“A Lubitsch not of films but of finances”: Michael Ovitz and the mainstreaming of media-industrial news
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2026
Department/School
Communication, Media and Theatre Arts
Publication Title
JCMS: Journal of Cinema and Media Studies
Abstract
Michael Ovitz was considered one of Hollywood's most important players during his leadership of the Creative Artists Agency in the 1980s and 1990s. Despite his frequent protests that he wanted no attention, he appeared frequently in mainstream media stories about changes to the film industry. Using insights from business sociology and media theory, this article positions Ovitz as Hollywood's first charismatic CEO—a celebrity who served as a symbol that explained and justified the structural and aesthetic shifts in the US film industry at the end of the twentieth century.
Link to Published Version
Recommended Citation
Overpeck, D. (2026). “A Lubitsch not of films but of finances”: Michael Ovitz and the mainstreaming of media-industrial news. JCMS: Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, 65(2). https://doi.org/10.1353/cj.2025.a982202
Comments
D. Overpeck is a faculty member in EMU's School of Communication, Media, and Theatre Arts.