Summary
Frank Rose follows the William Morris Agency from its beginnings in vaudeville through its role in film, radio and television. He examines the agents and managers behind performers’ careers, showing how the sale of talent developed into a large and powerful service business. The account also follows the firm’s internal politics, its succession problems and the departure of Michael Ovitz and his partners to form Creative Artists Agency. Rose draws on interviews and archival work to describe both an institution and the rivals it helped create. The book places agency competition within changes in the entertainment market rather than treating star careers as isolated stories.
Why read it Our view
Useful for studying a service firm that faces new media, changing clients and a new rival built by former staff. Read for how succession, incentives and client relationships can strengthen a firm or leave it open to a competitor.
Written about
- Michael OvitzSubstantial career and company-history subjectRose’s history of William Morris includes Ovitz’s apprenticeship, the founders’ departure and the rise of CAA as a rival. The author supplies an authorized excerpt focused on the CAA founding. This is subject coverage, not Ovitz’s reading or endorsement.Source