Michael Ovitz

We had conquered all areas of entertainment. We had a 76% market share of talent. We had 46 of the top 50 grossing directors in the world. We controlled almost everyone except Disney's motion picture offerings. That was 10 different studios. We packaged everything. We made the biggest hit movies of anyone, of all of them added together.

The biggest hits came out of CA, from Jurassic Park, Dawn of Africa, to Ghostbusters, to Stripes, Meatballs, Casino, Goodfellas. I can go right down the list. It just was endless. And we had great commercial taste, great commercial taste. We all loved movies.

The biggest hits came out of CA, from Jurassic Park, Dawn of Africa, to Ghostbusters, to Stripes, Meatballs, Casino, Goodfellas. I can go right down the list. It just was endless. And we had great commercial taste, great commercial taste. We all loved movies.

So we basically picked movies we wanted to see, which always amazes me today when I look at the offerings and I say to myself- Who's picking this stuff? Who's picking this stuff? Who'd they pick it for? Because I'm not like really interested in this and I'm just view myself as a normal moviegoer. But we had hit top in every area.

So we basically picked movies we wanted to see, which always amazes me today when I look at the offerings and I say to myself- Who's picking this stuff? Who's picking this stuff? Who'd they pick it for? Because I'm not like really interested in this and I'm just view myself as a normal moviegoer. But we had hit top in every area.

And I was sitting back one day and I'm saying to myself, there's a transition going on in the business. The businesses are between the seats, the distributors, the studios. They're too big to be independent and too little to grow because they had no capital. They relied on what their content did. So if they had... a 30 movie slate, which was about average 35.

And I was sitting back one day and I'm saying to myself, there's a transition going on in the business. The businesses are between the seats, the distributors, the studios. They're too big to be independent and too little to grow because they had no capital. They relied on what their content did. So if they had... a 30 movie slate, which was about average 35.

They were thrilled if two were hits, two were zeros and the rest floated in between. But that's not a money-making business, believe it or not. People didn't get rich in the studio business. So I realized that what was going to happen is that these companies were going to need sponsors. They were going to need money. It was pretty clear. It was not like some genius observation.

They were thrilled if two were hits, two were zeros and the rest floated in between. But that's not a money-making business, believe it or not. People didn't get rich in the studio business. So I realized that what was going to happen is that these companies were going to need sponsors. They were going to need money. It was pretty clear. It was not like some genius observation.

They were dying for cash flow. I could tell because we were having trouble collecting. They'd put us off. We'd get paid for our clients because they had guild rules. But man, they waited until the last possible second to send the check. We used to have to send messengers to Paramount to get paid to pick up the check. Do you remember checks?

They were dying for cash flow. I could tell because we were having trouble collecting. They'd put us off. We'd get paid for our clients because they had guild rules. But man, they waited until the last possible second to send the check. We used to have to send messengers to Paramount to get paid to pick up the check. Do you remember checks?

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?