Golden Globe 2012: The Party List

Michael Ovitz was recently featured in this The Hollywood Reporter article, Golden Globe 2012: The Party List.  Ovitz was said to be making an appearance at the Rosa Loy Art Opening Private Dinner at the Michael Kohn Gallery, no surprise considering that in addition to his extensive background in entertainment, he is also one of the biggest art collectors in the world.  According to THR, 'the Gagosian gallery has been doing this for years during Oscars week.  Now the Kohn Gallery is doing it for Globes week: have a bit opening dinner while all the heavy hitters are in town for an awards night.'


Meanwhile we're wondering how many celebs were wearing dresses by fashion designer Kimberly Ovitz, daughter of Michael Ovitz.


Read the full article in The Hollywood Reporter here.

Follow Michael Ovitz on Facebook

As Facebook announces its upcoming IPO it seems apropos to remind our audience of the Michael Ovitz Public Profile Page on Facebook.  'Like' Michael Ovitz on Facebook to receive updates on latest news and articles.  Mr. Ovitz's Facebook Public Profile includes biography, links, and other valuable information for keeping up to date his activities.


Pictured in the photo, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, right, chats with Michael Ovitz at the annual Allen & Co.'s media summit in Sun Valley, Idaho, Friday, July 10, 2009.


Click here to visit the Michael Ovitz Facebook Public Profile.

Michael Ovitz Toasts N.Y. Giants at Lavo

Michael Ovitz toasted the Super Bowl bound New York Giants at Lavo on East 58th Street on Tuesday night according to this article in the NY Post.  Ovitz was dining with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell when punter Steve Weatherford, running back Brandon Jacobs, and linebacker Zak DeOssie took over the dining room with chanting, prompting Ovitz to send a round of drinks to the rowdy group.

Read the full story here in the NY Post.

Michael Ovitz and architect Michael Maltzan

Michael Maltzan, the architect of Michael Ovitz's home, was recently featured in Metropolis Magazine's January 25th article, Game Changer, detailing Maltzan's work for the homeless in Los Angeles as a new paradigm for social housing.  The architect's work, 'marked by an attentiion to fluidity, to the ways people move in and out of spaces,' is renowned in Los Angeles.

W Magazine also covered the Michael Ovitz and Michael Maltzan partnership, as we have featured here before.  Click here to read that article, The Client Whisperer.

Michael Ovitz quoted in Chase Carey Article

Michael Ovitz was widely quoted yesterday in this N.Y. Times article, Murdoch's Trusted Advisor Takes a Larger Role, regarding Chase Carey, News Corporation’s president and chief operating officer:


“Chase is one of those people with no fear,” said Michael Ovitz, co-founder of the Creative Artists Agency. “He’ll say, ‘This is what’s good for you. And this is what’s bad for you.’ That’s hard to do when you’re dealing with a founder and patriarch.”

Read the full article, Murdoch's Trusted Advisor Takes a Larger Role.

Also covered here in the NY Times Media Decoder.

Michael Ovitz and Michael Voltaggio Partner in Ink

Michael Ovitz's partnership with Top Chef winner Michael Voltaggio in the Melrose Avenue restaurant ink. has already resulted in great critical reviews and month-out reservations.  L.A. Times food critic S. Irene Virbila calls Voltaggio's cooking 'cutting-edge cuisine that is exciting and very much the chef's unique vision', describing one dish as 'revelatory', another 'subtle and beautiful; a third 'playful and fun'.

"His cooking is at the very top of my list," Ovitz says.

The restaurant, described by Virbila as 'a casual place with a cosy, but edgy decor', features artwork from Ovitz's extensive collection hanging in the Cliff Fong-designed dining room.

Interested in learning more about Michael Voltaggio?  If you watched Season 6 of Bravo's Top Chef, you know his brother Bryan is also an accomplished chef.  This USA Today article, 'Voltaggio Brothers:  Different Routes to the Same Path' details their rise into high cuisine.

"Their differences made for great television: Bryan's clean-cut looks versus Michael's wrist-to-shoulder tattoos; Bryan's methodical presentation of sardine fillet on potato and juniper-sauced venison alongside Michael's gutsy cream of dehydrated broccoli and fennel-scented squab with textures of mushroom. If Bryan was smoldering, Michael was a house on fire.

But heat — whether in embers or flame — is what unites them. Dig beneath their apparent differences, and what emerges is much more impressive: their similarities.

"They're more similar," says celebrated chef and restaurateur Charlie Palmer, who is a mentor to both Voltaggios. "They were always stand-out guys in terms of determination. They always had great imaginations. They were always pushing the boundaries. They never settled for 'It's OK.'""


Click here to read the article in its entirety.  To read S. Irene Virbila's review of ink., click here.

Kimberly Ovitz Interviewed by The Icon Concierge

Fashion Designer Kimberly Ovitz, daughter of Michael Ovitz, was recently interviewed by the The Icon Concierge in this article, excerpted below:

"Kimberly Ovitz is a young Los Angeles designer who has branded her unique ability to perfectly trace the female form into a profitable business. With fans ranging from young Hollywood to trendy socialites, she manages to stay above the norm by impressing her unique spin on raw materials and proprietary fabrics.

Founded in 2009, Kimberly Ovitz launched her namesake collection after attending Brown University and hasn’t looked back since. While she’s deep in design mode for her next presentation, she took a quick break to talk to The Icon Concierge about her latest Spring and Resort collections. Read on for my interview below and pics from her line. She’s sure to be the next big name in American fashion."

Click here to read the entire interview and view the great photos of Kimberly Ovitz' latest line.

Viddy COO Chris Ovitz Interview with The Daily Dose

Chris Ovitz, son of Michael Ovitz, was recently interviewed by The Daily Dose about Viddy, a "social mobile application that enables users to shoot, jazz up and share 15-second video clips using visual effects similar to an Instagram filter that's often used in photography. The app is social, so users can add titles, tags and geographic locations with Foursquare and share videos through Viddy's network, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr or embed them on websites." Chris Ovitz is COO of the Venice, CA based company. Below is the transcript of the interview; read the full article here.


How can entrepreneurs use Viddy to expand their brand?
As a tool, Viddy offers to help entrepreneurs tell a story about their companies, which can help them connect with customers. Adding video to any social presence gives the audience a closer look and a more genuine connection to the brand.

With so many competing applications, how does Viddy stand out?
Viddy has successfully partnered with a number of influencers and brands from Incubus, and Snoop Dogg to the Muppets and Movember. We make branded/themed production packs -- which may include an instrumental soundtrack or, in the case of Snoop Dogg, a smoky haze layer -- that consumers use to look as though they're starring in a video with their favorite celeb. These influencers also use the application to make their own videos. And since Viddy-powered content is branded and showcased through Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube, we're able to capture greater visibility for our brand. Some influencers and celebrity users create short-form content exclusively for Viddy. They use it as an engagement tool for their fan bases, which in turn drives activity and users back to us.

What are creative examples of how you've used social media to drive engagement?
Since launching, we've run a number of initiatives within the Viddy community, and some even happen without Team Viddy. The first would be the #Mailboxing meme that started over the summer, where "Viddy-ographers" were putting their heads in mailboxes and shooting 15-second videos. Since then, thousands of #Mailboxing Viddys have been created by hundreds of our users from around the world. The Muppets came to Viddy in November, close to the release date of the new movie The Muppets. The 10 Muppet-themed custom character packs give people the opportunity to shoot a Viddy, and have their favorite character join them -- whether it's dancing with Miss Piggy, laughing with Kermit the frog or just hanging out with Fozzie Bear. So far, thousands of these Muppets Viddys were created and shared on Viddy, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube. Then, most recently, former New York Giants defensive end, Michael Strahan whipped up his own Viddys. Dubbed #StrayDay, Strahan made a few hundred personalized Viddys that were distributed through his network of over 600,000 followers.

What advice can you give entrepreneurs to build their brands' social-media presence and following?
Getting involved in the conversation is key. Without joining in, you'll never be noticed.