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An agency for the stars Referred to by some in the entertainment world as "Hustler U," William Morris was the starting point for David Geffen, the music industry's first billionaire. William Morris established his agency in New York City in 1898 to represent vaudeville acts. In 1927 Morris opened an office in California and expanded his practice to include talent for the burgeoning movie industry. Abe Lastfogel replaced Morris 1932. The agency became one of the most powerful in the country - brokering talent for radio, films, nightclubs, and literature. William Morris merged with the California-based Berg-Allenberg agency in 1949, with Lastfogel at the helm. Now based in Beverly Hills, it is the largest worldwide talent and literary agency, with 225 agents and 3,000 clients. Clients on the WMA roster include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tommy Hilfiger and Bill Cosby. In January 1997, the company introduced its own record label, which operates independently from the talent agency. Questions at first arose around the industry as to whether there was a conflict of interest, considering that the agency generally represents recording artists in record contracts. The agency's co-CEO Walter Zifkin maintained that WMA would not represent any of the acts on its label, nor would it sign any of its existing clients with the new label. (Historically, the agency has only represented recording stars for personal appearances, films and TV deals.) End of the old school When Jim Wiatt became co-CEO in August 1999, he ushered in a new era at William Morris. The big names that followed the former co-CEO and co-chairman of International Creative Management immediately bolstered the company's already impressive clientele list. He also began re-structuring the company. In October, he fired two major New York agents, significantly diminishing the company's East Coast presence. He fired an additional 18 agents, many of whom were senior agents that represented older clients. Finally, the company changed its European face by first closing its London office, and then in March 2000, by creating WMA/IFG, an international film group.
E-mail Barbara Wardell, the agency's main recruiter, at bwardell@wma.com for information on how to apply for a position at William Morris.
Insiders say the corporate culture at William Morris is typical of the "who you know" entertainment business. "It involves a lot of personal one-to-one stuff," says one source, "because most agents don't like to share info. It's almost like each agent works for themselves." "It's a great place to start if you want to get into the business end of things," claim insiders, "but make sure you really want to work for an agency." "We all work like dogs some of the time," one warns. "WMA is a very large company," notes another, "and you are just a replaceable asset. If you don't do what you are told, there are 50 other people that want your job." Sources say "the [William Morris] philosophy is 'If you don't like it here you know where the door is.'" Not surprisingly, "assistant positions turn over quickly? at the agency. Some employees simply can't take the abuse, while the lucky ones "move on to bigger and better opportunities." "Corporate attire is the norm" at William Morris Agency, with "guys in suits and women in suits or dresses." However, in the music department, "people are allowed to dress down." Official hours are 9:30 to 6:30, which are "standard industry hours." "Salaries depend on what you do," employees tell us. Compensation for trainees and assistants "is on the low side, but you do get overtime." "Everyone has to start at the bottom, which means the mailroom and then you move up to secretary." But people do it "for the experience and the chance to make lots of connections." "There is never a dull day at WMA," say insiders, and it doesn't hurt that the office is in Beverly Hills. Plus, if you make it to actual "agent" status, you'll make a "VERY decent salary" and get to rub elbows with the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Whoopi Goldberg. How are opportunities for women and ethnic minorities? William Morris "is run mainly by men, and that's the way they like it," one of our sources remarks. "If they hire a woman or a minority and they move up in the company, chances are they'll be the token in their department." Another source disagrees, saying the agency has "a good number of minorities and women," pointing out that "the vice president of Human Resources is an African-American female," but admits that "senior management is still male and Jewish."
Gail Moore Human Resources Human Resources
International Creative Management;IMG More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
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