Michael Ovitz on Michael Crichton and the flags of their dreams

Now that the recent public exhibition in New York of Michael Crichton's art collection has ended, one of the best ways to get a sense of the scope of the collection is by watching this video, viewable on Christie's website. The L.A. Times also weighed in on the Jasper Johns flags in particular, detailed in this post.

"Best-selling author and screenwriter, film director and producer, Michael Crichton is renowned for his scientific thrillers such as The Andromeda Strain and Jurassic Park, and for creating the television series ER. Crichton is also acknowledged as a leading authority on the American artist Jasper Johns and as an important collector of 20th Century art. In this video, Christie’s Deputy Chairman of Post-War & Contemporary Art, Brett Gorvy, joins Sherri Crichton, Michael Ovitz and Ken Tyler in sharing a personal exploration of Crichton as a collector."

Read the full L.A. Times article here.

Michael Ovitz Museum of Broadcast Communications Biography

Click here to read the Michael Ovitz MBC biography.

The Museum of Broadcast Communications is an Illinois non-profit whose mission is to collect, preserve, and present historic and contemporary radio and television content as well as educate, inform, and entertain the pbulic through its archives, public programs, screenings, and so forth.

The MBC includes biographies of all major communications figures, including Michael Ovitz. His biography is available for viewing here.

Michael Ovitz - UPI photos and news

UPI (United Press International) has a great photo of Michael Ovitz sitting with Jack Nicholson, his longtime buddy Lou Adler, and director James L. Brooks during the 4th quarter of a Lakers - Clippers game. The Clippers eventually prevailed, possibly explaining Jack's expression?

Have a look at the UPI page here, containing news, photos, and other relevant information.

Michael Ovitz - Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica's online foray includes an interesting article on Michael Ovitz.

"Thanks to Ovitz’s knack for hustling up clients, CAA was quickly transformed into arguably the most prominent talent agency, and Ovitz became known as the most powerful man in Hollywood. Through the company, Ovitz promoted and profited from such clients as Madonna, Bill Murray, Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, and David Letterman. As Letterman’s agent, Ovitz negotiated in 1993 an unprecedented three-year, $42 million contract for the talk-show host to leave his late-night program at NBC for a show scheduled one hour earlier on CBS."

Read the full article here.

Michael Ovitz: People Magazine

Mike Ovitz was featured in this 1990 People Magazine article. Among the article's highlights is an impressive - albeit abbreviated - list of the actors and directors Michael Ovitz has represented over the duration of his career:

"...the 44-year-old superagent who. as chairman of Creative Artists Agency, has assembled an unparalleled stable of actors, directors and screenwriters. Among them: Madonna, Kevin Costner, Barbra Streisand, Steven Spielberg, Sylvester Stallone, Cher and Ovitz's former aikido instructor, Steven Seagal.

Much of Ovitz's most-powerful-man rep still comes from "packaging" clients-actors, directors and writers—to make films like GoodFellas..."

Read the full article here.

Michael Ovitz Zimbio Page

Zimbio now features a number of different items on Michael Ovitz, from photos to video, and includes articles from this blog. There is a comprehensive link area that you might enjoy, and a great slideshow of images. Michael Ovitz' daughter Kimberly's fashion line is also featured, certainly of interest to the more sartorially inclined among us.

Check out the Mike Ovitz Zimbio page here.

Media Moguls Descend upon Sun Valley

Great inside scoop (and photos) covering the Allen & Co. Media Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. The guest list is an extraordinary whos who of business and high society, from Rupert Murdoch to Diane Von Furstenburg. The only apparent no-show was last years guest speaker, NBA basketball sensation LeBron James.

Michael Ovitz was also present at the event, the focus of which appears to be how to better monetize digital and online product as the television and film industry absorbs the financial impact of changing technology.

Auletta told The Hollywood Reporter that he expects most content giants to look more aggressively at ways to make money from paid content in the digital world, even though News Corp. chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch has been the most vocal about paywalls online.

Among other planned panels are a discussion on the fast-evolving science of the brain and a session on the world economy and overseas business opportunities. There's also a panel on cities and the issues facing them that is likely to feature New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.

Read the full article here.

Michael Ovitz: Ad Age History

AdAge.com, a Marketing history Reference Resource, features a Mike Ovitz entry detailing the significance of his Matsushita and Sony media merger deals as well as the specific impact of his Coca Cola deal with CAA:

"Ovitz personally changed film industry dynamics in 1990 by brokering huge sudio mergers for Japan's Matsushita and Sony... He rocked the advertising world by signing Coca-Cola, ostensibly for marketing and media aid..."

Read the full article here.

Magic Johnson's Fast Break Into Business

Great recent article in Success Magazine regarding Mike Ovitz mentoring Magic Johnson:

"Magic Johnson was in the seventh year of his Hall of Fame career when thoughts of his basketball afterlife led him to the office of uber-executive Michael Ovitz, co-founder of Creative Artists Agency, Hollywood's most powerful agency..."

Read the full article here.