I respect Ari Emanuel for his remarkable accomplishments in the face of seemingly never-ending personal and professional obstacles. I very much admire the candor and self-reflection that he shows in his can’t-put-it-down memoir. After reading it, I feel that I have a clear window into who he is. More importantly, I understand how he sees the world, particularly that state of mind that we call Hollywood and its inhabitants. However, I don’t share those views.
I have been in the movie business for almost 60 years (!), including 40 years as an agent at both William Morris and CAA, where I was ultimately co-chairman. I loved agenting from the first minute that I walked into the William Morris mailroom and that feeling stayed with me until I left CAA. I have enjoyed and derived great satisfaction from being an agent and that pleasure (yes, pleasure) came from the people that I encountered: clients, executives, fellow agents, anyone whose talents at their profession made me feel that I was fortunate to be part of this business. The most gratifying facet of being an agent was guiding gifted artists through the maze of potential opportunities and pitfalls that constitute careers in Hollywood. Many times I had to convince a client to accept a lower financial offer in return for working on a project that would advance their career and increase their future earning power. I used to tell my clients that they would never be paid properly; they would always be underpaid or overpaid.
I did this not with rage but with a sense of responsibility and collegiality. Hollywood is a place where money will find you if you make the right choices and have talent, the best professional advice and lots of luck. I was not in charge of my client’s finances; they have business managers for that. My task was to increase the desirability of my clients so that the money that is always out there would come to them, if that’s what they wanted, but some had other goals in mind. I had to understand what a client wanted and needed and then strategize how to get it, whether it’s an Oscar or a big payday or a way to express their art or a combination of those results. My ambition was to maximize my clients’ careers and to function at the highest level, hopefully with class and dignity that reflected back on the client. After all, I was their avatar out in the world and I took representation literally. Of course, I had to make sure that I was rewarded properly but it was the job that kept me totally engaged. My goals were to achieve what my clients’ careers needed with maximum efficiency and minimal negativity which could backfire on future negotiations for my client. My mantra throughout my career was and is “Tell the truth artfully”.
This leads me to what I feel is a misconception about the Hollywood in which I spent my professional life. I didn’t see it as a jungle, full of predators ready to pounce and therefore needing to be eliminated by any means possible. I saw it as a true community, bound by outwardly conflicting but ultimately common interests and desires and lucky to be paid for having jobs that created magic and influenced the entire planet. Of course, as in any society, there was a significant share of liars, poseurs and generally unpleasant members but they were to be avoided and often could be. There was also an abundance of colorful characters such as Dino De Laurentiis and Ray Stark, rogues who were fueled by passion as well as money, and they are sadly absent in today’s bland executive suites. What I tried to remember was that we were all in this together and we would be interacting once again on the day after the deal got made. Relationships had to be preserved, not destroyed. Today’s competitor could be your colleague tomorrow, and often was.
I know that much of this sounds Pollyanna-ish but I managed to maintain a successful career with these guidelines. Today’s business has little resemblance to the one in which I inhabited. Technology, public taste and economic conditions all contributed to its once-inconceivable drastic makeover. However, what hasn’t changed is that Hollywood (not a place but a swarming hive with no geographical boundaries) depends on the interaction of its human elements which is conducted under great financial and emotional pressure.
We have to realize that we are the current keepers of one of the most powerful influences on modern society. We can’t squander it with short-term squabbles which will be soon forgotten. Artists rely on professional guidance and the entire ecosystem depends on artists so there is a symbiosis that must be maintained. The more rising tides, the more boats are lifted. Bodies lying at the side of the road don’t signify wins, only losses. Rage is not a worthwhile substitute for smart, prescient and responsible stewardship of an absolutely necessary ingredient of modern life.
Rick Nicita is an independent movie and television producer and industry consultant. He previously was a major agent at both William Morris and CAA where he became Co-Chairman.
