James M. Nederlander

Founder (1922-2016)

James M. Nederlander built The Nederlander Organization, one of the largest private live entertainment companies in the world that now encompasses venue ownership and management, theatrical producing and concert presentation, merchandising, concessions and patron services.

Jimmy started working in the theatre at age 7, sweeping floors for his father David Tobias (D.T.) Nederlander in Detroit, Michigan. During a career that spanned 70 years, Jimmy amassed a network of premier legitimate theatres, with nine theatres on Broadway: the Brooks Atkinson, Gershwin, Lunt-Fontanne, Marquis, Minskoff, Nederlander, Neil Simon, Richard Rodgers, and the renowned Palace; theatres in Chicago including: Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, and The Broadway Playhouse; theatres in Los Angeles including, the magnificent Pantages Theatre; and in London, the Adelphi, Aldwych, and Dominion Theatres.

He produced over one hundred of the most acclaimed Broadway musicals and plays of all time, including: Annie, Applause, La Cage aux Folles, Me and My Girl, Nine, Noises Off, Peter Pan, Sweet Charity, The Will Rogers Follies, Woman of the Year, and many more.

Jimmy M. Nederlander’s name will be forever linked to some of the world’s most distinguished performing companies, whose work he produced and presented on Broadway including: the Royal Shakespeare Company’s acclaimed productions of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Cyrano and Sherlock Holmes, Rudolf Nureyev and Friends, The Bolshoi Ballet, and the Virsky’s Ukranian State Dance Company.

Jimmy was credited with developing the outdoor amphitheatre concept as the developer of premier venues including the New Jersey Garden State Arts Center, Pine Knob Music Theatre, the Merriweather Post Pavilion, the Pacific Amphitheatre, and as the decades-long operator of the Greek Theatre where he presented headline artists including Tony Bennett, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Liza Minnelli, and Frank Sinatra, among many others.

“Generous,” “loyal” and “trusted” are just a few of the accolades Jimmy’s numerous friends used to describe him—many of whom enjoyed a life-long personal and business relationship with Jimmy. In 1972, Jimmy and friends Earl Blackwell, Gerard Oestricher, and Arnold Weissberg founded the Theatre Hall of Fame, which is still housed in the lobby of the Gershwin Theatre. In 1973, he partnered with George Steinbrenner to purchase the New York Yankees.

Beloved by the industry, Jimmy was the recipient of many distinguished honors including the United Nations Foundation Champion Award (2012), The Broadway League’s Schoenfeld Vision for Arts Education Award (2011), the New York Pop’s Man of the Year (2008), the Tony Award® Special Tony Award for Life Time Achievement (2004), The Actors’ Fund Medal of Honor (2002), United Jewish Appeal-New York Federations’ Bernard B. Jacobs Excellence in the Theatre Award (1997), and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located outside the Pantages Theatre at 6233 Hollywood Blvd. In 2009, The National High School Musical Theater Award was established and named The Jimmy® to celebrate his career-long dedication to supporting young talent. Jimmy received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts at the Forty-third Commencement exercises at The University of Connecticut School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine and Graduate School on Monday, May 12, 2014.

James L. Nederlander

President & Chief Executive Officer

President & Chief Executive Officer of The Nederlander Organization, leads a family business that began in 1912 and now encompasses every aspect of the live entertainment industry from venue ownership and management, theatrical producing, concert presentation, concessions, and patron services.

Jimmy oversees the management of a network of legitimate theatres in New York, Chicago, Durham, Greensboro, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, San Diego, San Jose, Tucson, Washington DC, and London – including nine theatres on Broadway: the Brooks Atkinson, Gershwin, Lunt-Fontanne, Marquis, Minskoff, Nederlander, Neil Simon, Richard Rodgers, and the world-renowned Palace.  Other venues include the Auditorium, Broadway Playhouse, Cadillac Palace, CIBC, and James M. Nederlander Theatres in Chicago; the Dolby and Pantages Theatres in Los Angeles; The National Theatre in Washington DC; and the Adelphi, Aldwych and Dominion Theatres in London. The company presents Truist Broadway at the Durham Performing Arts Center, Broadway in North Charleston, OKC Broadway, Broadway San Diego, Broadway San Jose, Broadway in Tucson, and Broadway at Tanger Center in Greensboro.  In 2019, Nederlander acquired Jam Theatricals creating Nederlander National Markets, more than tripling the number of cities in which Nederlander presents Broadway series.

Jimmy, known throughout the theatre industry as “Junior,” is a prolific producer with a keen eye for popular entertainment for audiences of all ages.  Amongst his producing credits are dozens of distinguished, award-winning musicals and plays including Tina – The Tina Turner Musical; To Kill a Mockingbird; Jagged Little Pill; Moulin Rouge; Thoughts of a Colored Man; Tootsie; My Fair Lady; On Your Feet! The Gloria and Emilio Estefan Story; The Color Purple; School of Rock; The Elephant Man starring Bradley Cooper; Kinky Boots; I’ll Eat You Last starring Bette Midler; The Humans; West Side Story; Movin’ Out; The Band’s Visit; Grease; Mean Girls; Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth directed by Spike Lee; La Cage aux Folles; Million Dollar Quartet; Next To Normal; Meteor Shower; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and many others. As a result, he has received several Tony® and Drama Desk Awards for Best Play or Musical, including a special Tony Award for La Tragedie de Carmen.

From Broadway to Yankee Stadium to the most prestigious concert halls in the nation, Jimmy is also one of the country’s most astute presenters of headline talent such as Adele, Billy Joel, Harry Connick Jr., Neil Diamond, U2, Paul McCartney, Prince, Florence and the Machine, Pink Floyd, Sting, John Legend, and the Rolling Stones to mention a few.

Jimmy is spearheading the company’s many customer service focused business initiatives including Broadway Direct, Nederlander’s entertainment newsletter that is distributed nationally to 3 million theatergoers, helping patrons across the country stay connected to every show on Broadway. His desire to say “thank you” to his audiences was the inspiration for the creation of Audience Rewards, now the “official loyalty program for Broadway serving 2.8 million customers,” which Nederlander launched in partnership with other Broadway venue owners.

With a clear focus on the future, The National High School Musical Theater Awards, known as The Jimmy Awards® in celebration of his father, was launched in 2009 under Jimmy’s leadership to recognize emerging talent. The program has become a national platform for showcasing the importance of theater arts education in schools.

In addition to being a business innovator, Jimmy is also a committed leader and philanthropist who sits on the Board of Trustees of many leading organizations such as the New York Philharmonic, Actors Fund of America, The Broadway League, The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, The Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum, and The New York Restoration Project.  He is a Life Trustee of the ASPCA.

James L. and James M. Nederlander were the first father/son to be named New York City Living Landmarks, which coincided with the Nederlander Organization’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2012. He is also the recipient of many other distinguishing honors including The Buoniconti Fund’s Outstanding Philanthropist Award (2016), ASPCA Life Trustee Award (2014), New York Pops 25th Anniversary Cultural Leader (2008), Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Visionary Leadership Award (2008), NYC&Co Leadership Achievement Award (2003) and others.

Nick Scandalios

Chief Operating Officer

Nick Scandalios is the Chief Operating Officer of the Nederlander Organization, one of the largest owners of legitimate theatres in the world, as well as one of the largest theatrical producing organizations in North America. He is the recipient of the 2018 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award. He is also a past Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Broadway League, and past Chair of the Board of Family Equality. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This year marks his 34^th year at the Nederlander Organization.