Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 420: Unhappy Retribution
Aaron had just returned to Los Angeles and was following the European Championship in England and the NBA Finals.

Insider news has been revealed about the acquisition of Jamie Tathers, the head of programming at NBC, by Disney's ABC television network!

Jamie Thurs joined ABC as president of content production after being lured by Disney.
Disney allegedly lured her into breaching her contract and also instigated her to use the sexual harassment case as leverage.

Now, the scandal of recruiting Jamie Thurs has been exposed to the media, and all the blame is being directed at Disney president Michael Ovitz.

Because it was Michael Ovitz who recruited Jamie Tathers, and he deliberately bypassed the current ABC chairman Robert Iger. After Disney acquired Metropolitan/ABC, Tom Murphy, the former chairman and CEO of ABC, joined the Disney board of directors and was in a semi-retired state. ABC was then led by the former chief operating officer Robert Iger.

Michael Eisner was furious upon hearing the media reports and demanded that Michael Ovitz issue a public apology to mitigate the damage.
Even if Michael Ovitz claims he didn't leak the information, and even if Disney isn't at fault, it doesn't matter; Michael Eisner simply believes Michael Ovitz himself should be held responsible for the leak.

Michael Ovitz, who had been president of Disney for less than a year, could not understand why Michael Eisner had believed him for nearly 30 years.

But ever since he joined Disney, Michael Eisner has stopped believing in him, and Michael Eisner's disbelief and lack of support have been the biggest blow to him!

Jeffrey Katzenberg of DreamWorks emerged victorious when 20th Century Fox and Disney were bidding for the script of "Mouse Catcher," winning the comedy script at a high price.

Jeffrey Katzenberg then announced that "The Mousetrap" was DreamWorks SKG's first live-action film project.

One wave subsides only for another to rise. Losing a script is a minor matter when Disney is embroiled in the illegal Jamie Tuthers scandal.

But at this very moment, Jeffrey Katzenberg, whose resignation negotiations with Disney broke down, finally filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, accusing Disney of breaching the contract he had signed and demanding that Disney compensate him for his losses.
For Jeffrey Katzenberg, taking things to court is a relief and an important step in his effort to move on from his Disney experience!
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jeffrey Katzenberg summarized his experience working at Disney: "I was disappointed, sad, angry, scared, calm, vengeful, let go, and sad."

In response to Jeffrey Katzenberg's accusations, his former friend and boss, Michael Eisner, also issued a statement:
"I thought I knew him well; in 19 years, we spent more time together than anyone else."

"However, the truth is, either he has changed, or I never really knew him."

Burbank, Disney headquarters. A distraught Michael Eisner sits on a sofa, holding a letter from Michael Ovitz:

"For me, this is completely wrong. I have nothing to do right now; I'm basically just engaging in empty talk outside. I have no real power to do anything."

“You don’t need me. What you need is someone who follows the rules and doesn’t seek advancement. In such a situation, my energy and talent are wasted.”

The letter simply expressed Michael Ovitz's growing dissatisfaction and frustration, which Michael Eisner dismissed, throwing it directly into the trash. Subsequently, ABC Chairman Robert Iger came to the office and subtly expressed his wish not to report to President Michael Ovitz.
Previously, when Michael Ovitz recruited Jamie Tathers, he bypassed him. In fact, after joining ABC as the chairman of ABC, Jamie Tathers stated that he would report directly to Michael Eisner and Michael Ovitz, and not to Robert Iger.

Michael Eisner stared at Robert Iger and said:

"Don't worry, Michael Ovitz is no longer the president. I can't say a specific time right now, but I will handle this matter at some point. You can't tell anyone about this!"

Robert Iger had been carefully observing Michael Eisner's changing expressions. After hearing this, he nodded and left the office.

Michael Eisner had reached his breaking point with Michael Ovitz's practice of grooming his own protégés right in front of him.
Now, Michael Eisner is pondering how to get rid of the other party with minimal cost.

Michael Ovitz had previously wanted to promote a collaboration between Disney's Hollywood Records and Sony Music.
Michael Eisner had also praised Michael Ovitz to Sony for a number of his merits. Since Sony America Chairman Mickey Schulhoff was dismissed at the end of last year, Sony America is still looking for a new successor.

Perhaps recommending Michael Ovitz to Sony as the head of Sony America would be a good idea and would perfectly solve Disney's problem!
Santa Monica, MGM headquarters.

Edgar Bronfman Jr. asked MGM CEO Frank Marcuso with a smile, "Wouldn't it be a good idea if we invited Michael Ovitz to join us now?"

Frank Marcuso shook his head. "CAA has fallen apart ever since Michael Ovitz left to join Disney as president."

"CAA's partners and former agents are all criticizing him, and now Disney is also facing a major headache because of him."

"Bringing him in would be a big problem, and we also have to consider Ronald Mayer's feelings."

As Michael Ovitz's closest partner at CAA, Ronald Meyer, after joining MGM as president, frequently complained about his dissatisfaction with Michael Ovitz in the newspapers.
Compared to other CAA brokers, Ronald Meyer is CAA's second-in-command, the president.

Michael Ovitz is currently experiencing setbacks, and virtually no one is speaking up for him, whether it's his agent or the stars he used to work for.

This shows just how despicable Michael Ovitz's character is.
Edgar Bronfman Jr. chuckled. "I was definitely overthinking it. Michael Ovitz got himself into this mess entirely on his own."

At the time, Edgar Bronfman Jr. chose Ronald Meyer to manage MGM instead of Michael Ovitz, mainly because Michael Ovitz was too greedy and arrogant!
(End of this chapter)