"While studios still control the financing, today the man with the golden thumb is Michael Ovitz, an agent and martial-arts buff who works in quiet but irresistible ways."
1989 Article appearing in Time Magazine. Read the full article here.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Michael Ovitz 1990 People Magazine Article
Michael Ovitz: A Tough, Innovative Superagent Emerges as King of the Hollywood Deal
"He is neither director nor star but a dealmeister extraordinaire, a Lubitsch not of film but of finances, who in November brokered the sale of Universal Studios' brand equity along with the King Kong ride, Bruce the shark, publishing Putnam Berkley Group and MCA's mat-balck skyscraper to the Japanese electronics giant Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. for $6.9 billion."
This article first appeared in People Magazine in 1990. Click here for the full text.
"He is neither director nor star but a dealmeister extraordinaire, a Lubitsch not of film but of finances, who in November brokered the sale of Universal Studios' brand equity along with the King Kong ride, Bruce the shark, publishing Putnam Berkley Group and MCA's mat-balck skyscraper to the Japanese electronics giant Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. for $6.9 billion."
This article first appeared in People Magazine in 1990. Click here for the full text.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Michael Ovitz on Michael Crichton, and the Flags of Their Dreams
Mike Ovitz was featured in this article appearing recently in the L.A. Times. The article concerns the Christie's sale of Jasper Johns flags owned by several prominent collectors, including Michael Crichton.
Read the full article here.
Michael Ovitz has one. David Geffen has another. Eli Broad has a couple. Just what is it about Jasper Johns's early 'Flag' paintings that make some blue-chip
collectors seem so, well, patriotic?
Read the full article here.
Tourette Syndrome Association Fundraiser - Michael Ovitz home
"The Tourette Syndrome Association would like to express its sincerest thanks to Mr. Michael Ovitz, for opening his new home and underwriting a remarkable fundraising reception benefitting the TSA on June 3, 2010. Perched high atop Beverly Hills, with sweeping views of Century City in the distance, the very modern, multi level house contains a number of professionally created galleries exhibiting a significant part of Mr. Ovitz’ vast, world class contemporary art collection. In addition to the galleries, every room, as well as the surrounding perfectly manicured property, houses unique masterpieces and sculptors."
Read the full article here.
Read the full article here.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Creative Artists Agency in a Push to Expand Its Reach - NY Times
Recent article regarding efforts of Creative Artists Agency to expand its domain into new business ventures:
"For Mr. Lourd and his associates, a group of whom bought Creative Artists from its co-founders, and Ron Meyer, in 1995, the challenge has been to keep their company from becoming a gilded cage that might shrink if it failed to connect with a larger business world."
Read the article here.
"For Mr. Lourd and his associates, a group of whom bought Creative Artists from its co-founders, and Ron Meyer, in 1995, the challenge has been to keep their company from becoming a gilded cage that might shrink if it failed to connect with a larger business world."
Read the article here.
Stephen M. Rivers dies at 55; Hollywood publicist and political activist
Michael Ovitz statement regarding the passing of Stephen Rivers, as quoted in the L.A. Times:
"I visited Stephen only a few days ago, and he looked and acted extremely well considered his condition, so I was absolutely shocked by the very sad news. We worked side by side for five years together, and not only was he the most wonderful person to be around, he became a trusted advisor and a friend of the family. He handled his duties with the most extraordinary grace and professionalism at all times. His even temperament was a great asset to [Creative Artists Agency] and to me. He will be deeply missed."
Read the full article here.
"I visited Stephen only a few days ago, and he looked and acted extremely well considered his condition, so I was absolutely shocked by the very sad news. We worked side by side for five years together, and not only was he the most wonderful person to be around, he became a trusted advisor and a friend of the family. He handled his duties with the most extraordinary grace and professionalism at all times. His even temperament was a great asset to [Creative Artists Agency] and to me. He will be deeply missed."
Read the full article here.
The Buzz in Basel: Art, Alive and Well and Selling Briskly
Click here to read the recent New York Times article regarding the annual art auction in Basel, Switzerland, attended by Michael Ovitz.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Charlie Rose - An hour with Michael Ovitz about the Entertainment Industry
On January 23, 2002, Charlie Rose sat down with Michael Ovitz to discuss his career, CAA, and the entertainment industry. A fascinating window into the inner-workings of Hollywood examined with the characteristic journalistic rigor Charlie Rose is famous for. View Michael Ovitz's guest page here, including his bio, and watch the video here. If you encounter any difficulty, the video can also be viewed at google videos, click here to access. Will also embed separately.
Michael Ovitz on Michael Crichton, and the Jasper Johns flags of their dreams - L.A. Times
"Michael Ovitz has one. David Geffen has another. Eli Broad has a couple. Just what is it about Jasper John's early 'Flag' paintings that make some blue-chip collectors seem so, well, patriotic?
Read the full L.A. Times article here, as appeared on May 11, 2010.
Read the full L.A. Times article here, as appeared on May 11, 2010.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Micheal Ovitz Biography
MICHAEL OVITZ
Over the past forty years, Michael Ovitz has been involved in a wide variety of activities in the worlds of entertainment, advertising, finance, business and philanthropy. He began his entertainment career
prior to graduating from UCLA, as a tour guide at Universal Studios. He later started in the mailroom of the William Morris Agency, soon became a highly successful TV agent there before leaving with four
colleagues to found CAA.
Ovitz co-founded Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 1975 and served as its Chairman until 1995. Over that 20-year period, he grew the agency from a start-up organization to the world's leading talent agency, representing more than 1,000 of the most notable actors, directors, musicians, screenwriters and other personalities in the entertainment industry. While at CAA, Mr. Ovitz was known for assembling "package deals", wherein CAA would utilize its talent base to provide directors, actors and screenwriters to a studio, thus shifting the
negotiating leverage from the studios to the talent.
Ovitz expanded the purview of the agency by moving into such activities as corporate consulting, investment banking and advertising. He helped negotiate such transactions as Matsushita's acquisition of MCA/Universal, the financial rescue of MGM/United Artists, and Sony's acquisition of Columbia Pictures. He shook up the advertising industry by winning Coca-Cola's global advertising account in 1991. Mr. Ovitz also served as President of the Walt Disney Company, from October 1995 to January 1997.
In January of 1999, he launched a related family of talent management, motion picture and television production companies. Since selling those companies in 2002, he has remained involved in a limited number of film and videogame projects, while devoting the bulk of his time to investing in startup technology and media companies, real estate and other ventures.
Ovitz has also served as a member of the Board of Directors for J. Crew Group Inc., Gulfstream Aviation and Opsware. He served as Chairman of the Executive Board of the UCLA Hospital and Medical Center and headed up the Capital Campaign to raise money for their new hospital, designed by I.M. Pei. He also served on the Executive Advisory Board of the Pediatric AIDS Foundation, the Board of Directors of D.A.R.E. America, and the National Board of Advisors for the Children's Scholarship Fund. He is currently involved in numerous cultural and charitable activities He currently sits on the boards of both the Museum of Modern Art and the Council on Foreign Relations.
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Over the past forty years, Michael Ovitz has been involved in a wide variety of activities in the worlds of entertainment, advertising, finance, business and philanthropy. He began his entertainment career
prior to graduating from UCLA, as a tour guide at Universal Studios. He later started in the mailroom of the William Morris Agency, soon became a highly successful TV agent there before leaving with four
colleagues to found CAA.
Ovitz co-founded Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 1975 and served as its Chairman until 1995. Over that 20-year period, he grew the agency from a start-up organization to the world's leading talent agency, representing more than 1,000 of the most notable actors, directors, musicians, screenwriters and other personalities in the entertainment industry. While at CAA, Mr. Ovitz was known for assembling "package deals", wherein CAA would utilize its talent base to provide directors, actors and screenwriters to a studio, thus shifting the
negotiating leverage from the studios to the talent.
Ovitz expanded the purview of the agency by moving into such activities as corporate consulting, investment banking and advertising. He helped negotiate such transactions as Matsushita's acquisition of MCA/Universal, the financial rescue of MGM/United Artists, and Sony's acquisition of Columbia Pictures. He shook up the advertising industry by winning Coca-Cola's global advertising account in 1991. Mr. Ovitz also served as President of the Walt Disney Company, from October 1995 to January 1997.
In January of 1999, he launched a related family of talent management, motion picture and television production companies. Since selling those companies in 2002, he has remained involved in a limited number of film and videogame projects, while devoting the bulk of his time to investing in startup technology and media companies, real estate and other ventures.
Ovitz has also served as a member of the Board of Directors for J. Crew Group Inc., Gulfstream Aviation and Opsware. He served as Chairman of the Executive Board of the UCLA Hospital and Medical Center and headed up the Capital Campaign to raise money for their new hospital, designed by I.M. Pei. He also served on the Executive Advisory Board of the Pediatric AIDS Foundation, the Board of Directors of D.A.R.E. America, and the National Board of Advisors for the Children's Scholarship Fund. He is currently involved in numerous cultural and charitable activities He currently sits on the boards of both the Museum of Modern Art and the Council on Foreign Relations.
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