User:Mwinog2777/kives

Michael Kives is a Canadian investor, former talent agent and known for being a "super" connector.

Early life and education
Kives grew up in Winnipeg, Canada. He went to St. John's-Ravenscourt School in Winnipeg. He was active on the debating team; he won World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships in 1998 and 1999. He went to Stanford, where he met the Clintons. President Bill and Hillary Clinton came in for daughter Chelsea's 2001 graduation. He found a way to cover the story for the college newspaper, and this led to a longstanding relationship with the Clintons.

Career
After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford, his first job was in 2001 as an interim spokesperson for former President Clinton at his Harlem office. This was followed by working as an aide for Senator Hillary Clinton at her D.C. office. He then spent 15 years at Creative Artist Agency, representing Katy Perry, Arnold Schwarzrnneger, Warren Buffet, Jesse Eisenbergg and Bruce Willis, among others. He left in 2018 to start an investment-advisory firm, K5 Global.

He has been described as a super connector, a social hub. He introduces clients to "a who's who of of business and social leaders, from Leonardo DeCaprio to the governor of the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund." He is known for having a unique ability to connect people and using a large network to help anyone working with him.

A beneficiary of Kives' network was Sam Bankman-Fried, the former FTX head. Bankman-Fried met President Clinton, Orlando Bloom, and Katy Perry, among others. The relationship between Kives and Bankman-Fried has been noted to be mutally beneficial. Bankman-Fried invested $700 million in 5K Global, with Kives receiving $125 million as part of the deal. On June 22, 2023 FTX bankruptcy lawyers sued to recover the $700 million, claiming that the investment was made to burnish his own political and social influence.

Personal
Kives married Lydia Gray in 2019. Gray is a civil rights lawyer and a graduate of Stanford Law.