We agreed that if we had to, each one of us would carry ourselves for a year without taking any money from the business so all money coming in could go back into the agency. We got a $100,000 credit line at the bank, with each one of us responsible for $20,000, but we never drew on it.

By forgoing a standard salary and taking profit participation instead, Stewart paved the way for actors, directors, producers, and writers to leverage their celebrity at the negotiating table. Similarly, Wasserman cofounded independent production companies for such luminaries as Jack Benny, Alfred Hitchcock, Errol Flynn, and dozens of other MCA cli

But then another agent said, “When I spoke with him a bit later, he sounded a little more into it,” so I thought, Oh, okay, these two guys represent Chris Reeve. And then another person says, “I think there’s an outsider contender here, he was talking about this other script.” I remember nudging the person next to me and asking, “Who represents Chr

He didn’t take sides; he just cared deeply for the place.

He knew his place, but he became a big part of the culture there, because he made sure things were fair and honest. He was a man of his word and expected the same of others.

access—access

This started small, but we never stopped, and in the years to come, we wound up representing almost every major executive in the business. We never asked or received financial favors from them, but we certainly got our calls returned.

In any business on earth—I always say to people—nobody will ever leave you for money, and nobody will ever leave you over titles. People will only leave if they have no loyalty to you.

I really didn’t have an agent until Michael; I just had a lawyer, Bert Fields.