Get Free Ebook The Mailroom: Hollywood History from the Bottom Up, by David Rensin
Your impression of this book The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin will lead you to get what you specifically require. As one of the impressive books, this publication will certainly provide the existence of this leaded The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin to gather. Even it is juts soft data; it can be your cumulative documents in gadget as well as other tool. The essential is that usage this soft data publication The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin to review and also take the perks. It is exactly what we indicate as publication The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin will certainly improve your thoughts and mind. After that, reading book will likewise enhance your life high quality better by taking excellent action in well balanced.
The Mailroom: Hollywood History from the Bottom Up, by David Rensin
Get Free Ebook The Mailroom: Hollywood History from the Bottom Up, by David Rensin
The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin. A task may obligate you to always enhance the knowledge and also encounter. When you have no sufficient time to improve it directly, you can get the experience and understanding from reviewing guide. As everyone recognizes, publication The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin is preferred as the window to open up the world. It implies that checking out publication The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin will certainly offer you a new means to locate everything that you need. As guide that we will offer below, The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin
Why should be book The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin Book is one of the very easy sources to look for. By getting the writer and motif to obtain, you can locate so many titles that supply their information to get. As this The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin, the impressive publication The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin will certainly offer you just what you need to cover the job deadline. And also why should be in this site? We will ask initially, have you more times to opt for going shopping guides and look for the referred book The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin in book establishment? Lots of people may not have sufficient time to find it.
Hence, this website presents for you to cover your trouble. We reveal you some referred publications The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin in all kinds as well as motifs. From usual author to the famous one, they are all covered to provide in this website. This The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin is you're searched for publication; you just should visit the web link page to receive this site and then go with downloading and install. It will not take many times to get one book The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin It will depend on your net link. Just acquisition as well as download and install the soft documents of this book The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin
It is so very easy, right? Why do not you try it? In this site, you can also locate various other titles of the The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin book collections that might have the ability to help you discovering the most effective option of your work. Reading this book The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin in soft documents will also ease you to get the resource quickly. You may not bring for those books to someplace you go. Only with the gadget that consistently be with your everywhere, you can read this publication The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin So, it will be so quickly to finish reading this The Mailroom: Hollywood History From The Bottom Up, By David Rensin
It’s like a plot from a Hollywood potboiler: start out in the mailroom, end up a mogul. But for many, it happens to be true. Some of the biggest names in entertainment—including David Geffen, Barry Diller, and Michael Ovitz— started their dazzling careers in the lowly mailroom. Based on more than two hundred interviews, David Rensin unfolds the never-before-told history of an American institution—in the voices of the people who lived it. Through nearly seven decades of glamour and humiliation, lousy pay and incredible perks, killer egos and a kill-or-be-killed ethos, you’ll go where the trainees go, learn what they must do to get ahead, and hear the best insider stories from the Hollywood everyone knows about but no one really knows. A vibrant tapestry of dreams, desire, and exploitation, The Mailroom is not only an engrossing read but a crash course, taught by the experts, on how to succeed in Hollywood.
- Sales Rank: #41471 in Books
- Brand: Rensin, David
- Published on: 2004-02-03
- Released on: 2004-02-03
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.30" h x 1.00" w x 5.50" l, .82 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 464 pages
From Publishers Weekly
Rensin (coauthor, Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man) captures the ambition, manipulative plotting and hustler mentality of a few Hollywood mailroom employees in this series of raunchy, realistic interviews with some top agents who started out in the mailroom. As with any entry-level gig, "the hours are long, the pay... abysmal." Star mailroom grads from the William Morris Agency, Creative Artists Agency, ICM and others voice conflicting views, making Rensin's book an uncompromisingly truthful tell-all of what it takes to make it in the movie biz. William Morris's Norman Brokaw recalls, "I made it a point to develop relationships early on," while Bernie Brillstein's a bit more blunt: "I kissed ass." Most of the agents admit opening up private correspondence and packages, insisting, "everybody did it." Rensin also exposes affairs with secretaries to learn company secrets, fights over use of phones that led to wrestling matches, and homophobia. Sam Haskell, William Morris's worldwide head of television, offers a different take: "Your primary power is your character and your integrity." Rensin furnishes fresh anecdotes about an embarrassed novice who didn't recognize Judy Garland, or another who believed in Marilyn Monroe despite a casting specialist calling her "just another blonde." Clashing views of Mike Ovitz, from "a superb leader" to someone who preferred "style over content" and to whom "appearances were everything," help explain Ovitz's meteoric rise and massive collapse. Most notably, Rensin shows that the road from mailroom to mogul is a rough one. The stories are amusing, intriguing and sometimes horrifying, but Rensin, to his credit, never dilutes sordid details.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Rensin's upward-mobility saga suggests that aspiring Hollywood conquistadors should start in the mailroom of a talent agency instead of hanging around soda fountains in tight sweaters, waiting to be discovered, or essaying other such fabled, fame-and-fortune-seeking ploys. Focusing on the cesspools of power behind the stars--the William Morris Agency, Creative Artists Agency, and lesser stokers of the dream machine--Rensin outlines the path to real power in filmdom by relaying the personal stories and reminiscences of the back-channel operatives who wield it. He reveals no shortages of backbiting, antisocial behavior, and power politics in the mailroom, though the place lacks the glamour usually gleaned to gild such showbiz exposes. Do readers dig the dirt on the David Geffens and Barry Dillers of the world as much as that on the Winona Ryders and Mickey Rourkes? Well, if they're money minded, they ought to. The goods Rensin's got on the likes of Michael Ovitz makes his ilk as exciting as the stars an Ovitz lucratively manipulates. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
“Entertaining, instructive, and irresistible . . . Readers will feast on plenty of name-dropping . . . and hair-raising accounts of backstabbing.”
—Variety
“A TERRIFIC BOOK . . . Loaded with great stories, unusual insights, and laugh-out-loud humor. You will love this one.”
—LARRY KING
“FASCINATING . . . A bracing lesson in the acquisition and exercise of power . . . with a big emphasis on the maxim that what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.”
—Los Angeles Times
“THE MAILROOM IS A BLAST TO READ. This is the way Hollywood operates—the fun, the giddy high, the espionage, and the wrenching twists of luck and disaster. David Rensin is a master at eliciting the truth nobody else captures.”
—CAMERON CROWE
“SHAMELESS SCHMOOZING, casting couch know-how, plotting and hustling are all detailed in The Mailroom.”
—The New York Post (Required Reading)
“FASCINATING . . . [THE MAILROOM] REALLY DELIVERS.”
—People
“A-LIST HONCHOS . . . DISH ON THEIR RISE FROM PEONS TO POWER PLAYERS.”
—US Weekly
“This is indeed Hollywood history, more specifically a cogent account of how talent agencies have evolved since [William] Morris was ruled by executives in size 36-short suits. Rensin’s clever use of personal memories as mosaic pieces, arranged in patterns to form an industrywide portrait, is history for grown-ups.”
—Variety
“Coming from the William Morris mailroom as I have, [I found] this book [to be] the truth of what I experienced. . . . It’s hilarious, a bit crazy, and it should make anyone wonder why people put their careers in the hands of these idiots . . . and remember, I’m one of them. If you have a child, make sure he or she reads this before starting at the bottom—anywhere.”
—BERNIE BRILLSTEIN
Founding partner
of Brillstein-Grey, WMA 1955
“A riotous history of all the Hollywood movers and players who came into the industry through the mailrooms of the big talent agencies.”
—The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
“A worthy successor to Studs Terkel, Rensin delivers not only a riveting history of one of the most powerful springboards in Hollywood but a must-read for anyone with grand ambitions.”
—CATHERINE CRIER
Author of The Case Against Lawyers
“A THOROUGHLY ENTERTAINING ORAL BIOGRAPHY OF A TINSELTOWN INSTITUTION.”
—The San Francisco Examiner
“Here is the quintessential Hollywood Roshomon. . . . David Rensin has impossibly and heroically channeled Studs Terkel and Harold Robbins all at once. This is a pinball machine clanging secret truths that move and careen as brashly as the movers who blurt their guts onto every shockingly entertaining page. And the best part is that we learn that people who are now very, very rich were forced to do very, very humiliating things to achieve such. What a refreshing equalizer for all of us.”
—BILL ZEHME
Author of The Way You Wear Your Hat:
Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin’
“David Rensin’s book offers a fascinating look at some of the most powerful people and institutions in Hollywood. It’s packed with entertaining anecdotes . . . cautionary tales, and survival tips for those who dare to try their luck in one of the world’s most unpredictable businesses.”
—KIM MASTERS
Author of Keys to the Kingdom
“As the maven of the mailroom, David Rensin puts forth an often-hilarious glimpse of life at the bottom.”
—PETER BART
Editor in Chief, Variety
“Rensin captures the ambition, manipulative plotting, and hustler mentality . . . in this series of raunchy, realistic interviews . . . making [the] book an uncompromisingly truthful tell-all of what it takes to make it in the movie biz. . . . The stories are amusing, intriguing, and sometimes horrifying, but Rensin, to his credit, never dilutes sordid details.”
—Publishers Weekly
“An oral history of a crucial Tinseltown institution, related by some folks who make Machiavelli look like a pussycat . . . Edgy, frenetic, and entertaining reports from the room that launched a thousand deals.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
48 of 49 people found the following review helpful.
Read this book before heading to Hollywood
By ReaderZ
I'm a former talent agency trainee. I worked at one of the majors. This book tells it like it is, and I wish this book was published before my talent agency stint. If you have ever seen the show "Survivor", you can get an idea of what it's like to climb the agency, or Hollywood ladder. There are very few spots, and there many people clambering for those spots. And those people who want it the most will do whatever it takes. It's very cutthroat. An agency with 100 agents, has 100 assistants, all of whom want to be agents. Maybe 10 of them will make it. Family members of Hollywood VIP's most probably WILL get promoted to agents (but after that it's still sink or swim..you'll read the story of Peter Guber's daughter in this book...she sunk). Same goes for Harvard grads...deep Harvard connections in Hollywood. Many trainees quit. The attrition rate is huge. It's a crazy business, and nearly impossible to have a balanced life as a trainee (or agent, or for anyone else in Hollywood). It's no walk in the park for new agents either. They start with a tiny salary (although more than a trainee)and must perform or they're out.
Before going to Hollywood, be real with yourself and determine if you're cut out for it. This book gives you a good glimpse into those who make it. Unless you are highly extroverted, and an extremely high energy person, than don't choose this career. If you are a person who needs downtime to collect their thoughts, than don't choose this career. If you are a person who needs their 8 hours of sleep a night, than don't choose this career (you may never sleep again!). If you aren't a highly social person, than don't choose this career (i.e. does your phone ring off the hook in your personal life?). Are you politically savvy, or do you put your foot in your mouth? Can you handle egomanic clients? (and agents). Can you handle being screamed at on a regular basis? Can you handle the pressure of doing more work in one day than most people accomplish in two weeks, including juggling several hundred phone calls? I'm convinced that those agents that make it to the top, are people who'd make a fortune in any business. They're natural salesmen, born with charisma; have endless energy, and can win people over with a glance.
Also, determine if your morals/values are congruent with Hollywood. You might have to do some nasty things to people on your way up the ladder to success. In Hollywood, nastiness is embraced, not frowned upon. In Hollywood, real world morals and values are turned upside down. Believe it or not, many people in Hollywood are so egomanical that they consider people who don't work in Hollywood to be, "losers", or "the little people" (unless you're an internet billionaire or the equivilent). They believe they are the chosen ones. Even if you made a couple mil a year manufacturing cardboard boxes, they'd turn their nose up at you. It's a very snobby club.
Does all this bring people happiness? For some I guess. It seemed to me that many agents were very unhappy and perpetually stressed out.
Although my experience was interesting, had I realistically assessed my personality, which I would have, had I read this book, I would never have set foot in Los Angeles. Other than that, this book is a very entertaining read on the ins and outs of a ruthless business.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful.
Witty, informative anecdotes of the low rung on the ladder
By Rick Spell
I love entertainment business books and this one does not disappoint. Unless you're in the biz, which I'm not, almost all of the names will be unfamiliar. This book has no story. It's a known fact that a way into the entertainment industry is to work in an agency's mailroom, eat sh*t, and hope for your break. This book is a series of interviews with the former mailroom attendees on the good, the bad, and the mental make-up of the wannabes struggling to get out of "mailroom jail". It's funny, informative, and one of those books you can't put down.
Many industries have a proving ground. In investment banking we put them on as a trading or sales assistant hoping they will pick up the lingo and learn on the fly. But the agency mailroom seems to be about feeding egos of senior agent's with much more screaming, yelling and attention paid to personal chores. They do mention many of the nice agents as well as the agents who were best at teaching the mailroom guys. My favorite stories are about CAA because it is next door to my favorite hotel the Peninsula and because of the Mike Ovitz aura. Mike doesn't come off particularly well in the book but partner Ron Meyer does come off as a particularly sharp and nice guy.
The positives and negatives of the mailroom run from taking your bosses stool sample in the doctor to having nude actresses answer the door. I also enjoyed the stories of the CAA mailroom which had a particularly high level of paranoia. I had met media mogul and former agent, Mike Medavoy so it was interesting seeing his son's quotes who was eventually fired due to information leaked to his father.
If you have any interest in the business side of Hollywood, you'll like this book. Other books of interest would be "Wannabe" about an MBA's attempt to succeed at the low levels of Hollywood, and Lynda Obst's book "Hello, He Lied" about her journey from journalist to producer.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
FAST, FUNNY, OUTRAGEOUS MUST-READ
By A Customer
I haven't even finished reading this book and already I love it. I know Hollywood isn't like any place else in America, and this just makes what it's like to start at the bottom in Tinseltown all the more fascinating. At the same time, these kids who went through the mailroom share much with all of us. Everyone has to start somewhere, and in the end the experience isn't all that different.
You won't believe some of the crazy stuff these kids had to endure and survive while learning how to play the game. I love the story about delivering the, uh, stool sample. And the one about how David Geffen kept from getting fired by faking a letter from UCLA saying he graduated. And the ones about hoping to deliver stuff to pretty young actresses, or crashing the company cars out of total frustration. It's endless. And mind-boggling. And really frank. A history of Hollywood also comes through. In the beginning, behind-the-scenes people got into show biz for the glamour, to rub elbows with the stars and be dazzled; then it became about the power and money and business. Or maybe it was always like that, only the perks became accessible to more than just the top layer, which is why Harvard law grads and Wharton MBAs began to forgo huge corporate salaries to push a mail cart for $400 a week -- or less. The Mailroom paints a stunning picture of ambition -- with lots of humor and humanity -- and best of all, the author just lets the people speak for themselves in this oral history. It's truly a book that shows instead of tells.
The Mailroom: Hollywood History from the Bottom Up, by David Rensin PDF
The Mailroom: Hollywood History from the Bottom Up, by David Rensin EPub
The Mailroom: Hollywood History from the Bottom Up, by David Rensin Doc
The Mailroom: Hollywood History from the Bottom Up, by David Rensin iBooks
The Mailroom: Hollywood History from the Bottom Up, by David Rensin rtf
The Mailroom: Hollywood History from the Bottom Up, by David Rensin Mobipocket
The Mailroom: Hollywood History from the Bottom Up, by David Rensin Kindle
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar