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Richard Parsons
Maker interview details
Interview
- December 22, 2008
Profession
- Category:
BusinessMakers
- Occupation(s):
Business Chief Executive
Birthplace
- Born: April 4, 1948
- Birth Location: New York, New York
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Biography
Richard Dean Parsons was born on April 4, 1948, in Brooklyn, New York. Parsons graduated from the University of Hawaii and earned his J.D. degree from Union University’s Albany Law School in 1971.
Parsons began his career working as a lawyer and counsel for former New York governor Nelson Rockefeller. When Nelson Rockefeller became Vice President of the United States, Parsons moved to Washington, D.C., and served as a White House aide during the Gerald Ford Administration. In 1977, he moved back to New York and became the managing partner of the law firm Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler. In 1988, Parsons was then chosen to serve as chief operating officer of Dime Bancorp, Inc., one of the largest thrift institutions in the United States.
Parsons joined Time Warner as its president in February 1995, and has been a member of the company’s board of directors since January 1991. As president, he oversaw the company’s filmed entertainment and music businesses and all corporate staff functions, including financial activities, legal affairs, public affairs, and administration. Parsons became chairman of the board in May 2003. From May 2002 to December 2007, Parsons served as Time Warner’s chief executive officer (CEO).
As CEO, Parsons led Time Warner’s turnaround and set the company on a solid path toward achieving sustainable growth. In the process, he put in place the industry’s most experienced and successful management team, strengthened the company’s balance sheet, simplified its corporate structure, and carried out a disciplined approach to realigning the company’s portfolio of assets to improve returns. In its January 2005 report on America’s Best CEOs, Institutional Investor magazine named Parsons the top CEO in the entertainment industry.
Parsons’ civic and non-profit commitments include co-chairman of the Mayor’s Commission on Economic Opportunity in New York; chairman emeritus of the Partnership for New York City; and chairman of the Apollo Theatre Foundation. He serves on the boards of Howard University, the Museum of Modern Art, and the American Museum of Natural History. He also serves on the boards of Citigroup and Estée Lauder.
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- Slating of Richard Parsons's interview
- Richard Parsons talks about his mother's early life
- Richard Parsons describes his mother's personality
- Richard Parsons talks about his paternal family history and his father's personality
- Richard Parsons lists his siblings
- Richard Parsons describes his earliest childhood memories
- Richard Parsons describes his block in Brooklyn, New York, New York
- Richard Parsons talks about moving from Brooklyn to Queens, New York, New York as a child
- Richard Parsons describes his block in Queens, New York, New York
- Richard Parsons recalls the sights, sounds and smells of his childhood in Queens, New York, New York
- Richard Parsons describes his daily life during his childhood
- Richard Parsons talks about his and his family's involvement in Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in New York, New York
- Richard Parsons describes the ethnic history of Queens, New York, New York
- Richard Parsons remembers burning his house down in Queens, New York, New York
- Richard Parsons remembers helping his father with a home improvement project
- Richard Parsons talks about what his parents expected of him growing up
- Richard Parsons describes his childhood personality
- Richard Parsons talks about the jobs he had growing up
- Richard Parsons talks about his influences growing up, including his paternal grandmother
- Richard Parsons talks about visiting his paternal grandmother in Virginia during the summer growing up
- Richard Parsons describes his father's influence on him
- Richard Parsons talks about his growing awareness of race in his youth
- Richard Parsons talks about the ethnic makeup of the schools he attended
- Richard Parsons recalls his parents' opinion of attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Richard Parsons recalls first arriving in Hawaii
- Richard Parsons talks about attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Richard Parsons recalls earning the highest score when he took the New York State bar exam
- Richard Parsons talks about meeting and working for Nelson Rockefeller
- Richard Parsons describes the work he did as first assistant counsel for Nelson Rockefeller and their relationship
- Richard Parsons recalls Nelson Rockefeller's invitation to join his staff in Washington, D.C.
- Richard Parsons describes the work he did as Deputy Counsel to Vice President Nelson Rockefeller in Washington, D.C.
- Richard Parsons recalls lessons learned while working for the federal government during the Ford administration
- Richard Parsons describes how Nelson Rockefeller felt about being vice president of the United States
- Richard Parsons talks about the growth of his relationship with Nelson Rockefeller
- Richard Parsons describes leaving Washington, D.C. to practice law at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler in New York, New York
- Richard Parsons talks about leaving law practice to work for Dime Savings Bank of New York, in New York, New York
- Richard Parsons reflects upon what he learned as CEO of Dime Savings Bank of New York in New York, New York
- Richard Parsons talks about his biggest challenges as CEO of Time Warner Inc. in New York, New York
- Richard Parsons considers what he might have done differently during his time as CEO of Time Warner Inc. in New York, New York
- Richard Parsons talks about mistakes that were made during the AOL/Time Warner, Inc. merger
- Sponsors of 'An Evening With Richard Parsons'
- Introduction to 'An Evening With Richard Parsons'
- Richard Parsons recalls his childhood in Brooklyn and Queens, New York, New York
- Richard Parsons describes how his father inspired his work ethic
- Richard Parsons describes his performance as a student
- Richard Parsons talks about going to the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Richard Parsons talks about his wife, Laura Bush Parsons
- Richard Parsons explains his decision to attend law school
- Film clip about Richard Parsons's work with Nelson Rockefeller
- Richard Parsons describes the political climate in Washington D.C. during the mid-1970s
- Richard Parsons talks about living on the Rockefeller estate, where his maternal grandfather once worked
- Richard Parsons describes his interest in politics and his relationship with Nelson Rockefeller
- Film clip about Richard Parsons moving from his law career into the corporate world
- Richard Parsons describes becoming president and CEO of Dime Savings Bank of New York in New York City
- Richard Parsons explains his decision to work for Dime Savings Bank of New York in New York City
- Richard Parsons describes some of the decisions he had to make as CEO of Dime Bancorp Inc.
- Richard Parsons talks about working on Rudy Giuliani's mayoral campaigns in the 1990s
- Richard Parsons describes joining Time Warner Sport
- Film clip about Richard Parsons joining Time Warner Inc.
- Richard Parsons talks about joining Time Warner Inc.
- Richard Parsons talks about the merger of AOL/Time Warner Inc., pt. 1
- Richard Parsons talks about the merger of AOL/Time Warner Inc., pt. 2
- Richard Parsons talks about his goals for Time Warner Inc. and being a role model
- Richard Parsons talks about his family
- Conclusion of 'An Evening With Richard Parsons'