Vince Flaherty was raised in Southern California. His father was a syndicated columnist and speech writer for Senator John F. Kennedy during his presidential campaign. He attended Santa Monica College, U.C.L.A. and Harvard, where he specialized in Film and Television and Political Science. He has simultaneously maintained successful businesses in the motion picture and real estate industry and as such, has become a hands-on expert in business matters and labor relations relating to the entertainment, real estate and construction industries. He formerly served as a mounted police officer with the Palm Springs Police Department, is a past council member of the Pacific Palisades Community Council, and is credited with saving a 16-acre wooded area.