William Morris Agency

William Morris Agency
Industry Talent and Literary Agencies
Successor William Morris Endeavor
Founded 1898 (in New York City)
Website wmeentertainment.com

The William Morris Agency (also known as WMA) was a Hollywood-based talent agency. It represented some of the best known 20th century entertainers in film, television, and music. During its 109 year tenure[1] it came to be regarded as the "first great talent agency in show business".[2]

In April 2009, WMA merged with the Endeavor Talent Agency to form William Morris Endeavor.[3]

History

Beginnings

In 1898, William Morris (born Zelman Moses), a German Jewish immigrant to the US, posted a cross-hatch trademark above an office door in New York City – four "X's", representing a W superimposed on an M[4] – and went into business as William Morris, Vaudeville Agent. By the time WMA formally incorporated in New York State on January 31, 1918, Morris' son William, Jr. and an office boy named Abraham Lastfogel, who, after becoming a talent agent in his own right, entered into a business partnership with Morris Sr.

As silent film grew into widely viewed entertainment, Morris encouraged his clients to experiment in the new medium. Stars such as Charlie Chaplin, Al Jolson, the Marx Brothers, and Mae West were all represented by the company.

By 1930, Morris had turned over leadership of the agency to his son and Lastfogel. In 1932, five years after his retirement, William Morris, Sr. died from heart failure. By that time, the Agency had begun the process of relocating from Hollywood and Vine to Canon Drive in Beverly Hills.[5]

1945 to 2000

The William Morris Agency attained further industry dominance with the December 1949 acquisition of the Berg-Allenberg Agency. The senior agent in the motion picture department during the 1950s was Mike Zimring.[6]

By 1965, WMA's Music Department had emerged as an industry powerhouse, representing, among others, the Rolling Stones, Sonny & Cher, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. Less than 10 years later, in 1973, the Agency's newly established Nashville office provided another significant boost to the operations of William Morris, extending the Agency's reach into country music and beyond.[7]

In the early 1980s, WMA built the William Morris Plaza located at 150 El Camino Drive, directly across the street from its main building at 151 El Camino. In 1989, WMA acquired the Jim Halsey Company.

In the early 1990s, WMA's Literary Department announced the largest book-to-screen deal ever inked when it sold the television rights for Scarlett, the sequel to Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind. In 2000, WMA acquired The Writers Shop, which was owned by Jennifer Rudolph Walsh.[8]

Post-2000

WMA's Miami Beach office opened in 2003, and WMA's Shanghai office opened in 2004. In 2007, the Agency expanded its London music operation, underscoring WMA's continued commitment to the international marketplace. Along with the addition of new personnel, the London office moved into the iconic Centre Point Tower.

In 2003, a seismic shift occurred in the agency landscape when WMA's SVP and Theatre topper, George Lane, and fellow agent in charge of foreign rights, Michael Cardonick, left WMA to open Creative Artists Agency's New York City office and Theatrical Department.[9]

2009 Merger With Endeavor

On April 27, 2009, WMA and the Endeavor Talent Agency announced that they were merging to form William Morris Endeavor.[10] Endeavor executives Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell were widely recognized as the architects of the deal and ultimately took the roles of WME Co-CEOs.[11] Following the official announcement of the merger, nearly 100 WMA employees and former board members were let go. One of those leaving was Jim Wiatt, who came to WMA in 1999 from International Creative Management, where he was Vice-Chairman, in 1999. He had joined WMA as President and Co-Chief Executive Officer, and had risen to Board Chairman.[12]

After the merger, WMA permanently relocated its offices to the Endeavor building at 9601 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California.[13]

The WMA Agent Training Program

The WMA Agent Training Program, often referred to as the "mailroom", was established in the 1940s and is well known for its roster of successful alumni. Since the 1970s the program has been replicated at other talent agencies and studios, many of which were headed by former mailroom trainees. Once accepted, trainees rotate through different departments, starting with the mailroom, before becoming a full-time assistant or coordinator.

WMA's longtime competitor, Creative Artists Agency, was founded in 1975 by Michael Ovitz, Ron Meyer, William Haber, Michael Rosenfeld, and Rowland Perkins, all former WMA agent trainees.[14][15] David Geffen once called the WMA Agent Training Program "The Harvard School of Show Business – only better: no grades, no exams, a small stipend and great placement opportunities." Graduates from the Training Program were perceived at a high level of prestige within the entertainment industry, because of the caliber of notable alums that have graduated from the program.[15]:464

Former Chairman Norman Brokaw became the first mailboy in the Beverly Hills Mailroom at age 15. The Agent Training program still exists today at William Morris Endeavor. It was famously documented in David Rensin's 2003 book, The Mailroom: Hollywood History from the Bottom Up.

References

  1. ↑ "Company Overview of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, LLC". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  2. ↑ Cullen, Frank. Vaudeville old & new: an encyclopedia of variety performances in America, Volume 1. Routledge. p. 1020.
  3. ↑ Littleton, Cynthia (2009-04-27). "WMA, Endeavor approve merger". Variety.
  4. ↑ "William Morris Agency, Inc. History". fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "A Charmed Life, or a Thirty-Six Short Makes It Big". The Brokaw Company. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  6. ↑ Weisbord, Merrily (1991). Our future selves : love, life, sex, and aging. Berkeley, Calif.: North Atlantic Books. p. 157. ISBN 978-1556431456.
  7. ↑ Claudia Eller (January 16, 2003). "Morris Targets Miami's Talent". Los Angeles Times.
  8. ↑ "Jennifer Rudolph Walsh". Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  9. ↑ Robert Hofler (2003-05-09). "CAA opening Gotham digs". Variety.com. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  10. ↑ Finke, Nikki (2009-04-27). "Latest WMA-Endeavor Merger Update: Hollywood History In The Making Today: Endeavor And William Morris Vote Yes". Deadline.
  11. ↑ "It's A Takeover, Not A Merger". LA Weekly. May 28, 2009.
  12. ↑ Michael Cieply (December 26, 2009). "Layoffs in the William Morris-Endeavor Merger". The New York Times.
  13. ↑ Finke, Nikki (2009-10-09). "WME Will Stay In Endeavor Headquarters Instead Of Moving To New Morris Building". Deadline.
  14. ↑ Rose, Frank (1996). The Agency (First ed.). New York: Harper Business. ISBN 0887308074.
  15. 1 2 Rensin, David (2003). The Mailroom (First ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0345442350.

Further reading

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