Twenty-four people share the two-hundredth-and-sixty-first ranking on the 2009 Forbes list of the world’s billionaires. One of these people is a man by the name of Guy Laliberte. His name might not sound familiar, but perhaps his enterprise will. This self-made billionaire (his net worth is estimated to be a whopping $2.5 bil) is the epitome of an entertainment and business success story.
It all began in the early eighties, in Baie-Saint-Paul, a small town outside of Quebec, Canada. Laliberte was a penniless, fire-breathing street performer. Laliberte joined the band of the Baie-Saint-Paul-Stiltwalkers, soon attracting attention from the local townspeople. In 1984, Laliberte proposed an idea for a show which he called, Cirque du Soleil, to be presented at a festival celebrating the anniversary of the discovery of Canada. Laliberte explains, “Cirque du Soleil began with a very simple dream. A group of young entertainers got together to amuse audiences, see the world, and have fun doing it.”
Presently, Cirque du Soleil has over 4,000 employees, not including the approximate 1,000 artists performing in shows worldwide. Productions of Cirque du Soleil have been presented in more than 200 cities spanning across five continents. This year, Cirque du Soleil is breaking records, simultaneously running twenty shows throughout the world.
Laliberte is not only the father of one of the most lucrative enterprises in the entertainment industry, he is also allegedly the ultimate party host.
Only one word can be used to describe Laliberte's parties: decadence. What else could you possibly expect from Laliberte? After all, we're talking about the man behind the madness of Cirque du Soleil. He spent $35 million on a 10-day vacation to outer-space for heaven's sakes.
Let's start with the guest-list. Who makes the cut? Global business leaders, foreign royalty, politicians, Hollywood stars and starlets, supermodels, and prostitutes and strippers by the busload. "B-listers" are required to sign a confidentiality agreement before attending. Here's what supermodel Myra Jones has to say about Laliberte's shindigs: "Everything you wanted was available at Guy's parties. Drugs, the best music spun by famous DJs flown in from Europe and the USA, and the wildest sex you could ever imagine." Playboy model, Angie Everhart attests, "It was beyond crazy; it was complete insanity for hours. Everyone was so beautiful and so free. If there was a straight person in the house they must have freaked out watching everyone else trip. They would have thought they were the one on drugs."
Laliberte's parties are planned months in advance. Rumor has it that his parties cost anywhere from hundreds of thousands of dollars up to $10 million. Sometimes parties would last up to four days. Laliberte makes his grand entrance 24 hours after the party has begun, perching shirtless on a rooftop, he digresses to his earlier, more humble days as a street performer and breathes fire.
Laliberte's parties are not just parties. They are brilliant marketing-plans. He invites the wealthiest, most influential people in the world and treats them like kings at his party. In turn, these guests return to their countries and tell everyone what a nice guy Guy really is. And when Cirque shows premiere in these respective countries, they are a guaranteed success.
Can you say pimp?
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