The Jacobsens

"You have your ups and downs! That's the name of the game." Kevin Jacobsen For more than 50 years, the Jacobsen name has been synonymous with Australian entertainment - from the dawn of rock-and-roll to big names such as Michael Jackson and Barbra Streisand, and global hits like Dirty Dancing. But behind the glitz and glamour is the story of a working class boy from East Hills who was given the responsibility of caring for his extended family. Kevin Jacobsen was a born entrepreneur who soon found a way to turn the family's homespun love of music into a thriving business. He created one of Australia's earliest and most successful rock-and-roll bands around his younger brother Col, and was soon managing a string of leading artists. Over the years, the family rode the showbiz rollercoaster to success, producing bestselling shows from the Three Tenors to Bruce Springsteen, Disney on Ice to Aida. Although it left him little time with his young children, Kevin traveled the world, securing new acts and creating a family empire with his siblings. But as a second generation came of age, the family that had once been the closest in Australian show business was in trouble. Kevin and Col had both brought their children into the family firm - and everyone was at loggerheads. Perhaps no one outside the family will ever fully understand what unfolded. But Kevin and Col no longer speak, and 77-year-old Kevin is now on the outside of the extended family he led for so long.