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Biden taps Mapleton’s Nathanson as Norway ambassador
Billionaire built commercial portfolio of 3.2M sf after sale of cable systems to Charter Communications
President Joe Biden has nominated a media billionaire-turned-prominent Los Angeles real estate investor to serve as ambassador to Norway.
The president nominated Marc Nathanson to the position on Friday, according to a White House announcement.
Nathanson, who currently resides in Holmby Hills, made his fortune by founding Falcon Cable TV in 1975 and selling it to Paul Allen’s Charter Communications in 1999 for $3.7 billion.
The same year, Nathanson founded Mapleton Investments and its subsidiary Mapleton Properties, which now manages 3.2 million square feet of properties across the Western U.S.
In Los Angeles, Mapleton is developing a 207-unit apartment complex across from Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City. The firm bought parcels of land for the development in 2014 and 2018 for $18.3 million.
Nathanson has served in various positions in government since Bill Clinton’s administration. Most recently, he was appointed by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to serve on the board of the U.S.-Asia-Pacific research organization East-West Center. He served as co-chairman of the Downtown Los Angeles-based Pacific Council on International Relations from 2016 to this year.
It’s also not the first time Biden has tapped Nathanson for a position. Nathanson served on Biden’s national finance committee while he was the Democratic nominee for president last year. Nathanson is also a heavy donor to the Democratic Party, donating over $600,000 to Democratic political campaigns last year, according to data from the Federal Election Commission.