About the Founder

Luis “Lew” Santelises likes to be called Lew by his friends during relaxed conversations. He also likes to be called Lew because he sees himself as a pioneer in the worlds of finance and media and entertainment. He has been greatly influenced by two men, one in finance, Reginald Lewis and one in media, Lew Wasserman.  The two were different men but both men had Lew in their first or last names and both were pioneers in their respective industries. Lewis was the first African-American to become a billionaire investor. Wasserman was a media mogul who became the first agent to completely transform the power structure in Hollywood by shifting power away from the studios and towards the actors and the creative talent in the industry.  

Lew’s love for the entertainment business has come to him honestly.  He is the son of an erstwhile Latin jazz singer who performed in Latin night clubs throughout New York and New England in the 70s and 80s. After obtaining an associate’s degree in media business and recording arts, he worked as a recording engineer in New York before returning to get his Bachelor of Science. He then worked on Wall Street with several bulge bracket firms and hedge funds, first in institutional sales and then as a research analyst before launching out to start his own investment management firm. He is a City University of New York baccalaureate honors fellow and graduated with a double major in Accounting and Quantitative Finance.  He lives in Baltimore, MD with his wife and their three daughters.