Michael Ovitz
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Bibliography
Notes
"It's hard to articulate where our management philosophy comes from. Most of it comes from basic experience and studies that I've been involved with through my formative years in high school and college. In student government in high school, I learned how to deal with people, and in college I studied Eastern philosophy. I'm also an avid team-sports fan. I think I just blended them all together and came out with a business management philosophy that combines the Eastern ethic with the Western sport concept, basically. I've tried to create an environment here where everyone's on the same team." --Michael Ovitz in NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE, July 9, 1989
"He's a cross between a barracuda and Mother Teresa." --Paul Newman
Biography
Sometimes referred to as the "most powerful man in Hollywood," Ovitz began his career as a tour guide at Universal Studios in the 1960s, trained as an agent (literally working his way up from the mailroom) at the William Morris Agency and left briefly to study law before returning to William Morris. He then co-founded the phenomenally successful and powerful Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 1975, and shortly after became chairman of the board. (Ovitz owned just over half the company.)
By the late 1980s, CAA had acquired a client list of some 150 directors, 130 actors and 250 writers--all the top of their fields--enabling Ovitz and his company to exert a dominant influence on major Hollywood productions. CAA clients have included Michael Apted, Alec Baldwin, Warren Beatty, Jane Campion, Mariah Carey, Cher, Glenn Close, Sean Connery, Kevin Costner, Michael Crichton, Tom Cruise, Robert De Niro, Jonathan Demme, Herbie Hancock, Ron Howard, Lauren Hutton, Michael and Janet Jackson, Stephen King, David Letterman, Madonna, Paul Newman, Al Pacino, Martin Scorsese, Neil Simon, Wesley Snipes and Steven Spielberg.
The power began to accrue in the late 70s when, having solidified its place in TV, CAA launched an effective campaign on film by breaking the (unwritten) law of the "package deal." Acceptable, even conventional, for TV production, agency package deals were more or less uncharted territory for film since, from the late teens through the early 60s, the studios (through their contracted producers) handled the assembling of projects. But the collapse of the studio system left this crucial aspect of movies in a vulnerable (and, thus, exploitable) state.
CAA, by providing directors, actors and screenwriters--all in one shot--essentially fulfilled this function. (Though similar to the traditional "package deal," CAA's service is different because the agency does not receive a fee for the actual "packaging"--just the usual agents' percentage of the clients' salaries.) The company built its impressive clientele in two ways: first on a particularly firm base of leading screenwriters who create the material product (the actual screenplay) which in turn attracts the top echelon of actors and directors to the project, and secondly by virtually assuring steady work for its own clients through these "unofficial" package deals.
Thus, because they represented so many major talents, CAA and Ovitz commanded large salaries for their stars and, through insisting (or not) on packages, set a film into production. Ovitz sat atop Hollywood, with the power to grant or deny any number of major talents to producers as small as New York independents and as big as entire studios. And as his deal-making propensities moved increasingly into technology and advertising in the 1990s, Ovitz found increasingly broad-based opportunities for corporate deal-making.
After much speculation that he would assume the presidency of MCA when Edgar Bronfman Jr. bought that company, Ovitz surprised many in Hollywood by accepting Michael Eisner's offer to become president of the Walt Disney Company effective October 1, 1995. After spending a tumultuous year as he number two man at Disney, he announced his resignation effective January 31, 1997. His stint at the studio had been subjected to extremely close scrutiny by the media and Hollywood insiders. Reportedly, Ovitz, who had gone from being his own boss to reporting to Eisner, felt frustrated by his role with the company, particularly as the exact definition of his duties remained vague. He often clashed with industry figures, particularly other Disney executives. Rumors of his departure swirled for months before Ovitz announced his resignation, although he will serve as a consultant for an undefined period of time. His severance package was valued somewhere between $90 million and $130 million.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Special Thanks (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Life Events
1953
Family moved from Chicago to Encino, California
1975
Fired from William Morris; set up Creative Artists Agency (CAA) with Ron Meyer, Michael Rosenfeld, William Haber and Rowland Perkins
1990
Acted as consultant/broker in Matsushita buyout of Lew Wasserman's MCA
1991
Hired by Coca-Cola to help with its global marketing, advertising and image (August)
1995
Left CAA to become president of the Walt Disney Company
1996
Announced his resignation from Disney effective January 31, 1997
1998
Announced partnership with Glimcher Realty Trust, a mall developer
1998
In April, purchased a 12 percent stake in Livent, Inc; named as chair of the executive committee and signed two-year advisory agreement
1998
Went into partnership with Rick Yorn and Julie Silverman Yorn to create new talent venture, Artists Management Group (AMG)
1999
Formed TV production company, Artists Television Group, an offshoot of AMG, with programs to be distributed by Columbia TriStar Television Group; Dismantled ATG in 2001
2000
Signed production deal with Studio Canal to produce 15 films over three years; estimated at a value of $900 million
2002
The joint venture between APG and Studio Canal ended
2002
Former employee Cathy Schulman filed suit against Ovitz
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
"It's hard to articulate where our management philosophy comes from. Most of it comes from basic experience and studies that I've been involved with through my formative years in high school and college. In student government in high school, I learned how to deal with people, and in college I studied Eastern philosophy. I'm also an avid team-sports fan. I think I just blended them all together and came out with a business management philosophy that combines the Eastern ethic with the Western sport concept, basically. I've tried to create an environment here where everyone's on the same team." --Michael Ovitz in NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE, July 9, 1989
"He's a cross between a barracuda and Mother Teresa." --Paul Newman
In January 1999, Ovitz announced plans to donate $25 million to his alma mater UCLA to replace or repair its earthquake-damaged health sciences campus.
In July 2002, Ovitz made the controversial statement in VANITY FAIR that the downfall of his company was the result of being victimized by Hollywood's "gay mafia"
