Hollywood is abuzz over rumours about a possible merger between the super-sized talent reps William Morris Agency, and the Endeavor Agency to form a super-duper-mega-agency.
Now those in the know are saying that it actually could be a good match. WMA has a powerhouse music division repping a good chunk of the Top 40 at any given moment, but it's movie division has been weakened by defections to other agencies, Endeavor being one of them. Endeavor has a killer movie/tv department, but doesn't have all that much of a presence in the music world.
Both could do very well from this merger.
And they could do very badly.
You see both agencies are run by powerful, Type-A, alpha-dog types. I mean you have to be in order to survive and thrive in the shark tank we call Hollywood, and there is the great potential for a massive clash of egos that could kill the merger before it happens, or destroy whatever form the mega-agency takes after the merger.
Because there's a problem with business in Hollywood. It's letting the ego drive beat out the money drive in decision making. I know I'm sounding like the next crackpot on Oprah's reading list, but I'm not talking about eliminating the ego drive, because it can be a useful tool. Nor am I saying it should be all about money, because that leads to greed, and greed leads to stupidity. Both the desire to boost ego and income should work together, seeking success for the company as a whole.
My advice to both agencies. Take a look at the situation, right down to the brass tacks, and if it really looks like you could both profit from this deal, then go for it.
However, after the merger, you must remember that now you must all work together. While competition, even internal competition, is good and healthy, remember that the key is to win, not to make the other player lose.
And by winning I mean getting the best clients, and the best deals for these clients you can get. But backstabbing has to go, or everyone can end up a loser in the end.
So I would like to see something in Hollywood run well, just once, and if the folks at these agencies are as smart and shrewd as I think they have to be, they might pull it off.
But then I can sometimes be a cock-eyed optimist.
Now those in the know are saying that it actually could be a good match. WMA has a powerhouse music division repping a good chunk of the Top 40 at any given moment, but it's movie division has been weakened by defections to other agencies, Endeavor being one of them. Endeavor has a killer movie/tv department, but doesn't have all that much of a presence in the music world.
Both could do very well from this merger.
And they could do very badly.
You see both agencies are run by powerful, Type-A, alpha-dog types. I mean you have to be in order to survive and thrive in the shark tank we call Hollywood, and there is the great potential for a massive clash of egos that could kill the merger before it happens, or destroy whatever form the mega-agency takes after the merger.
Because there's a problem with business in Hollywood. It's letting the ego drive beat out the money drive in decision making. I know I'm sounding like the next crackpot on Oprah's reading list, but I'm not talking about eliminating the ego drive, because it can be a useful tool. Nor am I saying it should be all about money, because that leads to greed, and greed leads to stupidity. Both the desire to boost ego and income should work together, seeking success for the company as a whole.
My advice to both agencies. Take a look at the situation, right down to the brass tacks, and if it really looks like you could both profit from this deal, then go for it.
However, after the merger, you must remember that now you must all work together. While competition, even internal competition, is good and healthy, remember that the key is to win, not to make the other player lose.And by winning I mean getting the best clients, and the best deals for these clients you can get. But backstabbing has to go, or everyone can end up a loser in the end.
So I would like to see something in Hollywood run well, just once, and if the folks at these agencies are as smart and shrewd as I think they have to be, they might pull it off.
But then I can sometimes be a cock-eyed optimist.
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