“In twenty years I went from a complete unknown, to a comer, to being hailed as the most powerful man in Hollywood. After a few years of that, I became the most feared man in town. And once I left CAA, when it was safe for everyone to vent, I became the most hated.”
Who is Michael Ovitz?
He’s a striver who talked his way into the famous mailroom of the William Morris Agency without any connections, then worked his way out of the mailroom in record time.
He’s an entrepreneur who left a safe job to launch Creative Artists Agency, growing it from five guys in a rundown office to the most powerful agency in the world.
He’s a friend and confidant to megastars such as Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Robert De Niro, David Letterman, Sean Connery, Bill Murray, Paul Newman, and Martin Scorsese.
He’s a pioneer who reinvented the role of the agent in packaging actors, directors, writers, and producers, which made CAA the essential hub of countless movies and television shows.
He’s a master negotiator who drove historic deals for many of his clients, as well as the acquisitions of two major studios by Sony and Matsushita.
He’s a self-taught connoisseur of art and architecture, a generous philanthropist, a devoted father...
And to his detractors he’s a world-class jerk and a ruthless manipulator who double-crossed his friends, crushed his enemies, and let nothing stand in his way, ever.
After decades of near silence in the face of relentless controversy, Ovitz finally tells his whole story in this memoir, with remarkable candor and insight. If you’re going to read just one book about how show business really works, this is the one.
2 有用 linj 2018-11-11 18:48:15
千言万语总结成一句话:一定要让中间商赚差价。可以看到好莱坞的人来人往,创造、谈判、撮合,只是时过境迁,多少明星导演电影都不能认得了。只有超强自我驱动的人精才能从这门营生中取得成功。
0 有用 仲雪春山 2020-06-13 22:31:22
工作狂做到尽自己爱做的工作,能够成就怎样的事业。某些地方还挺教父的,尤其是帮老马圆梦(老马太可爱了,爱电影的赤忱小孩)的时候,找投资方特别科里昂,让我看看谁欠我人情——也是好莱坞的运作方式管窥。回忆中偶尔夹杂的一些反思很克制,但还蛮真挚的。
0 有用 呆逼 2020-03-26 10:03:15
#2020年第5本书#在一个雨后的清早终于啃完这本书。完整读完的第二本英文原著(教材除外==)野心勃勃白手起家,到头来和朋友决裂,离开数十年创立和打拼的CAA,在外面的世界又起起伏伏重塑事业,七十岁才回过头来修补和朋友的关系。没错,他是个野心家、工作狂、超人,也是tough asshole,但他是为他的明星客户们出头的tough asshole,是好莱坞最有权势的第一经纪人,甚至在硅谷也赢得了自己... #2020年第5本书#在一个雨后的清早终于啃完这本书。完整读完的第二本英文原著(教材除外==)野心勃勃白手起家,到头来和朋友决裂,离开数十年创立和打拼的CAA,在外面的世界又起起伏伏重塑事业,七十岁才回过头来修补和朋友的关系。没错,他是个野心家、工作狂、超人,也是tough asshole,但他是为他的明星客户们出头的tough asshole,是好莱坞最有权势的第一经纪人,甚至在硅谷也赢得了自己的地位,但最后他发现他还是那个从valley来的不想被bully的孩子。这本书里可以看到成功学,可以看到好莱坞的运营方式,也可以看到在庞大的野心和脆弱的自我之间的矛盾。You carry your origins with you的宿命感,还挺让人怅然若失的。难免反观自己,又想要怎样的人生呢? (展开)
0 有用 kerenfang 2025-04-01 08:02:49 美国
Let's kill
0 有用 Marni 2019-12-29 11:43:40
两万颗星都给这本书。完全是置之死地的爆料路数,作者这么个搞法真的很容易没朋友的。有明星的料,有行业内幕,有人情冷暖。有好几次都看得我又想哭又想笑。这书太值得拍成电影了。