# Michael Ovitz

> Michael Ovitz is the most powerful talent agent in Hollywood history and co-founder of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), which he built from a $21,000 bank loan into the dominant force reshaping how entertainment deals are made. After departing with a $140 million severance from Disney's presidency, Ovitz reinvented himself as a Silicon Valley investor and advisor, backing Palantir, helping architect Andreessen Horowitz, and investing in 200+ companies. At 79, he remains a live wire: he reportedly convinced Bill Ackman to pursue a $64 billion takeover of Universal Music Group and is slated to become its chairman.

- **Role:** Chairman at Treville Capital Group and Gallery Ventures
- **Organizations:** Creative Artists Agency (CAA) - co-founder, Treville Capital Group - Chairman, Gallery Ventures - Chairman, Broad Beach Ventures - co-founder, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) - Board of Trustees, Council on Foreign Relations - Member, Andreessen Horowitz - Board of Advisors, Palantir Technologies - Senior Advisor, UCLA Medical Center - Former Chairman, Executive Board
- **From:** Chicago, Illinois, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** High School Diploma; Student Body President, Birmingham High School, BA, Theater, Film and Television, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
- **Known for:** Co-founded CAA on $21,000, built it into Hollywood's most dominant talent agency, Invented the film packaging model that shifted power from studios to talent, Advised Sony's $3.4B acquisition of Columbia Pictures (1989)

## Career timeline

- **1963** — Worked as Universal Studios tour guide at age 17 while still a student
- **1968** — Graduated UCLA; joined William Morris Agency mailroom
- **1970** — Rose to TV agent at William Morris; early clients included Merv Griffin and Bob Barker
- **1975** — Co-founded Creative Artists Agency (CAA) with 4 colleagues on $21,000 borrowed from a bank
- **1979** — CAA reaches $90.2 million in annual bookings; becomes third-largest Hollywood agency
- **1984** — CAA becomes dominant Hollywood force; packaging model reshapes deal-making
- **1989** — Advised Sony's $3.4B acquisition of Columbia Pictures; NY Times profile notes executives need CAA permission to speak
- **1990** — Advised Matsushita's $6.6B acquisition of MCA/Universal - CAA earned between $8M-$40M in fees
- **1991** — CAA wins Coca-Cola's global advertising account - unprecedented for a talent agency
- **1993** — Negotiated David Letterman's record $42M three-year contract with CBS
- **1995** — Sold stake in CAA and became President of The Walt Disney Company under CEO Michael Eisner
- **1997** — Fired from Disney after 16 months; departed with ~$140M severance package
- **1999** — Launched CKE entertainment conglomerate including Artist Management Group (AMG) with Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Martin Scorsese
- **2002** — AMG collapsed; sold core management group to The Firm for ~$12M
- **2005** — Delaware court upheld Disney's $140M severance payment; shareholder suit dismissed
- **2010** — Co-founded Broad Beach Ventures venture capital fund; portfolio includes Palantir, GoodRx, Medium
- **2018** — Published memoir 'Who Is Michael Ovitz?' (Portfolio/Penguin)
- **2019** — Harvard Business Review 'Life's Work' interview; continues Silicon Valley advisory work
- **2025** — Invested in Black Forest Labs AI image generation Series B (December 2025)
- **2026** — Named proposed Chairman of Universal Music Group board under Bill Ackman's $64B takeover bid - reportedly Ovitz's own idea

## Achievements

- Co-founded CAA on $21,000, built it into Hollywood's most dominant talent agency
- Invented the film packaging model that shifted power from studios to talent
- Advised Sony's $3.4B acquisition of Columbia Pictures (1989)
- Advised Matsushita's $6.6B acquisition of MCA/Universal (1990)
- Won Coca-Cola's global advertising account for a talent agency - first ever
- Negotiated David Letterman's then-record $42M CBS deal
- Represented Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand simultaneously
- Received ~$140M severance from Disney - landmark corporate governance case
- Donated $25M to UCLA Medical Center - second-largest gift in UCLA history at the time
- Built art collection of 3,500-4,000 works; named one of world's top 200 collectors by ARTnews
- Co-founded Broad Beach Ventures; invested in 200+ companies including Palantir and GoodRx
- Helped architect organizational structure of Andreessen Horowitz
- Senior advisor to Palantir Technologies for 10+ years
- Published critically noted memoir 'Who Is Michael Ovitz?' (2018)
- Proposed as chairman of Universal Music Group in 2026 ($64B company)

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Listed as speaker at Milken Institute Global Conference, Beverly Hills
- **2026-04** — Named proposed Chairman of Universal Music Group board in Bill Ackman's $64B takeover bid - a deal Ovitz reportedly suggested
- **2026-02** — DOJ files released revealing extent of email correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein post-2008 conviction, reigniting controversy
- **2025-12** — Invested in Black Forest Labs (AI image generation) Series B round
- **2025-11** — Keynote speaker at Prime Quadrant Conference: 'From Mailroom to Mogul'
- **2025-01** — Gave CNBC/Deadline interview on Big Tech, Hollywood and Washington convergence; predicted AI impact on entertainment would be slower than expected

## Links

- Website: http://www.michaelovitz.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeovitz/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/MichaelOvitz
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelovitz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikeOvitz

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/michael-ovitz
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-05