Michael Ovitz

He said, well, things I saw that were weird. To what end? I'm going to put it in the file and I'll use it. And what I realized is he, like a quilt, he'd patch all this stuff together into a yarn and And it was either true, false, fiction, nonfiction, but it was a yarn. And it came out of nothing. It came out of his head from life experience.

Danny Meyer cracks me up. I sat next to him at a MoMA trustee lunch. He's not on the board, but he's very close to the museum. And he was catering it. He fits my description to you of the kind of people I like to be around. He sat there and he didn't sit still. He's looking at everything. He's jumping into the kitchen. He's talking to the captain. He's talking to the waiters. He wanted perfection.

Danny Meyer cracks me up. I sat next to him at a MoMA trustee lunch. He's not on the board, but he's very close to the museum. And he was catering it. He fits my description to you of the kind of people I like to be around. He sat there and he didn't sit still. He's looking at everything. He's jumping into the kitchen. He's talking to the captain. He's talking to the waiters. He wanted perfection.

And to me, that's what it's all about. It's about excellence. If you can't live your life and achieve some excellence in some silo, then you should move to another planet. Because that's what it's like. And it doesn't matter what the silo is. You can be an auto mechanic and be the great. I had a guy in L.A. who was the greatest auto mechanic I ever met in my life.

And to me, that's what it's all about. It's about excellence. If you can't live your life and achieve some excellence in some silo, then you should move to another planet. Because that's what it's like. And it doesn't matter what the silo is. You can be an auto mechanic and be the great. I had a guy in L.A. who was the greatest auto mechanic I ever met in my life.

I used to take my cars to him when I was younger because I love cars and I had all these old cars. I don't know how he did it. He could make them run. I thought the guy was a genius. He was a guy who lived in Little Japan in L.A., And he was brilliant at his field.

I used to take my cars to him when I was younger because I love cars and I had all these old cars. I don't know how he did it. He could make them run. I thought the guy was a genius. He was a guy who lived in Little Japan in L.A., And he was brilliant at his field.

I guess as an agent, and I've mentored so many young people, and I so enjoy it. But the best part of it is seeing them succeed. I said to Ali, look, I said, you're 40 years younger than me. I wanna leave this so you, and now my son who's joining us, I said, I want you guys to have some foundation that you can quadruple. It's my job to give you that foundation. It's not for me.

I guess as an agent, and I've mentored so many young people, and I so enjoy it. But the best part of it is seeing them succeed. I said to Ali, look, I said, you're 40 years younger than me. I wanna leave this so you, and now my son who's joining us, I said, I want you guys to have some foundation that you can quadruple. It's my job to give you that foundation. It's not for me.

I already have my career.

I already have my career.

Well, I'll take the third one first because I told this story to someone yesterday. Years ago when I was – Bob De Niro was a close friend and a great client and he and Marty are best friends and we did like five movies together. Yeah.

Well, I'll take the third one first because I told this story to someone yesterday. Years ago when I was – Bob De Niro was a close friend and a great client and he and Marty are best friends and we did like five movies together. Yeah.

Occasionally, competitive agents, even though we really didn't have any competition, would somehow kind of eke their way into our clients' good graces of a meal or a meeting. It was highly unusual. So some agent, who I don't want to mention his name because he's still functioning, gets Bob De Niro in a room here. And two things happened in the same week.

Occasionally, competitive agents, even though we really didn't have any competition, would somehow kind of eke their way into our clients' good graces of a meal or a meeting. It was highly unusual. So some agent, who I don't want to mention his name because he's still functioning, gets Bob De Niro in a room here. And two things happened in the same week.

One with Bobby De Niro and one with Bill Murray. So with Bob De Niro, he says to him, you know, Bob, Ovitz is too busy, too many clients, too tough, too much in control. You're losing all your creative judgment. And he's impossible to deal with. And then he called me all kinds of names that I took as a compliment, you know, that I was too tough and that I was a bulldog.

One with Bobby De Niro and one with Bill Murray. So with Bob De Niro, he says to him, you know, Bob, Ovitz is too busy, too many clients, too tough, too much in control. You're losing all your creative judgment. And he's impossible to deal with. And then he called me all kinds of names that I took as a compliment, you know, that I was too tough and that I was a bulldog.

And he said even to wit, he has bulldogs on his desk in his office, which is true. And Bob looked at him for a second and was having coffee. And Bob told me this story. And he said to me, he said to him, yeah, you're right about everything you said. But he said, you know what? And the guy said, well, he said, he's my bulldog. And he left.

And he said even to wit, he has bulldogs on his desk in his office, which is true. And Bob looked at him for a second and was having coffee. And Bob told me this story. And he said to me, he said to him, yeah, you're right about everything you said. But he said, you know what? And the guy said, well, he said, he's my bulldog. And he left.

And Bill Murray that week, this is hysterical, a guy, a different agent, got Bill Murray to have a meeting with him. And they were supposed to meet at the Mark Hotel, but Bill was late and he said, come up to my apartment. Bill didn't know what the meeting was about. He didn't even know the guy was an agent. Bill, to this day, is one of my close friends.