Henry Nicholas continues to evolve.
He remains, at once, enigmatic and focused. But his public attention has shifted back from attacks to acclaim.
Those who know Nicholas well say his dedication to detail rivals that of the great innovators in science and technology. That’s evident in the revolutionary design of the earliest computer chips made by Broadcom Corp.—the Irvine-based company he cofounded—which facilitated the first mass Wi-Fi connections and dramatically advanced broadband cable and computer networking.
Or, more recently, his successful nonprofit work on behalf of disadvantaged high school students in Santa Ana. More whimsically, there’s the seashell necklace he laced together at a daughter’s recent birthday party, which he humorously dubbed “the most perfect” in the world.
“Everything has to be optimal,” a Nicholas confidant mused. “He definitely interprets the world differently than any other person I’ve met.”
Special Committee
Nicholas has an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion, good for the No. 8 spot on this week’s list of OC’s Wealthiest (see page 31, related stories throughout this issue). He recently gave the Business Journal a rare glimpse into his hectic schedule as a philanthropist, father, engineering icon, entrepreneur and now music industry executive.
The foray into the music industry has taken hold quietly over the past several years.
His Aliso Viejo-based Level 7 Artists production company was behind Sublime’s 2009 reunion tour with lead singer Rome, which got caught up in some of the courtroom drama that seems to follow Nicholas like a shadow. Level 7 eventually reached a settlement over use of the Sublime band name with the estate of former lead singer Brad Nowell, who died from a drug overdose in 1996.
Level 7 is dedicated to fusing of technology, media and music, according to Nicholas. It plans eventually to roll out unspecified interactive music projects.
“We’ve done a lot in the technical world and it’s focused toward that,” Nicholas hinted. “We have an ongoing operation, and it’s profitable now.”
The company’s connections to area bands include work with the Dirty Heads, a reggae hip-hop band from Huntington Beach that had a 2010 hit, Lay Me Down, and the nationally renowned Linkin Park.
Level 7’s expansion into other areas was hampered during its earliest years in the mid-2000s, as Nicholas slogged through legal woes related to backdated stock options and drug charges.
Those charges were ultimately dismissed, but Broadcom in early 2007 was forced to restate $2.2 billion in earnings over several years of financial results for misdated stock options. It was the most sweeping earnings restatement ever ordered over backdated stock options.
Each passing year sees the memory of the Broadcom imbroglio recede, along with details of Nicholas’ similarly public marital divorce and his hard-partying reputation.
Nicholas, who hasn’t held a position with Broadcom since 2003, spends a lot of time these days on philanthropy, causes related to victim’s rights and helping raise three kids. He was given the keys to Santa Ana in July, along with retired Judge Jack Mandel, for dedication to the community through the Nicholas Academic Centers.
100% Placed
The nonprofit has graduated 232 students since its inception in 2008, with 100% college enrollment. Most were the first in their families to attend college, many the first to finish high school.
“I understood the magnitude of the problem,” said Nicholas, who overcame his own struggles with dyslexia in early childhood to earn bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from University of California, Los Angeles.
He has been an advocate for victim’s rights since his sister’s murder in 1983. Nicholas was instrumental in helping to defeat Proposition 66—a ballot referendum that aimed to modify California’s three-strikes law—and in implementing Marsy’s Law, named for his sister that was passed in California in 2008.
Now he’s working with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and highly placed lawmakers in the state to enact a similar Marsy’s Law there.
Nicholas isn’t one to look in the rear view mirror or contemplate his legacy.
“I feel like I’m too young to think about my legacy,” he said.
