Simon Fuller (born May 17, 1960 in Hastings, England) is the British entertainment entrepreneur and creator of the Idol series, first seen as Pop Idol in the UK and over 100 other versions including American Idol, Australian Idol, Canadian Idol, and World Idol. Simon Fuller is also the creator and executive producer of the US hit talent series So You Think You Can Dance and several other US and European TV shows. He is manager of David and Victoria Beckham, Claudia Schiffer, Annie Lennox, The Spice Girls and others. He is named by Time Magazine (May 3rd, 2007) as one of the 100 Most Influential People In the World.

Business
Fuller is Chief Executive of 19 Entertainment, based in London, Los Angeles and New York City, which he founded in 1985. Prior to forming 19 Entertainment, from 1981 to 1985, Mr. Fuller worked at Chrysalis, in publishing (Chrysalis Limited) and A&R (Chrysalis Records). He was responsible for signing Madonna's first hit 'Holiday' to the company. When he discovered Paul Hardcastle in the mid-1980s he set out, aged 25, on his own and propelled Hardcastle to number one with his Vietnam war song, "19". After this success, he decided to name his management company 19 Management.

His company has grown to steadily and now employs 120 staff in the US and UK. Fuller spends most of his time based in 19 LA offices on Sunset Bld, or in London. In March 2005, Simon Fuller sold his company, 19 Entertainment, to Robert Sillerman's CKX, Inc. in a cash and stock deal worth in excess of £100 million ($192 million). Fuller remains in his role as 19's CEO and becomes a director of CKX. Fuller's personal wealth is now estimated at over £460 million, and in 2007 he launched a bid to buy CKX for $1.6 billion.

In August 2007 Forbes Business Magazine identified Simon Fuller as a leader influencer in their Top 15 global Trend Setters list.

Spice Girls
Fuller did not create the Spice Girls but he managed them through the peak of their success. The 'management svengali' (as 'affectionately' described by the British media) is widely credited with masterminding their most creative period with hits including 'Wannabe' and 'Two Become One', as well bringing them a number of globally lucrative sponsorship deals with Pepsi, Polaroid, Walkers, Cadbury, Elida Faberge (Unilever) and others. He famously introduced Spice Girl Victoria Adams (Posh Spice) to her future husband David Beckham. Under Fuller, the Spice Girls rose to chart topper status and went on to sell over 53 million records. In November 1997 the girls decided to manage themselves and they parted company with Fuller.

The group later disbanded and it was not long before Fuller was approached to manage the career of former Spice Girls Emma Bunton and Victoria Beckham.

On June 27th 2007, BBC reported that 19 Entertainment will be responsible for the management of a Spice Girl reunion world tour under the management of Simon Fuller. Performances will be limited to eleven shows including stops at Tokyo, London, Las Vegas, Cologne, Madrid, Cape Town, Los Angeles, New York and Sydney, with the possibility of more to be added later.

TV work
Fuller's first venture into TV was a seven piece mixed-gender pop group with a twist. S Club S Club 7 became a No.1 pop act and TV show in over 100 territories. The group has since split up with former members Rachel Stevens, Jon Lee and Hannah Spearritt going on to enjoy solo success in music and film.

In 1998 Fuller came up with an idea that would prove to be one of the definitive television and music brands of the 2000s when he created the television show formats of Pop Idol, American Idol, World Idol and other spin-offs. Pop Idol broke TV records when it was broadcast over two series in the UK, as well as uncovering a major new talent in Will Young. Fuller sold the show to the Fox network in the States, and American Idol quickly became a No.1 rated show. The show has made stars of its presenters Ryan Seacrest, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell, as well as many of its performers.

Now in its sixth series American Idol is claimed to be the most valuable TV format in the world with a value of over $2,500,000,000 (2.5 billion dollars) made up of revenue from sponsors, merchandising, telephone, music sales, broadcast and advertising sources. Over 34 million viewers saw Jordin Sparks win the sixth series of American Idol in May 2007 on a night where over 74 million votes were cast.

More recently Fuller has signed a deal to represent comedians Matt Lucas and David Walliams with regard to developing their award winning BBC TV show Little Britain for the United States.

Music
Simon Fuller manages the careers of a number of hit songwriters and producers, most notably Cathy Dennis, who first met Fuller as the singer of D Mob in the 1980s. Under Fuller's guidance Cathy Dennis has become the UK's No.1 female songwriter with a string of global hits for artists including Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears and others.

In 2002 Fuller's company discovered 19 year old Amy Winehouse, produced her first award winning album and signed her to Universal Music. Winehouse left 19 Management in spring 2006 and signed to Raye Cosbert / Metropolis Music.

Simon Fuller's interests in music make him one of the most powerful figures in the global entertainment industry. His company 19 Recordings has achieved million selling acts including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Fantasia, Will Young and Gareth Gates, as well as stars from Germany, Australia, Canada and other territories. His label 19 Recordings has sold over 50 million copies of American Idol music since the show was first broadcast.

Fashion
In August 2006 Fuller entered the fashion business through 19RM a joint venture company with critically acclaimed fashion designer Roland Mouret, the man behind the Galaxy dress made famous by Scarlett Johansson and other Hollywood celebrities. Fuller has since taken on global representation for Claudia Schiffer and the Beckhams fashion label DVB brand which includes perfume and denim ranges.

Sport
Simon Fuller first ventured into sports management in the mid 1990s, where he guided England and Liverpool FC footballer Steve McManaman to Real Madrid. Fuller later formed joint venture partnership with David Beckham, and masterminded Beckham's $250 million move to LA Galaxy in 2007. Simon Fuller's company 1966 recently won the contract to represent the England football team player's interests. Fuller also represents young British golfer Henni Brockway.

Fuller's 19 Entertainment was the first company to successfully persuade a Formula 1 racing car to promote the environment link title. His "Earth Car" created for Honda Racing F1 was competitive throughout the 2007 Formula 1 season driven by British driver Jenson Button and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello.

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