Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Hollywood practitioners usually like to talk about themselves very much. But for 42-year-old Michael S. Ovitz, he is an exception.

As president of the wildly successful Creative Artists Agency (CAA), he never gives interviews. Only a handful of industry insiders are willing to talk about him, and few are willing to reveal their identities. Those who have steadfastly declined to comment include some of the most powerful and respected figures in the film industry. "

On Sunday morning, a report titled "Ovitz—Hollywood's Most Mysterious Agent" appeared on a prominent page in the New York Times.

The photo in the title picture is the only one Ovitz has not purchased the copyright for. The one where he was very proud when being thanked by actor Dustin Hoffman at the Oscars. Smiling photos.

Ovitz, who usually practices Aikido every morning, finished his morning classes with his former bodyguard, Aikido master Steven Seagal, and was enjoying breakfast in the Japanese garden when he saw himself Photo.

The relaxed and happy smile after practicing Aikido quickly disappeared from Ovitz's face. Because this photo was widely disseminated on public television and had reached the public dissemination, it naturally lost certain important portrait rights clauses. .

For example, if a news outlet wants to quote this photo to identify the subject of the report, it does not need to obtain Ovitz's permission in advance.

"Daxmn it!" Ovitz cursed. At that time, Dustin Hoffman didn't know what the evil was, so he had to thank himself...

"We called veteran producer Ray Stack's office and were informed that Mr. Stack would discuss Michael Ovitz only after the CAA office approved the interview. A spokesman for former NBC chairman Grant Tinkle said , Mr. Tinkel would not comment, consistent with a spokesman for Michael D. Eisner, chairman and chief executive of The Walt Disney Company.

Eisner was a long-time friend of Ovitz, but he devised a strategy of casting his films with actors whose careers were temporarily in the doldrums, effectively breaking CAA's stranglehold on production costs. "

As he continued to read, Ovitz couldn't help but start talking dirty again. Eisner, a bastard, said he didn't comment, so what did he say after that?

Fortunately, these sideline comments are unlikely to shake my foundation. After a while, I will still cause serious trouble for this reporter from the New York Times. Ovitz glanced at the author's name under the title. It was not signed as a New York Times reporter, but he must have been a so-called special commentator.

Looking further down, Ovitz can no longer remain calm...

“In 1985, Frank Price, then chairman of MCA Film Group (Universal’s parent company), decided to produce a comedy film developed by production director Ivan Reitman. The film project was later named For the French Open, the script is written by Jim Cash and Jake Epps II, who are also clients of CAA. Price plans to invest approximately $25 million on the film. In addition to CAA clients Dustin After Hoffman withdrew, CAA client Robert Redford played the leading role.

CAA took over the entire production team and recommended Debra Winger as the heroine. According to Price, lead actor Redford received $5 million; lead actress Winger received $2.5 million; director Reitman received approximately $2.5 million; and the writing team received $750,000.

Finally, the French Open Condor is believed to have cost $32 million in the end and performed poorly at the box office. (When all creators come from one agency, you're asked to make a lot of compromises.)

But Ovitz and his agency made substantial commissions from the film. Debra Winger also left Ovitz because she felt hurt by being treated like a commodity rather than an artist.

In today's Hollywood, if you want your career to thrive, don't cross Michael Ovitz. One agent said: I have never seen such an atmosphere of fear in this city. "

With a whoosh, Ovitz jumped up from his chair. He wiped his glasses and read the title of this article again... Yes, it was indeed a report about himself. The biggest one on the title occupied the entire page. The word in the entire line is OVITZ in capital letters.

Who is trying to mess with me? Even the most secret internal figures have been revealed. Frank Price, you bastard, how dare you release this kind of information to the media? Aren't I just doing a little favor for your Jewish competitors? Do you want everyone to perish together?

"Judy, Judy...ho ho..." Ovitz called his wife loudly.

"Dear, what's wrong with you?" Judy came over and saw Ovitz holding on to the chair of the breakfast table, gasping for air, as if he had difficulty breathing, and suddenly panicked. "I'll call 911..."

"Don't move...ho...ho..." Ovitz grabbed his wife's hand with surprising strength, "Don't call, get my tie and coat, and then drive me to the office...here Very important……"

The content of Frank Price's interview can be said to have completely torn apart the ruthless and domineering approach of Ovitz's CAA in the Hollywood business. Whether it is producers or celebrities in the industry who are too angry to speak out, they will all have problems after getting the news.

Again, knowing that everyone was exploited by Ovitz is not the same as knowing that everyone knows about it.

Originally, Ovitz didn't go to the office on Sunday morning, so the driver didn't wait at home. When Judy drove over and Ovitz sat in the car and continued reading this report, calls started coming from all directions. coming.

The callers were all direct subordinates of CAA Ovitz. They were so panicked that they reported everything that happened in the chaotic office building.

The first type of people who call or come to the scene are screenwriters, directors, and actor clients. Originally, the remuneration of these people was kept secret from each other, but this report directly exposed the remuneration ratio of the "French Open Condor".

The top star, Robert Redford, received a salary of 5 million, which is a price that everyone knows and no one disputes. But Debra Winger's $2.5 million broke the rules. You know, last year's best actress Jodie Foster only had a salary of less than one million.

When will a female star get half the salary of a male actor? Moreover, Debra Winger is not the only heroine in "French Condor". The one who really made a difference with Robert Redford was Daryl Hannah who played "Wall Street".

Director Reitman's salary of 2.5 million is too exaggerated. It is difficult for a Czech director who only serves as a director and is not involved in the production business to get a salary comparable to that of a second-tier male star.

What frightened Ovitz even more was the second group of people who called, Wall Street bankers.

Most major Hollywood studios have long lost the ability to rely on their own box office to invest in movies. All major productions require Wall Street funding.

And these investors' understanding of Hollywood is no better than that of fans who buy "Hollywood Report" on the street.

CAA's strategy of using celebrities to package its products is very attractive to investors who only know the names of a few celebrities.

Would you like to invest in a movie starring Tom Cruise and Paul Newman? As long as we invest in CAA, what's there to talk about with the studio? Without us, no one would be able to get the schedules of these stars.

But these things that are firmly believed by bankers and investors, and are also the basis for CAA to implement their package deal, are ruthlessly questioned by this report today.

The more Ovitz read the newspaper in the back seat of the car, the more he felt that the report was entirely directed at him.

"French Condor" is not the first time Ovitz-led CAA has exerted pressure on a film, or even an entire studio. During David Putnam's brief tenure as head of Columbia Pictures, Ovitz successfully ruled out The determined British producer (producer of Chariots of Fire) has no involvement in Ghostbusters II. The rights to film the sequel are actually a significant asset of Columbia."

This paragraph has vividly described Ovitz's face of coercing the CEO of a major studio like Columbia through his monopoly on stars.

If it were The Hollywood Reporter who wrote about Ovitz this way, he wouldn't think it was a big deal. Many ignorant readers and moviegoers believed this report and believed that Ovitz was the greatest and most powerful person in Hollywood. This urban legend is actually good for Ovitz's business.

But this report happened to be published in a serious media like the New York Times. This is not a media that can be ignored. Wall Street bankers all have their own information channels. As long as they verify, they will know how much money was exploited by CAA.

You know, it was still an iron rule in Hollywood before CAA that movies should not be packaged, because this would seriously interfere with the casting and shooting of the movie, reduce the quality of the movie and the box office. It's just that I took advantage of the information gap to bully these new capitals, and I didn't know the old rules of Hollywood.

When he arrived at the office, Ovitz was already surrounded by a large group of "young Turks". He looked around and saw that these young agents were originally taken advantage of by him because they were not experienced in the world, were driven and ambitious, and lacked a platform other than CAA. Only then can they be trained into an iron sales force that can attack cities and strongholds.

But today, the way their eyes looked at him seemed to lack a lot of respect and fear, and a lot more eagerness to settle accounts with themselves.

"What are you still doing here? Go call your clients, chat with them, use your lying ability, and never let them think of changing jobs..." Ovitz waved his hand suddenly and shouted, Let these young people maintain good customer relationships no matter what.

"Come on, Ron." Ovitz and his partner Ron Meyer entered the office to discuss.

"What's going on, Ron? Why is there this report? How do you monitor the media?" Ovitz ignored his own demeanor and yelled at Meyer as soon as he entered the door.

"This is your own negligence, Michael. This reporter once called you to check before publishing, but you rejected him yourself." Ron Meyer threw a record on Ovitz's desk. , "Here are the phone records. You clearly told the secretary to ignore him - originally we still had a chance to speak out and we would not be so passive."

As he spoke, Meyer picked up the New York Times report and pointed to the lines he had marked with a highlighter:

"Ovitz's close involvement was not necessary for the film to be profitable. For example, some of the most commercially successful directors were Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Ronald Lee. Indiana Jones III "Top Gun" did use some CA clients, but not many. In "Top Gun", except for Tom Cruise, most of them were clients of the other two major agency companies. Doing Business in Hollywood It's possible without running into Michael Ovitz, but it's difficult."

"Oh..." Ovitz was so angry that he could hardly speak. This is to draw out the fire under the cauldron!

The purpose of this article is extremely precise, and the language is interesting. Reading it is like reading a Sherlock Holmes detective novel, analyzing it piece by piece, peeling off the secrets of CAA's previous success, and slowly revealing it to Wall Street's financial backers.

The main point of the article is clear. Ovitz is a villain who can make big movies, but he may not necessarily be a box office hit. These advantages are all unequal treaties that he took advantage of the studio's weakness in the past ten years, used the star contracts in his hands to coerce and induce, and forced the CEOs of the studio who wanted good-looking financial statements to sign.

However, CAA's success rate may not be higher than that of directors and producers who have a pulse on the market. They are the core and key figures in this industry who bring money.

Rather than investing in CAA's projects and letting them exploit a high salary, plus a rigid 5% packaging fee for the first-place dividend, known as the "Ovitz tax", it is better to invest directly in those systems. The filmmakers and director are doing well.

Finally, the core secret of why CAA was able to sign so many stars was casually announced by the article.

Since the 1980s, the Hollywood market has not grown, and the overall box office market has been on a downward trend. Many celebrities let their contracts be handled by lawyers. In this way, what they lack most is the level to decide the script.

Ovitz relied on signing screenwriters and then bringing in directors and stars. The agency industry relies on some core industry knowledge and close relationships with stars and producers.

This article publicized Ovitz's domineering side to everyone in the United States, so that both the stars and the producers knew that everyone also resented this Hollywood bully king. In this way, two large brokerage companies, William Morris and ICM, will soon use this report to poach people.

"Did you read that report? Come to us, we will tailor-make a script for you, instead of packaging you into an inappropriate script for them to make money. You didn't think that after the French Open, Deb Has La Winge not been asked to make movies anymore?"

"If you want to be famous in Hollywood, you'd better leave CAA. Unless you are one of the stars who joined CAA very early, CAA will not care about your life or death. What they focus on is only the 5% packaging tax. Although we don’t have the ability to bully the CEOs of major studios like him, we will consider your long-term interests..."

"Michael, it's time for you to reconsider..." Ron Meyer, wearing light-colored Hawaiian-style clothing today, said softly in Ovitz's ear.

"What do you want to do?" Ovitz's eyes shone sharply. This was what he said when he drove away several other co-founders of CAA. He was in the habit of those people who could not work endlessly from nine to nine every week and only had half a day off on Sunday to go to the synagogue. Or they are unwilling to use every possible means like Ovitz to coerce clients or studios to achieve their goals.

He used these two reasons to declare that these companions who betrayed William Morris together were not suitable for CAA's corporate culture, forced them to leave, and took their shares.

"Don't forget you were in Las Vegas and all those slutty parties Ally McGraw threw for you!"

Ovitz showed a fierce look on his face. As the last founding partner of CAA, he could tolerate him still being in the company. In addition to Meyer being more obedient, it was impossible for him not to control the huge gambling debts he owed in Las Vegas. handle.

"What I mean is, it's time to reconcile with your enemies, Michael. No matter how uncomfortable the consequences are, don't forget the desire to dance on the table in order to complete the project." Meyer helped. He adjusted his glasses and seemed not to care about Ovitz's threat to him.

"Do you know who concocted this article?" Ovitz was horrified.

"Isn't this obvious? Look at the names of the three people in this paragraph. Spielberg is not a client of CAA. George Lucas doesn't need us at CAA to help his star clients participate in movies." Meyer's finger was on Luo Nader's name was tapped heavily several times.

"Him? Impossible. He is just thirty years old this year. Where did he come from such a method? Where did he get the power to influence the three serious media. Have you called Disney's Eisner and Universal? Fox and others? I think they are supporting Ronald behind the scenes and causing me trouble."

"Are you sure you want me to call them now? The most important thing now is to eliminate the impact, not to find out who is behind the opponent." Meyer pointed out the window.

Ovitz opened the blinds and followed Meyer's gesture. Dozens of "Young Turks" began to call their customers, begging, threatening, intimidating, or kneeling down to make them Customers should not be affected by the comments generated by this article.

But in the eyes of these young people, there is no longer the enthusiasm and confidence in the past. Instead, there is a bit more fatigue, regret, and resentment... Resentment is the most terrifying thing. Ovitz saw a few eyes directed at him and quickly turned his eyes. The shutters closed again.

If we delay for another hour now, the solid foundation of CAA will start to crumble in another hour. At this time, some drastic measures must be taken to stabilize the situation first.

Ovitz regained his composure and asked Meyer to contact a reporter from the New York Times to write a response article as soon as possible.

Then the two quickly discussed some bottom lines for concessions, which studios should offer better terms, and which ones could be left alone. Which celebrities should be attracted with better conditions, and which ones can be kicked away...

In the end, Ovitz asked Meyer to go out first, and he had to swallow the worst bitter pill by himself, surrendering to a young man like Ronald.

"Hey, Niceta, is there any misunderstanding between Ronald and me this time? Why would he concoct this article to attack his agency? Well, is it him? He was involved, right?"

Ovitz was still a little unconvinced, but Niceta's quick reply shattered his illusions.

"He's waiting for your call, Michael. If you don't hurry up, he's going to get on a plane."

"I'll fight right away..."

"Beep...beep..."

The phone was connected, "I'm Ronald." The confident and young voice on the other side of the phone came over.

"Ronald, I'm Ovitz, what do you want?" Ovitz couldn't help but feel a sense of discomfort and humiliation, a feeling that he had experienced less and less ten years ago.

"Who is asking for mercy from whom now, Mr. Ovitz? If you want me to stop, you need to carefully consider your offer..." Ronald answered the phone on the business jet with a smile on his face, Ovitz. It is not the best choice for Waits to distance himself from the media in this way. A better choice would be to influence the content of their reports. Of course, it is the bosses like Rupert who own mixed media platforms such as newspapers, TV stations, and movie studios who play the best.

"And your attitude, Ovitz. I'm going to fly to Los Angeles. I'm sure you will have a better offer after I land."

Ronald smiled and hung up the phone, then stopped answering. Now it is Ovitz who needs to take action to stop the second round of attacks. It is best to let him set the price himself. If he opens his mouth, who knows what he would be willing to pay in exchange?

"Ronnie!"

The business jet landed at Burbank Airport. As soon as Ronald got off the plane, Diane rushed forward and leaned into her arms. She held Ronald tightly with both hands and refused to let go.

"What's wrong, Diane?" Ronald felt as if Diane's love for him had deepened.

"I already know that Ovitz and that SJP bitch said bad things about me, so you can help me get revenge. I'm so happy..." Diane rubbed her head in Ronald's arms, "If it wasn't for Ovitz, Wiz called me to apologize, I didn’t know you cared about me so much..."

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