Randy Jackson, legendary musician, producer, and former judge for American Idol, will host a talk for the 2023 First Savings Bank Business Speaker Series at Indiana University Southeast.
The event, which will be a moderated conversation, will be held at 7 p.m. on March 29 as part of the in the Paul W. Ogle Cultural and Community Center at IU Southeast. Audience members will have an opportunity to submit questions prior to the start of the event.
Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jackson’s fearless and forward-thinking mentality has guided him from musician, songwriter and Grammy Award-winning producer to revered record-industry executive, business entrepreneur, best-selling author, talent manager, television producer and beloved global television personality.
All of this stems from Jackson’s lifelong passion for music. Jackson produced and performed on hit records by Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Steven Tyler, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Van Hunt, and Madonna, to name just a few.
He’s also lived in the rock ‘n’ roll world, recording and performing with legendary musicians such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Bon Jovi, Keith Richards, Journey, Carlos Santana, Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, and countless others. All in all, he has over 1,000 gold and platinum plaques to his name, with collective sales exceeding 200+ million copies.
However, it is on television where Randy Jackson became a household name and reached iconic status within pop culture as a judge on American Idol for 13 seasons. Jackson returned to television this year as the ultimate band leader opposite host Jane Krakowski in the reboot of the iconic game show “Name That Tune” for FOX.
Jackson launched various other ventures including producing MTV’s “Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew” for seven seasons; founding a successful music and influencer management firm and production company, as well as the representation of world-renowned chefs. And for the past 15 years, Randy Jackson Eyewear has been one of the leading men’s optical eyeglass brands in more than 10,000 retail locations in the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Latin America.
His charitable work includes his role as Goodwill Ambassador for Save the Children U.S., involvement with the Gibson Foundation, and the Music in the Schools program of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he was one of the architects of the multimillion-dollar fundraiser, Idol Gives Back, delivering relief to his home state Louisiana. And for the current COVID-19 pandemic, Randy has donated 5,000 N95 masks to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles through his health and wellness company, UNIFY Health Labs; and has served as a celebrity judge for Harvard Business School’s fundraiser in support of Boston’s pandemic relief efforts.
The First Savings Bank Business Speaker Series was founded in partnership with IU Southeast through the generosity of First Savings Bank. First Savings Bank’s vision is to improve education in the state of Indiana by establishing a speaker series that engages students, faculty, and the business community of southern Indiana and to advance the mission of Indiana University Southeast.
This is a free event. Tickets will be first-come, first-seated in the auditorium, but you need to RSVP for your seat. For questions, contact the School of Business at (812) 941-2664.