Everything Brian Grazer said on any show that made the record, most notable first. Each card names its show and opens the statement there.
Grazer: Tech eliminated 25% first-dollar gross deals for movie talent
“It's made it a lot less lucrative for artists in the last five years. I mean, it's made it so, I mean, I'm thrilled that, I mean, I'm grateful that I had 20 years of, like, the, that was the real golden era, you know, for, so I, where you know, I could get 25%…”
Grazer: Poor economics drove my shift from theatrical films to television
“I mean, I can get them made just through, just sheer physics, just the force of me, like, but it's not attractive, so it's mostly what you just said, and for the most part, that's why I've kind of, I've shifted my focus or balance into television.”
Grazer: Industry Rejection Proves That 'Nobody Knows Anything'
“The dumbest idea in Hollywood, known by all, got made and turned out to be a critical darling, and I got nominated for an Oscar, and I thought, wow, that means nobody knows anything. Whether it's movie story or a tech story or a consumer story.”
Grazer: Gatekeepers in film and tech don't know what will succeed
“The dumbest idea in Hollywood known by all got made and turned out to be a critical darling, and I got nominated for an Oscar, and I thought, wow, that means nobody knows anything. Whether it's movie story, or a tech story, or a consumer story.”
Grazer: Serena Williams lacked traditional childhood socialization due to lifelong tennis focus
“She's just been doing tennis her whole life, as you guessed, and so she's never really had real childhood or socialization, and she's very shy and sweet and soft voice”
Grazer: Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey is cool and slightly elitist
“Jack Dorsey, who's a friend of mine, and a very selective guy, slightly, you know, cool, slightly elitist, doesn't like everybody.”
Grazer: Modern technology benefits mega-hits but destroys mid-budget movies
“Technology today works best on the mega hit thing, and I think, you know, Empire is a mega hit, and what you just, and Fast and Furious, and the Marvel movies for Disney, it's amazing. Those mega hits, it, it's working. But, It doesn't work for the doubles. Th…”
Grazer: Combining entertainment and education is media's biggest open opportunity
“I think that's where the big void is. That's the, that would be, for me, the future.”
Grazer: Steve Jobs had a low tolerance for unaligned people
“And I could feel that there could be a level of intolerance pretty quickly, because you had to be within, in his world. On the ball and in his world.”
Grazer: Prepare for networking meetings by offering a tailored gift or insight
“So I come with some sort of gift to them. I did that with Jay-Z as well. I try to find out the thing that they care about on a human and business level that they might not be given And I could provide it.”
Grazer: Meeting Ol' Dirty Bastard led to producing the film '8 Mile'
“By meeting this one guy, it got me to ultimately make the movie Eight Mile with Eminem.”
Grazer: Tom Hanks was cast in 'Splash' partly due to nervous fidgeting
“Part of Tom Hanks getting the job in Splash was his nervous, crazy nervous whacking of a pencil while he was talking, and he still does that, actually.”
Grazer: Sam Altman helped model Imagine Impact after Y Combinator
“It was completely modeled after Y Combinator. And in fact, Sam Altman and Paul Graham were great help.”
Grazer: Imagine Impact's YC-style pitch days achieved a 60% sell rate
“We had like about a 60% sell rate.”
Grazer: Jeff Bezos was captivated by my meeting with Edward Teller
“Very smart, very focused, interested in physics, totally captivated by the fact that I met with Edward Teller, wanted to know everything about that Star Wars program.”
Brian Grazer
the a16z Podcast 1
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