"The AZ Insider" with Kathy Shayna Shocket: Get the inside scoop on Arizona's social scene and celebrity news.
Craig Jackson, king of the Barrett-Jackson auctions just got engaged. Who’s the lucky lady?
One of the most eligible bachelors in Arizona, and perhaps the Southwest, is now off the market. Craig Jackson, the CEO and Chairman of Barrett-Jackson Auction Company, proposed to his girlfriend Carolyn Mullany during this week’s Barrett Jackson Auction in Orange County, Calif., and she accepted.
“We’re going to celebrate watching the fireworks,” says an excited Craig as he winds down from the successful week of the auction that generated nearly $14 million in gross sales. “Carolyn will be moving to Scottsdale, expanding her real estate business into Arizona and California,” he says of his future bride, a former stockbroker and currently a luxury home specialist with impressive accomplishments in Las Vegas. Carolyn received international attention for her sale of the former residence of Michael Jackson.
In fact, she and Craig had worked together when Carolyn was selling the estate of Las Vegas entertainer Danny Gans. She “coupled” with Craig and Barrett-Jackson to consign Gans’ car collection, which successfully fetched $500,000 at last year’s Barrett- Jackson auction in Las Vegas.
The engagement is embraced by Craig’s two children Shelby and Hunter.
Carolyn mingled with many of Craig’s friends and business associates at Craig’s Christmas party at his new home in Paradise Valley. The home, by the way, is a reflection of Craig’s hard work. He’s built Barrett-Jackson into the world’s leading collector car auction and automotive lifestyle event, now successful in four destinations. As the hundreds of classics, hot rods and muscle cars cross the auction block, the bidding excitement of the multi-media extravaganza is captured on the SPEED channel with nearly 22 hours of live national television.
Kathy snapped this pic of Carolyn and Craig at Craig's holiday party
“We’re so honored that our loyal enthusiasts have been a part of our growth for 40 years,” says the workaholic and a visionary. Under his direction, Barrett-Jackson has evolved beyond Scottsdale, with weeklong events in Palm Beach, Orange County and Las Vegas.
Congratulations to the happy couple.
Kathy Shayna Shocket is a Reporter, Photographer and TV-Field Producer based in Phoenix. She has written for publications such as Time Magazine, People Magazine, Money Magazine , the Hollywood Reporter and the New York Times. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
