Co-founder of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Michael Ovitz shares his story with us in this memoir. I'd honestly never heard of this guy before but I love any books about the true stories of Hollywood, and this one did not disappoint in depicting the inside scoop on being a successful agent.

It was fascinating to read how Ovitz got his start conducting studio tours, and it was interesting to see how Ovtiz cultivated a tough persona which eventually took over and caused issues for him later on. I enjoyed it for the most part, although the last few chapters were tougher to get through as there was quite a lot of information on various takeovers which isn't as compelling as the film industry. Overall, it's a good read.

Thanks to NetGalley & publishers Penguin Random House UK / Ebury Publishing, for the opportunity to review an ARC.

Man was this book addictive! I think everyone interested in business or running their own business should read this and take notes. Michael Ovitz has an impressive biography and I felt he was inspiring - especially in the way he rebuild his relationship with his partner Ron Meyer. I really enjoyed reading this book from Ovitz's point of view and would recommend to family and friends.

Fabulous. I am a massive fan of anything to do with Hollywood, especially old Hollywood. An interesting and wye opening memoir. Recommended to all film buffs.

Michael Ovitz autobiography is an interesting tale of the heavy hitters of Hollywood and the backstabbing and the lack of human support found within the industry. The book is very well written and at times does get bogged down with too much information when dealing with mergers and buying of corporations. This is an interesting aspect of Ovitz’s story but can be a little labour intensive at times especially in the final third of the book.

The book gives details on the phenomenal career of Orvitz from building CAA which anyone who reads entertainment magazines should know this name. He was one of the charismatic movers and shakers who put packages together for Jurassic Park, Tootsie, Rain Man to name a very few. He was also the agent who steered the careers of Dustin Hoffman, Bill Murray, Cher and multiple others to make them the memorable powerhouses that they are today. He is very professional by not over gravying any dirt about his clients and he is very astute on his observations without being catty.

He does address his personal faults that he believes that he should have addressed which became clearer in hindsight. I admire that he is able to take responsibility for some of his actions but there seems to be a lot of spoiled children gathered around him in the industry. At times, he is a bit hard on himself considering that he was building a company that would benefit everyone. He unfortunately had three partners who were self destructive and not able to take responsibility for their own actions. Maybe, Mr Ovitz at times, reviews his life a little too harshly and although he comes across as having a hard exterior, his insides seem to be an emotional gooey centre.

Overall, this is a very interesting book that I had found it to be very interesting. I enjoyed hearing the story from Orvitz’s point of view. I did find admiration for him as a businessman and him as a person. It also highlighted the press and how they demonise a person du jour in order to sell papers and how people are followers and not leaders. People tend to jump on a bandwagon because original thought seems to be something that the individual is not strong enough to pursue. This is a very thought provoking book and if you love the entertainment industry with its warts and all stories, you can not go wrong with this book. It is often densely written but it is very informative and gives you the other side, the one that the press will never let you know.

Excellent read.

I don't often fancy reading memoirs, but this one caught my eye. I really enjoyed it. I'd never heard of Michael Ovitz and it was interesting reading about high powered deals and backstabbing.

Enjoyed this book about the different phases of Michael Ovitz's life. The main part of it was the interesting bit of hs life as founder of Creative Artist's Agency (CAA) who represented a great number of star actors and directors. It goes through his many successes and some of his failures which makes interesting reading.

CAA was the leading Hollywood TV and film agency that were the forerunners in packaging deals that brought the writers, actors and directors together and made it easy for the big studios and TV companies to put a project together.

I found it a fascinating human story and Ovitz never forgot an insult or slight but was very human too. He came from the wrong side of What fascinated me was the fact that he got to being where he wanted to be by playing a part then decided that wasn't where he wanted to be.

Good read

Who is Michael Ovitz? No, I didn't know either. But now I do. A real rags to riches tale about someone so obviously hardworking. Obviously I'm a fan of the celebrity gossip too, and although there wasn't much of this, there was a clear insight into the people Michael has worked with (one if them being Dustin Hoffman, whom I am a huge fan).

This has not been an easy book to read - there s an underlying sense of 'I've always been done wrong, and I'm such a good guy' - I'm afraid I could not shove this attitude aside and try to enjoy the insider stories of actors and directors and the movers and shakers of Hollywood business to contend with the very narrow world view! It is lucid and self-aware, but perhaps knowing too much behind the scenes of tinsel town is not what I want to read.

A great read as we have in the past heard about what Michael Ovitz did or didn't do in Hollywood and the rise of the superagent. This tells the story from his side and from the intro about how Rain Man was put together you are hooked as you want to know what else this guy was involved with. So many stories but once started it was hard to stop reading as you want to know what happens next.

I can't say I'd heard the name Michael Ovitz before I was offered the chance to review his new book, WHO IS MICHAEL OVITZ?, and having finished it, I'm surprised I hadn't heard about him. One of the most powerful men in Hollywood and the entertainment industry, his book tells the story of his career trajectory, right back from his early years of pocket-money jobs right up to the zenith of founding and running the biggest talent agency in the industry. You see, Ovitz was one of the founders of CAA - otherwise known as Creative Artists Agency, an organization known for representing star after star from both in front of the camera and behind.

The book is packed full of anecdotes and stories from the very beginnings of CAA, through the boom years of the 80s movie blockbusters and beyond. Ovitz deftly illustrates how times changed immensely in the space of five, ten and even twenty years or more, not just across the industry and how movies are made and viewed, but also across technology and trends through entertainment culture. One of the most interesting part of this book was reading about Ovitz's assessments of the industry, the plans he made and the steps he took to get what he wanted. Through this he explores not just the glitzy side of the industry, but also the more "quid pro quo" nature of trying to get strategic feet in doorways, undercutting opponents, or the need to avoid owing other people favours. There's often something a little "House of Cards" about how the deals are done, but it's always interesting to read Ovitz's evaluations and honest reflections on some of the decisions he made, with the benefit of hindsight.

The only part that slowed the pace for me was the section where he describes his attempts to make a deal with the Japanese technology industry. It was detailed and thoughtful, but mainly I just didn't find it as interesting as the Hollywood stories. I'd recommend this read for anyone who is interested in Hollywood, the movie industry, entrepreneurs and start-ups, behind=the-scenes details and insider tracks on big-name actors, actresses and entertainers.

I found this book a bit too much for me. Not that it wasn't an interesting read, because, at times, it was.
Coming from the UK, I struggled with many of the people that were being talked about.
But, in fairness, i can see that it's a well put together book and very nicely documented.
So for that I'm giving it four stars.
It deserves that.

Given the proximity of Michael Ovitz to some of the major players accused during #MeToo this could have been an insightful take down of the systemic issues at play in Hollywood. Instead Ovitz's book marks him out as a master manipulator and name-dropper extraordinaire.

Although I really enjoyed this book, and found it so interesting. I can’t say it’s my type of book really. Obviously it was good to read some aspects of Hollywood and also gave me a greater inside view. Other than you read in the papers, where papers try to portray Hollywood as sleazy, it did it certainly did dispel how the papers try to make it sound crude and sleazy. However I suppose that’s papers for you. Always trying to put negativity into everything, from a outside point of view it was very well written and definitely with reading. Thank you netgallery for the advanced copy.. although it’s not my type of book it’s still well with reading, it’s really interesting

Absolutely astonishing autobiography from a man at the heart of Hollywood, albeit it does not cover #metoo in sufficient detail, which is a real issue