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Neil Barsky
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Neil Barsky
Neil Barsky (born October 3, 1958) is an American journalist, former hedge fund manager, prison abolitionist, filmmaker, and philanthropist, most notable for making the 2012 film Koch and for founding The Marshall Project, a journalism nonprofit intended to shed light on the United States criminal justice system, as well as to promote prison abolition.
Barsky was born in the Bronx in New York City on October 3, 1958. He has relocated to Long Island and then New Jersey. In 1973, he returned to Long Island. He went to the Walden School.
Barsky is Jewish and attributes his support for social justice to his Jewish schooling and upbringing.
Barsky pursued his undergraduate studies at Oberlin College and obtained a graduate degree in journalism at the Columbia Journalism School.
Barsky's first profession was as an analyst for Morgan Stanley in 1993, working on commercial real estate and in the gaming industry. Within a year, he was listed in the All-Star Analysts list by Institutional Investor.
In 1998, Barsky and fellow Morgan Stanley alumnus Scott M. Sipprelle began a hedge fund named Midtown Research. Barsky participated in the fund until 2002. In November 2007, during the subprime mortgage crisis, Sipprelle closed down the fund. Sipprelle subsequently became a venture capitalist, and in 2010, he was the Republican candidate for the House of Representatives.
In 2002, Barsky left Midtown Research and opened his own hedge fund, Alson Capital Partners, which was named after his children, Alexandra and Davidson. The fund made successful investments in Sears Holdings and shorted newspaper and furniture companies. It also left the housing sector in early 2006 before the burst of the housing bubble, though Barsky incorrectly believed that there was no bubble. After correctly predicting the popularity of the Atkins diet, the fund shorted Panera Bread and Krispy Kreme.
At its peak, the fund would have $3.5 billion in assets under management. In 2008, due to the 2008 financial crisis, Alson lost 24% of its assets, down to $1.5 billion, primarily due to its large holdings in energy and utility stocks, all of which fell more than 50% after producing big gains in previous years. By the end of May 2009, the fund shut down, returning $800 million to investors. Alson's former chief operating officer said that Barsky ensured all employees had equity and received generous severance packages, so that the closure did not cause any of their lives financial ruin.
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Neil Barsky
Neil Barsky (born October 3, 1958) is an American journalist, former hedge fund manager, prison abolitionist, filmmaker, and philanthropist, most notable for making the 2012 film Koch and for founding The Marshall Project, a journalism nonprofit intended to shed light on the United States criminal justice system, as well as to promote prison abolition.
Barsky was born in the Bronx in New York City on October 3, 1958. He has relocated to Long Island and then New Jersey. In 1973, he returned to Long Island. He went to the Walden School.
Barsky is Jewish and attributes his support for social justice to his Jewish schooling and upbringing.
Barsky pursued his undergraduate studies at Oberlin College and obtained a graduate degree in journalism at the Columbia Journalism School.
Barsky's first profession was as an analyst for Morgan Stanley in 1993, working on commercial real estate and in the gaming industry. Within a year, he was listed in the All-Star Analysts list by Institutional Investor.
In 1998, Barsky and fellow Morgan Stanley alumnus Scott M. Sipprelle began a hedge fund named Midtown Research. Barsky participated in the fund until 2002. In November 2007, during the subprime mortgage crisis, Sipprelle closed down the fund. Sipprelle subsequently became a venture capitalist, and in 2010, he was the Republican candidate for the House of Representatives.
In 2002, Barsky left Midtown Research and opened his own hedge fund, Alson Capital Partners, which was named after his children, Alexandra and Davidson. The fund made successful investments in Sears Holdings and shorted newspaper and furniture companies. It also left the housing sector in early 2006 before the burst of the housing bubble, though Barsky incorrectly believed that there was no bubble. After correctly predicting the popularity of the Atkins diet, the fund shorted Panera Bread and Krispy Kreme.
At its peak, the fund would have $3.5 billion in assets under management. In 2008, due to the 2008 financial crisis, Alson lost 24% of its assets, down to $1.5 billion, primarily due to its large holdings in energy and utility stocks, all of which fell more than 50% after producing big gains in previous years. By the end of May 2009, the fund shut down, returning $800 million to investors. Alson's former chief operating officer said that Barsky ensured all employees had equity and received generous severance packages, so that the closure did not cause any of their lives financial ruin.