Marc Becker ’00: Entrepreneur, Marketing Master, Front-runner

That spirited independence, nurtured at Sinai Akiba Academy (SAA), empowered Marc to start thinking like an entrepreneur at an early age. At 14, he was already selling ice cream on the beach to cover his entertainment expenses. Only a couple of years later, he co-founded the event-production company Wilder Entertainment, better known as Marc & Joe. From there he went on to a job at Universal Pictures and worked his way up to executive leadership in just a few years. As director of global brand marketing at Universal Pictures, he mastered the marketing business—and found time to get his MBA at USC by attending night school.

Marc’s entrepreneurial bug persists. Today, he is CEO of The Tangent Agency, a brand strategy and creative agency with expertise in entertainment. He is currently working with every major studio (Fox, Uni, Warner Bros, Sony, etc.), many networks (Netflix, NBC, Amazon Studios, etc.), digital platforms, and interactive gaming.

Honesty, integrity and full transparency are among the standards he sets for himself and his team—stemming from Tzedek tzedek tirdof (ethical responsibility), a core value he learned at SAA. “The ethics that we try to incorporate create a culture of honesty that enables us to do what’s right for our clients and team,” Marc says. That’s also why he enjoys meeting fellow Sinai Akiba alumni. “It’s instant brotherhood, that level of shared values.”

He carries the Jewish values he learned at SAA wherever he goes. During travels to Vienna in college, he made sure to attend a Passover Seder right where speeches of hate were given in the 20th century.

Speaking Hebrew and having the ability to pray in that language has enriched Marc’s understanding of the Jewish community worldwide. “Sinai Akiba taught me Jewish involvement and literacy. I knew what was going on in synagogues around the world since Hebrew is a universal language,” he says.

It’s no surprise that Marc is a staunch supporter of Jewish organizations and a regular at Sinai Temple for high holidays. Having served as president of the Sinai Chapter of United Synagogue Youth, he has used his leadership skills to promote Ahavat Yisrael (love for Israel).

Despite a busy schedule, Marc makes time to give back, including mentoring students in USC’s Career Advantage Program who are interested in his field — and he aspires to do the same for Sinai Akiba students.

Above all, he encourages his students, his team at The Tangent Agency and others in his life to strive to fulfill their potential and live a well-balanced life, goals rooted in his Sinai Akiba Academy education.