Word: berge
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Bradley and picked two polar opposites for the June 8 runoff. Venture capitalist Anglo Richard Riordan, 62, calls himself "tough enough to turn L.A. around." Liberal Asian-American city councilman Michael Woo, 41, vows to "build a multiethnic coalition." The campaign, predicted University of Southern California pundit Larry Berg, will be "a knock-down drag...
Maybe none of the above, and certainly ICM's Berg is a little disingenuous in his outrage. There is some truth to CAA's contention that if it helps keep a major studio alive, that will ultimately accrue to the benefit of everyone working in Hollywood. But when Berg went to the press, Ovitz was stung. Since both men are people of such consequence, their fearful peers are careful not to take sides, even anonymously. "It was a bold move on Mike's part," says the currently successful head of a studio, "and a logical move on Jeff's part...
Will CAA clients get special treatment from MGM, as Berg suggests? Or will the opposite happen, with MGM getting sweetheart deals for the actors and directors and writers whom Ovitz's agency represents? And when the bank finally gets around to selling MGM, will Ovitz's insider knowledge give him an unfair edge in making or avoiding deals for his clients with the studio...
...energetically spreading the idea that Ovitz isn't minding the store. Says Block about CAA's extracurricular businesses: "Smart clients question what's the value-added service when senior agents are busy with outside deals, and they get shunted to junior agents." His boss Jeff Berg echoes that point: "My core business is managing the careers of talented people." This may be the major risk in Ovitz's expansive strategy; CAA clients could start to feel neglected and then restless, even if their fears were unjustified...
...seems to be rising to the bait. "Those are the kind of guys," says one CAA executive of his ICM counterparts, "who steal scripts from one another's desks." The Ovitzites say Berg is ranting and raving to make himself seem like Mike's equal -- an idea they find absolutely absurd. "I will not be intimidated by the threat of failure," says Ovitz, with uncharacteristic heat, "or coerced by that kind of talk. I will do what I have...