Who is Dany Garcia? XFL chairwoman, the Rock’s business partner and ex-wife
Dany Garcia is the CEO of the XFL, which she co-owns with her ex-husband Dwayne Johnson and Redbird Capital. She has long been The Rock’s business partner.
The XFL has kicked off after a three-year absence, and it is being headed by its CEO, Dany Garcia. She is also co-owner of the league, along with Redbird Capital Partners and her ex-husband Dwayne Johnson. Garcia has long been a business partner of The Rock, and has managed his career since 2008.
A nose for business
The 54-year-old was born to Cuban immigrants, and grew up in New Jersey. She showed business acumen at a young age, selling units of a barn in New Jersey that she owned. She then studied international marketing and finance at the University of Miami, where she met Johnson.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, she had a career in finance at Merrill Lynch, where she eventually became an associate vice president. Garcia also set up her own wealth management company.
An amicable separation gives birth to a business empire
After she and Johnson divorced, she asked to be his manager, to which he agreed. This was the beginning of a business empire that they would create together. The two co-founded the production company Seven Bucks Productions, which came out with movies such as Baywatch, Red Notice, installments of the Jumanji franchise, and Black Adam. She has executive produced projects for film, TV, and the web, many of them starring The Rock.
Award-winning producer
Garcia is also an accomplished producer in her own right. She produced a documentary entitled Racing Dreams about aspiring NASCAR drivers, which the Tribeca Film Festival declared Best Documentary in 2009.
Aside from the XFL, she is also the CEO and chair of The Garcia Companies and TGC Management, which handles brands in entertainment, food, and fashion.
Body-building training helps business
Just like Johnson, Garcia has a history of dedication to physical training. She is a body builder, and was a competitive one for a few years. The businesswoman cites the discipline as an important part of her formation as a driven and determined entrepreneur.