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Michael Ovitz

Co-Founder of CAA & Former President of The Walt Disney Company

Michael Ovitz

Michael Ovitz

Co-Founder of CAA & Former President of The Walt Disney Company

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Authors, Business, Business Growth, Business Leaders, Entertainment, Inspirational, Leadership Speakers, Non Profit, Sales, Marketing and Branding, Teamwork and Teambuilding
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Michael Ovitz Biography

Michael S. Ovitz is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He is a talent agent who co-founded Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 1975 and served as its chairman until 1995. Ovitz later served as President of The Walt Disney Company from October 1995 to January 1997.

Ovitz founded Creative Artists Agency in 1975 along with fellow William Morris Agents Ron Meyer, Bill Haber, Rowland Perkins, and Mike Rosenfeld. Borrowing only $21,000 from a bank, the agents rented a small office, conducting business on card tables and rented chairs, their wives taking turns as agency receptionist.

Under his direction, CAA quickly grew from a start-up organization to the world’s leading talent agency, expanding from television into film, investment banking, and advertising. Ovitz was known for assembling “package deals”, wherein CAA would utilize its talent base to provide directors, actors and screenwriters to a studio, thus shifting the negotiating leverage from the studios to the talent. As CAA rose in stature Ovitz became one of the most powerful men in Hollywood. Promoted to President, then to Chairman of the Board, his roles at CAA were numerous. He served as talent agent to Hollywood actors Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Costner, John Belushi, Michael Douglas, Bill Murray, Sylvester Stallone, and Barbra Streisand, as well as directors Steven Spielberg, Barry Levinson, and Sydney Pollack. He also provided corporate consulting services, helping negotiate several major international business mergers and deals including Matsushita’s acquisition of MCA/Universal, the financial rescue of MGM/United Artists, and Sony’s acquisition of Columbia Pictures. His signing of Coca-Cola as a CAA client from agency McCann-Erickson had a significant impact on the advertising industry.[10] He negotiated David Letterman's move from NBC to CBS, chronicled in the book The Late Shift: Letterman, Leno, and the Network Battle for the Night by Bill Carter.

Ovitz resigned from CAA in 1995 to become president of The Walt Disney Company under chairman Michael Eisner. Ovitz quickly grew frustrated with his role in the company and vague definition of duties. After a tumultuous year as Eisner's second in command, he was dismissed by Eisner in January 1997 and left Disney with a (previously agreed upon) severance package valued at $38 million in cash and an estimated $100 million in stock.

Disney shareholders later sued Eisner and Disney's board of directors for awarding Ovitz such a large severance package. Later court proceedings reflect that Ovitz' stock options were granted when he was hired to induce him to join the company, not granted when he was fired. In 2005 the court upheld Disney's payment.

Ovitz now acts as a private investor who has informally advised the careers of luminaries such as Martin Scorsese. Active in philanthropy, he donated $25 million in 1999 to spearhead fund raising efforts for UCLA's Medical Center, and has contributed significantly to numerous other philanthropic endeavors. A private investor and businessman, his notable activities have ranged from attempts to bring an NFL team to the Los Angeles Coliseum to ventures in online media.

Ovitz is considered among the world's top 200 art collectors. He owns works by Pablo Picasso, Jasper Johns, Willem de Kooning, Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, and many others.

His daughter is New York fashion designer Kimberly Ovitz.

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Michael Ovitz Videos

  • Michael Ovitz on His Legacy in Hollywood, CAA, & The Book That ...
    Michael Ovitz on His Legacy in Hollywood, CAA, & The Book That ...
    On episode 293 of the #AskGaryVee Show, the legendary business man and author, Michael Ovitz stops by and we talk about: - Creative Artists ...
  • Legendary agent Michael Ovitz discusses Netflix's brilliant takedown ...
    Legendary agent Michael Ovitz discusses Netflix's brilliant takedown ...
    Michael Ovitz, co-founder of Creative Artists Agency, which represents actors like Tom Cruise and Robert De Niro, said on CNBC's Halftime ...
  • The Best Advice Ever for Succeeding In Record Time | Michael Ovitz
    The Best Advice Ever for Succeeding In Record Time | Michael Ovitz
    This episode is brought to you by our friends at Blinkist. Go to https://www.blinkist. com/nc/partners/... to get unlimited access for 1 week to try...
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Michael Ovitz Books

  • Who Is Michael Ovitz?
    Who Is Michael Ovitz?

FAQs on booking Michael Ovitz

  • How do I book Michael Ovitz to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Michael Ovitz for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Michael Ovitz, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Michael Ovitz or any other speaker of your choice.

  • What are the speaker fees for Michael Ovitz

    Speaking fees for Michael Ovitz, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Michael Ovitz are for live events and for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Michael Ovitz, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

  • What topics does Michael Ovitz speak about?

    Michael Ovitz is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Authors, Business, Business Growth, Business Leaders, Entertainment, Inspirational, Leadership Speakers, Non Profit, Sales, Marketing and Branding, Teamwork and Teambuilding.

  • Where does Michael Ovitz travel from?

    Michael Ovitz generally travels from an undisclosed location, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.

  • Who is Michael Ovitz’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Michael Ovitz for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Michael Ovitz for your next private or corporate function.

  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Michael Ovitz or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.

  • Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

Michael Ovitz is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Michael Ovitz for your event is available upon request. Michael Ovitz generally travels from and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Emilie Aries, Steve Diggs and Jordan Goldman. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Michael Ovitz for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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