The Barry Diller Story: The Life and Times of America's Greatest Entertainment Mogul - Softcover

Mair, George

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0471299480 ISBN 13: 9780471299486

Publisher: Wiley, 1998

Synopsis

The meteoric rise of "Killer Diller"

Barry Diller has been a major player in the entertainment industry for more than thirty years. Always on the cutting edge, he revolutionized television with such groundbreaking concepts as the movie-of-the-week and the miniseries. He greenlighted the megahits Raiders of the Lost Ark, 48 Hours, and Terms of Endearment. Now, industry insider George Mair takes you behind the scenes for a perceptive, penetrating, and completely captivating look at both the public persona and the private life of a legendary media mogul. Learn the truth about:
* The critical acclaim--and the controversy--behind The Simpsons and Married . . . With Children
* The abortive CBS-QVC merger: what went wrong and why
* Hardball and heartbreak on The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers
* Wheeling and dealing with Hollywood heavyhitters Rupert Murdoch, Sumner Redstone, Marvin Davis, Michael Eisner, and many, many more!
"He taught movie executives to put some passion into their jobs. The business is a better place because of Barry."--the late Dawn Steel studio head and onetime Barry Diller protege at Paramount

"He really is the brightest of the bunch." --Julia Phillips Academy Award(r)-winning producer bestselling author of You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again

About this title

From the Publisher:

Populated by all the colorful characters and huge egos of Hollywood, this engrossing biography chronicles the successes and failures of the man who changed the entertainment world. The ultimate Hollywood insider, Diller's career is a tale of legendary ascent--from the William Morris mail room to ABC television executive to the head of Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox and QVC. Presents a penetrating analysis of Tinseltown's biggest business deals and offers a rare glimpse into Diller's private life.

From the Inside Flap:

"The man who’s known in Hollywood as ‘Killer Diller’ has already left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry. Dawn Steel, a Diller Paramount protege and currently president of Columbia Studios, said of her former mentor’s contribution to the movie industry, ‘He taught movie executives to put some passion into their jobs. The business is a better place because of Barry.’" —From the Introduction When Barry Diller first stepped onto the Hollywood playing field more than three decades ago, few could have imagined the tremendous impact and power he would one day hold in the entertainment industry. Smart, brash, and a bold risk-taker, Diller is considered by many to be the best the business has ever seen. Now, in an eye-opening, vastly entertaining biography, Mair offers a riveting, behind-the-scenes look at the life and work of Barry Diller. Chronicling the brilliant successes—as well as the bitter struggles—of this legendary media mogul, Mair reveals Diller as Hollywood’s most visionary executive. Perhaps more than any other studio executive in recent history, Barry Diller has influenced the viewing habits of both big and small screen audiences.With creativity and insight, he drastically altered the landscape of television programming with groundbreaking, critically acclaimed concepts such as the movie-of-the-week and the miniseries—the first of which was the landmark premiere of Alex Haley’s Roots. Always on the cutting edge, Diller also introduced such offbeat—and controversial—shows as The Simpsons and Married ... With Children. He has also exerted enormous influence over the motion picture industry, revolutionizing the process by which studios acquire scripts, and greenlighting a string of megahits, including Raiders of the Lost Ark, 48 Hours, and Terms of Endearment. The Barry Diller Story reveals how this media giant climbed from the mailroom of the William Morris Agency to top positions at Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, and QVC. With exacting detail, Mair deftly weaves tales of Diller’s impressive accomplishments, from his rescue of Paramount Pictures to his historic launching of a fourth network, Fox TV. Here, too, are sobering descriptions of hard-fought failures, among them Diller’s abortive attempt at a leveraged buyout of Paramount, and his bid for a CBS-QVC merger. Today, running Silver King Communications and Savoy Pictures, Barry Diller has embarked on yet another bold media adventure: creating his own television network. A man who has made invaluable contributions to the entertainment industry in the past, he figures to make even more in the future. The Barry Diller Story boasts a colorful supporting cast of Tinseltown heavy hitters. Among the A-list names you’ll find Rupert Murdoch, Sumner Redstone, Marvin Davis, and Michael Eisner. Brimming with fabulous stories of multimillion dollar deals and volatile business alliances, The Barry Diller Story is a revealing look at not only one of today’s most powerful media moguls, but the fast-paced and competitive industry in which he has been a star player for more than thirty years.

About this edition

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0471299480
• ISBN 13: 9780471299486
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 360