Invest Like the Best with Patrick O’Shaughnessy
Business:Investing
My guest today is Michael Ovitz. Michael is the legendary talent agent and co-founder of CAA, or Creative Artists Agency. Michael started CAA in 1975 and over the next twenty years, he built it into the world’s most formidable talent agency, changing Hollywood forever. The list of stars he’s worked with is endless, from Meryl Streep to Steven Spielberg and David Letterman.
Since leaving CAA, he has become an investor and adviser to many prominent firms, most notably Andreessen Horowitz, and Michael’s work ethic is unmatched. Please enjoy this great discussion with Michael Ovitz.
Listen to Founders Podcast
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
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Show Notes:
(00:03:23) - Something other people believe about Michael that isn’t true
(00:08:21) - Balancing the love of his career with his personal life
(00:13:33) - The return of his work ethic after an overdue break
(00:25:08) - Why scale and speed were critical to CAA’s success
(00:29:31) - How founders and CEOs might benefit from having agents
(00:36:10) - The idea of positional power
(00:41:52) - Making over 250 calls for 30 years
(00:48:02) - Never bad mouthing the competition
(00:49:34) - Defining characteristics of CAA’s company culture
(00:53:07) - Learning to spot talent quickly
(00:58:24) - If you want to be happy, forget yourself
(01:01:52) - Forgetting yourself by taking action
(01:07:02) - Page turning excitement versus slow burning engagement
(01:12:31) - Looking for similar patterns in investors and creatives
(01:16:16) - What a problem solver needs to build a franchise
(01:20:12) - CAA’s mystique and how Michael cultivated it
(01:26:11) - Relationships are always the most important thing
(01:28:55) - Thoughts on offensive investing strategies
(01:30:22) - What art has taught him about the world
(01:36:46) - Being fearless in confrontation
(01:39:55) - The kindest thing anyone has ever done for Michael
Will England - A Primer on Multi-Strategy Hedge Funds - [Invest Like the Best, EP.342]
James Cameron - The Futurist - [Founders, Forever Episode]
Lee Ainslie - Hedge Fund Maverick - [Invest Like the Best, EP. 341]
Nick Kokonas - Know What You Are Selling – [Founder’s Field Guide, Forever Episode]
Des Traynor - Real Talk about AI and Software - [Invest Like the Best, EP.340]
Samo Burja - The Great Founder Theory of History - [Invest Like the Best, EP.339]
Chris Paik - Venture Investing Frameworks - [Invest Like the Best, EP.338]
Josh Kushner - Building Thrive Capital - [Invest Like the Best, EP.337]
Jeremy Giffon - Special Situations in Private Markets - [Invest Like the Best, EP.336]
Dave Yuan - A Primer on Vertical Market Software - [Invest Like the Best, EP.335]
Kevin Kelly - Be Generous and Unique - [Invest Like the Best, EP.334]
Justin Mares - The US Health Crisis - [Invest Like the Best, EP.333]
Scott Goodwin - Know The Names - [Invest Like the Best, EP.332]
Rolex: Timeless Excellence - [Business Breakdowns, Forever Episode]
Kieran Goodwin - Imagination, Volatility, and the Pursuit of Alpha - [Invest Like the Best, EP.331]
Henry Schuck - Building ZoomInfo - [Invest Like the Best, EP.330]
Karen Karniol-Tambour - Macro Headwinds vs. Tech Tailwinds - [Invest Like the Best, EP.329]
Fidji Simo - Creating Delightful Consumer Experiences - [Invest Like the Best, EP.328]
Bessemer Venture Partners - Building a VC Firm that Lasts Centuries - [Invest Like the Best, EP.327]
Alexis Rivas - A New Blueprint for Homebuilding - [Invest Like the Best, EP.326]
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