“That’s when it hit me. The voices of my teachers were clear. And what they said to me changed the course of not just my work, but my life. Their advice led me to discover and represent tremendous talent, pioneer new ways of doing business, and have my work recognized throughout the entertainment industry. More importantly, their guidance has made me a better husband, and father, and friend. What I realized that day is what this book is all about.” Harry Abrams (Founder and Former Chairman/CEO, Abrams Artists Agency) delivers a detail-oriented blueprint of how to succeed in the talent agency business whether you are just getting started or a seasoned professional. Citing specific examples of how he came to work with greats just as Eddie Albert—presenting a commercial spot for The Lipton Tea Company when Harry was just out of the MCA mailroom—to household names including Jennifer Lopez and Liam Neeson, Harry presents a step-by-step outline of his experience helping his clients achieve their best. Integrity and trust play crucial roles in developing talent and business relationships no matter what may be happening in a turbulent industry or economy. Staying true to these maxims help provide a foundation for building success. Some recognizable performers for whom Mr. Abrams has been personally responsible and whose professional careers he has assisted in guiding are Liam Neeson, Sterling K. Brown, Michael B. Jordan, James Avery, Jaclyn Smith, Jennifer Lopez, Kerry Washington, Katie Holmes, David Strathairn, Connie Britton, Mason Adams, Bob Barker, Julia Barr, Susan Blakely, Ted Brown, Arte Johnson, Jim Lange, Susan Lucci, Wink Martindale, George Michaels, Chris Burke, Seymour Cassel, Lee J. Cobb, Bob Crane, Michael Emerson, Dick Enberg, Bob Eubanks, Andrea Evans, Mary Fickett, Matt Frewer, Lindsay Frost, Bob Gunton, Veronica Hamel, Chick Hearn, Dan Ingram, Judith Ivey, Brian Doyle Murray, Gary Owens, Regis Philbin, Avery Schreiber, Mal Sharpe, John Spencer, Ralph Story, Bill Stout, Senator Fred Dalton Thompson, Ruth Warrick, and Chandra Wilson.

First published in 2013. Have you written the script for the next box office blockbuster or hit TV show and just need the right agent to sell it? Not sure whether to accept an if-come deal or a script commitment? Debating which manager is the right choice to steer your career? Well, worry no more...How to Manage Your Agent is a fun, friendly guide to the world of literary representation. Enter the inner sanctums of Hollywood's power-brokers and learn how they influence what pitches get bought, what projects get sold, and which writers get hired. Find tips from top-level executives, agents, managers, producers, and writers to help you maximize your own representation and kick your career into overdrive! You'll learn: How agents prioritize their client list... and ways to guarantee you're at the top; When to approach new representation... and what you need to capture their interest; Hollywood's secret buying schedule... and how to ensure you're on it; The truth about packaging... where it helps and when it hurts; Which agents are best for you... and where to find them; Advice on acing your first agent meeting... and why so many writers blow it; Managers' tricks for creating buzz... and when to use them yourself; How to fire your agent... without killing your career; When you don't need representation... and how to succeed without it. The value of good representation is undeniable-especially in a world where agents and managers control which projects (and careers) live or die. How to Manage Your Agent puts you on the inside track to get your work the attention it deserves!

For the fourth book in her popular Setting BoundariesTM series, Allison Bottke turns to our relationship with food, and a problem that affects more than 200 million Americans (68 percent of the adult population)—obesity. Setting Boundaries® with Food is a very personal book for Allison. She knows from personal experience about the struggle against obesity—feeling trapped in a seemingly never-ending cycle of dieting, deprivation, and despair. At one time in her life, Allison’s scale hit the 300-pound mark. Her overweight status resulted in Allison being the first full-figure model ever signed by the prestigious Wilhelmina modeling agency, where she worked for some of the biggest names in fashion, such as Gloria Vanderbilt and Alfred Angelo. From her struggle, Allison offers more than just hope for the future. By introducing readers to her popular S.A.N.I.T.Y. steps, she encourages readers to turn away from the insanity of dieting and deprivation and to focus instead on establishing healthy relationships with food, self, others, and God. Her words will strike a chord with millions who have struggled for years to lose weight as they are encouraged to examine the emotional and spiritual aspects of their bondage to food and obsession with weight.

Are your employees like a synchronized "V" of geese in flight-sharing goals and taking turns leading? Or are they more like a herd of buffalo-blindly following you and standing around awaiting instructions? If they're like buffalo, their passivity and lack of initiative could doom your company. In How I Learned to Let My Workers Lead, you'll discover how to transform buffalo into geese-by reshaping organizational systems and redefining employees' expectations about what it takes to succeed. Since 1922, Harvard Business Review has been a leading source of breakthrough ideas in management practice. The Harvard Business Review Classics series now offers you the opportunity to make these seminal pieces a part of your permanent management library. Each highly readable volume contains a groundbreaking idea that continues to shape best practices and inspire countless managers around the world.

If you're going to read one book about Hollywood, this is the one. As the co-founder of Creative Artists Agency, Michael Ovitz earned a reputation for ruthless negotiation, brilliant strategy, and fierce loyalty to his clients. He reinvented the role of the agent and helped shape the careers of hundreds of A-list entertainers, directors, and writers, including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, Sean Connery, Bill Murray, Robin Williams, and David Letterman. But this personal history is much more than a fascinating account of celebrity friendships and bare-knuckled dealmaking. It's also an underdog's story: How did a middle-class kid from Encino work his way into the William Morris mailroom, and eventually become the most powerful person in Hollywood? How did an agent (even a superagent) also become a power in producing, advertising, mergers & acquisitions, and modern art? And what were the personal consequences of all those deals? After decades of near-silence in the face of controversy, Ovitz is finally telling his whole story, with remarkable candor and insight.

An Essential Guide to Landing -- and Keeping -- Your first Hollywood Job A position as an assistant to a producer, agent, director, studio executive, or star can be the path to a fabulous career -- or a one-way ticket to hell. How can the aspiring Hollywood assistant quickly learn the inside track to success while avoiding the land mines? It's All Your Fault is the answer. Written by two former Hollywood assistants who've been there and done that, It's All Your Fault is bursting with hard-earned advice, from figuring out who's who and who isn't to sex, drugs, and other work-related issues. Filled with outrageous anecdotes and countless celebrity stories, It's All Your Fault proves an indispensable addition to the nightstand of every wannabe Hollywood mover and shaker.