Scooter Braun

Scott Samuel "Scooter" Braun (born June 18, 1981) is an American entrepreneur, record executive, and talent manager recognized for discovering Justin Bieber via YouTube videos in 2008 and guiding his ascent to international stardom. Braun, who began his career promoting events at Emory University before entering the music industry, co-founded Raymond Braun Media Group with Usher in 2008 to sign and develop Bieber, later expanding into SB Projects, a multifaceted firm handling artist management, record labels like Schoolboy Records, and media ventures. Over his career spanning more than two decades, he has managed prominent recording artists including Ariana Grande, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Demi Lovato, contributing to numerous chart-topping releases and Grammy nominations. In 2019, Braun's Ithaca Holdings purchased Big Machine Label Group, acquiring rights to the master recordings of Taylor Swift's initial six albums under a prior contractual arrangement, which prompted Swift's vocal opposition and ignited a high-profile industry debate on artist ownership and re-recording strategies. Following the 2021 sale of Ithaca Holdings to South Korean entertainment conglomerate HYBE for approximately $1.05 billion, Braun assumed the role of CEO at HYBE America, overseeing expansions such as the acquisition of Quality Control Music, before transitioning to a senior advisor and board position in July 2025.

Scott Samuel Braun was born on June 18, 1981, in New York City to Conservative Jewish parents Ervin and Susan (née Schlussel) Braun. His paternal grandparents were Eastern European Jewish immigrants who fled Hungary in 1956 following the Hungarian Revolution and were Holocaust survivors from camps including Auschwitz and Dachau. The family's Jewish heritage, including Braun's bar mitzvah, instilled a sense of identity tied to resilience and survival, as he has publicly reflected on receiving family heirlooms from his grandfather marking that rite of passage.

Raised in a kosher household by Conservative Jewish parents in New York City, with grandparents who were Holocaust survivors, Braun has drawn on his heritage to instill values of resilience, education, charity, and faith in his family life. These principles underscored his efforts to provide stability for his children amid the high-pressure demands of his entertainment career.