board. Governor Brown appointed him to California’s Board of Economic Development, and he served six years on Mayor Bradley's Organizing Committee for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Wald also held positions on the Boards of Governors for Cedars Sinai Hospital, USC, and the Betty Ford Center. He was a dedicated fundraiser for Jerry Brown during his campaigns for Attorney General and Governor.
In 1997, Wald and Irving Azoff formed AzoffWald to promote George Foreman's final two boxing matches. Wald also promoted champions Sergio Mora, Peter Manfredo, Steve Forbes, Sakio Bika, and K9 Bundrage. He later produced "Casablanca The Dance," a musical adaptation of the classic film, which premiered in Beijing before the President of China and other government officials.
Currently, Wald serves as CEO of Aria Multimedia Entertainment and Creston Enterprises. These companies have produced and published two coffee table books: the "Official Michael Jackson Book" and "Hip Hop: A Cultural Odyssey," both edited and created by Wald's son, Jordan Sommers, with photography edited by Wald's wife, Deborah.
Wald has two adult children from his marriage to Helen Reddy—Traci Donat and Jordan Sommers—and one grandchild, Lily Donat, Traci's daughter. Since 1990, he has been married to Deborah, a photographer and photo editor; they have a daughter named Sarah.
