“The Social Network” — David Fincher’s new movie about the founding of Facebook — hits theaters next Friday (Oct. 1).
The Winklevoss twins. We have no idea which is which.
Mark Zuckerberg isn’t the only person wondering how he’ll be portrayed. Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss — the twins who allege that Zuckerberg stole their idea at Harvard in 2004 — are key characters in the film.
Their father — Dr. Howard Winklevoss — will watch too. He may be joined by a few hundred interested Saugatuck Rowing Club members.
Why not? He helped create the place.
Cameron and Tyler learned to row there. In 2008 they represented the U.S. team at the Beijing Olympics.
The Winklevosses started rowing when the predecessor Saugatuck Rowing Association was located in a deteriorating riverside building. The land underneath was for sale. Their coach, James Mangan, had grand plans.
According to the Saugatuck Rowing Club website:
While coaching the twins, Mangan often spoke of his hope for a new clubhouse to them and their parents. Others thought it a pie in the sky idea, but Howard Winklevoss, a successful consultant and the owner of a construction firm that builds upscale residences, was the right audience.
Impressed by the sports’ positive effect on his sons, Winklevoss decided to help Mangan, not only to buy the property and build a new clubhouse, but to work toward making rowing a more mainstream sport.
In a collaborative effort with his architect (club member Jon Halper) and Mangan, Winklevoss founded a new company, the Saugatuck Rowing Club, and transformed the site with a world-class showcase for rowing and fitness. The 15,000 square foot facility has a nautical theme that ties together the boathouse, an elite fitness center, dining deck and restaurant.
There’s no word yet on whether the luxurious Saugatuck Rowing Club will host a private showing of “The Social Network.”
But it does have a Facebook fan page.