Michael Ovitz

They were on paper. And I said, wouldn't it be great if CA not only had all the clients... But we had all the owners. We were the ones that they had to talk to. And Japan was on fire, on fire. They were producing everything we weren't, that we stopped producing. It's fascinating to me to this day, because I am such a zealot American right now.

They were on paper. And I said, wouldn't it be great if CA not only had all the clients... But we had all the owners. We were the ones that they had to talk to. And Japan was on fire, on fire. They were producing everything we weren't, that we stopped producing. It's fascinating to me to this day, because I am such a zealot American right now.

At the end of the day, and I agree with Alex Karp, we better be strong. We better just be, and Andreessen says the same thing. Peter says the same thing. Anyone I know who's smart says the same thing. We better be strong. You don't keep the world peace by being weak. You just don't. No one understands weakness. They just don't. And I surely don't. I don't understand it in people.

At the end of the day, and I agree with Alex Karp, we better be strong. We better just be, and Andreessen says the same thing. Peter says the same thing. Anyone I know who's smart says the same thing. We better be strong. You don't keep the world peace by being weak. You just don't. No one understands weakness. They just don't. And I surely don't. I don't understand it in people.

Because there's no reason for it. It's better to come out ahead of yourself and be confident in what you're... We all have individual skill sets. Be confident in those skill sets. So I started to cultivate companies in Japan. And the first company I cultivated, oddly, was Nomura.

Because there's no reason for it. It's better to come out ahead of yourself and be confident in what you're... We all have individual skill sets. Be confident in those skill sets. So I started to cultivate companies in Japan. And the first company I cultivated, oddly, was Nomura.

And they, oddly, in those days, in the 80s, controlled about 3% to 4% of the stock in the top 20 Koretsu companies, which no one knew. They hadn't invested in them. So they opened a lot of doors for me. I was their media consultant. And when I met Mr. Morita, it became very clear that their money would be very good for American assets. I was highly criticized.

And they, oddly, in those days, in the 80s, controlled about 3% to 4% of the stock in the top 20 Koretsu companies, which no one knew. They hadn't invested in them. So they opened a lot of doors for me. I was their media consultant. And when I met Mr. Morita, it became very clear that their money would be very good for American assets. I was highly criticized.

The cover of Newsweek bashed me, had a picture of the Statue of Liberty wrapped in the Japanese flag, and wrote a nasty article that I was selling all of our assets to Japan. And I'll never forget this. My friend, Bill Bradley, who ran for president at the time and was Senator of New Jersey, gave a quote to them that shut it all down. He said, did you ever think that he's using this for financing?

The cover of Newsweek bashed me, had a picture of the Statue of Liberty wrapped in the Japanese flag, and wrote a nasty article that I was selling all of our assets to Japan. And I'll never forget this. My friend, Bill Bradley, who ran for president at the time and was Senator of New Jersey, gave a quote to them that shut it all down. He said, did you ever think that he's using this for financing?

Because they can't take the studios over to Tokyo. They can't. And they don't understand how to make the product. So it was like a no-brainer. They were just good money with technology. It was a great fit. The fact that they didn't all use it right is a different story. That's because they had no interest in growth. They think in a very organized fashion.

Because they can't take the studios over to Tokyo. They can't. And they don't understand how to make the product. So it was like a no-brainer. They were just good money with technology. It was a great fit. The fact that they didn't all use it right is a different story. That's because they had no interest in growth. They think in a very organized fashion.

I booked Michael Jackson at Tokyo, one of the Tokyo stadiums. They had 60,000 people there. And we had him at Soldier's Field in Chicago, 100,000 people. When he finished at Soldier's Field, there was pandemonium from the Chicagoans. They went wild and ran for the exits in the field and they went crazy. When I was in Tokyo and Michael Jackson finished, everyone applauded.

I booked Michael Jackson at Tokyo, one of the Tokyo stadiums. They had 60,000 people there. And we had him at Soldier's Field in Chicago, 100,000 people. When he finished at Soldier's Field, there was pandemonium from the Chicagoans. They went wild and ran for the exits in the field and they went crazy. When I was in Tokyo and Michael Jackson finished, everyone applauded.

And then some guy in a yellow blazer comes out to the diamond with a microphone and starts dismissing Rose one at a time. And I said to myself, I learned so much in that moment. It was unbelievable. We are not brought up in an organized fashion. We rebel against authority. We don't like people telling us what to do. We like original thinking. Failure is an option. Let's just get on with it.

And then some guy in a yellow blazer comes out to the diamond with a microphone and starts dismissing Rose one at a time. And I said to myself, I learned so much in that moment. It was unbelievable. We are not brought up in an organized fashion. We rebel against authority. We don't like people telling us what to do. We like original thinking. Failure is an option. Let's just get on with it.

That's America. And the great thing about America is we create movies, we create television shows, we create books. We're the masters of fine art now. Used to be, until the 50s, it was all Europe. Then came abstract expressionism, then pop art, then op art. It just kept going. We have the number one artists in the world here, in New York City, all over the United States. So when it comes to tech...

That's America. And the great thing about America is we create movies, we create television shows, we create books. We're the masters of fine art now. Used to be, until the 50s, it was all Europe. Then came abstract expressionism, then pop art, then op art. It just kept going. We have the number one artists in the world here, in New York City, all over the United States. So when it comes to tech...

wide open for me it was about getting to a point where no one could talk to the owners of anything without going through us so if you wanted to talk to the owner of cbs records or columbia pictures they spoke fluent japanese and if you didn't have a long relationship with them You had less than zero chance of having a definitive conversation. So it all funneled through us.

wide open for me it was about getting to a point where no one could talk to the owners of anything without going through us so if you wanted to talk to the owner of cbs records or columbia pictures they spoke fluent japanese and if you didn't have a long relationship with them You had less than zero chance of having a definitive conversation. So it all funneled through us.