Very educational.

The narration is a bit dry and the reader misprounces quite a few important names, but no matter. The history of this agency teaches you what really goes on behind the scenes of showbusiness. This tells you where the real influence and the corridors of power really are. Ever wonder why certain actors get the deal of a lifetime, or how the tipping point in their careers really come about? This book explains that and how important it is for you to be repped by a talent agent -- the right talent agent. If you pay attention closely you will learn what to look for in the right agent and what that agent should be telling you that will make you understand that they are the right agent for you. This is the education about the entertainment industry that is not taught in school. If you want to succeed in the entertainment industry, I urge you to read, or listen to this book.

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Bogged down ..

Interesting but bogged down by a constantly mentioning names that no mere mortal could keep straight.

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1 person found this helpful

I was so sad for this book to end!

What made the experience of listening to The Agency: William Morris and the Hidden History of Show Business the most enjoyable?

This book combined everything I want in an audio book: History, Hollywood, Business lessons, and a delivery by Marlin May so good it kept pace perfectly with Frank Rose's brilliant writing. I just wish this book went on forever.

Any additional comments?

Elvis, Sinatra, Monroe. There were so many behind the scenes Hollywood tales about people that have impacted us, some famous, and many of whom we've never heard. Rose brilliantly weaves each individual person's story into the largest narrative of the Agency that has made such an impact for over a century. And while Rose has us in the palm of his hand with masterful storytelling, Marlin May sinks his teeth into every line and delivers us into a world of wonder and mystique of days past in a world that no longer exists. Together, they paint the picture of Hollywood's evolution through the lens of the William Morris Agency to perfection.

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A seemingly honest and dramatic portrayal of the entertainment business

This was a very honest and forthright portrayal of the entertainment industry. Specifically, it focused on the William Morris talent agency. I was always fascinated with the agency and it was interesting to learn its history. This is a very good book to read.

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Whew...finally finished it

What did you like best about The Agency: William Morris and the Hidden History of Show Business? What did you like least?

What I liked the best was the overview of the history of the company and the tiny bits of interesting stories about certain artists. What I disliked was - the details were overwhelming (too many names to keep up with), the length of the story, the inconsequential side stories that I expected would be picked up later but simply fell off the cliff and the narrator's voice was much too monotone for this kind of in-depth story.

What could Frank Rose have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Finished any of the 'side stories', shortened the story by eliminating the details that didn't seem to fit into the story of the company (we learned more about CAA than I expected) and because the company's history is almost a hundred years long, I wouldn't have told the story in such a linear way...made it boring.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narrator's voice was rather monotone and because of the length of the story, and the linear way in which it was written, yes, the narration matched the pace of the story...unfortunately.

Was The Agency: William Morris and the Hidden History of Show Business worth the listening time?

Nope - not almost 22 hours. A few hours with the highlights - probably.

Any additional comments?

Appreciated the facts and some stories but too long and overwhelming with details.

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2 people found this helpful

good Hollywood Story. Horrible narrator.

A fascinating insight into the world of Hollywood agents. Great for anyone in the industry. However, the narrator speaks with a monotone that makes him sound like Siri, and it's very annoying. Also he mispronounces many famous Hollywood names, and obviously he doesn't know anything about the story he's narrating. still, worth a listen if you're in the industry.

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21 hours with 15 hours of asides - Poorly Done

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not really, and here is why:

First off: Are we sure this was "Unabridged"? Because at around 10 hrs and 12 minutes into part two the thing ends in the middle of a conversation with Mike Ovitz. I logged on to double check that I hadn't missed Part 3. There was no part 3, so I guess the author spent 21 hours of filler and about the time we got to actually quoting the participants, the typewriter ribbon gave out.

That said, this book is the type that has to constantly veer off into side stories and unnecessary details. Literally, if an agent of William Morris has a heart attack and a doctor is summoned, a brief biography of the doctor is given. Like I need to know the history of the doctor, or even that a doctor was summoned. How about you say they "had a heart attack and was out of the office 6 weeks"? It would have saved 4 minutes of time describing the doctor, mode of transportation to the hospital, the garish walls of the room they stayed in, their wife's reaction to the heart attack, and a lot of other detours that drag us away from the Willliam Morris story.

I would say out of 21 hours there is maybe 5 hours of good material here. The rest is asides and description. This is coming from someone who averages a book a week and loves memoirs and biographies regarding Hollywood. I would rather we cut some of the asides and the book not go off a cliff during the Ovitz era.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The fact that William Morris was scheduled to travel on the Titanic but had to cancel at the last minute due to a business issue, and later was scheduled to travel on the last voyage of the Lusitania and again had to reschedule, dodging death both times. And after all of that, the Hollywood Blacklist took down his son.

Beyond that, there were brief moments the curtain was pulled back and you got a chance to learn the inner workings of the Morris Agency and what it faced through the years, before the curtain closed so that an in-depth description of the curtain, including what it was made of and the family history of the curtain's maker pulled you back out of the William Morris offices and took you to your sad place.

Have you listened to any of Marlin May’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not that I know of. When I hit part 2, I changed my speed on my MP4 to Fast and realized it made the tempo go better and got me through the asides a lot quicker. I rarely do this because I want to savor a book; but in this case, I needed to stay awake.

Was The Agency: William Morris and the Hidden History of Show Business worth the listening time?

Yes and no. I am glad I know the history that I gleaned from it, but sorry I wasted the time learning about that doctor at the hospital that escaped the Bronx and worked his way through medical school at night to be the one to not save an agent, etc.

Any additional comments?

"Powerhouse: The Story of CAA" should be about the lowest version of a book on this topic, and it was ok. The Agency is really not worth the time or money/credit for what you do learn, unless, like me, you have ran out of memoirs available and you are desperate to have something to listen to. If that is the case, set your MP4 to Fast, and be ready to hear about doctors, curtains, and all of the other things that we can take just a moment to talk about before returning to our feature presentation.

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2 people found this helpful

Informative look into the cogs of the Hollywood Machines

Wow! I was ALWAYS so curious about how things started and worked with these big powerhouses of the film industry.
William Morris has been such a big name in the industry. Even today we still hear many of the names listed as a part of this agency.
What a fascinating look into the world where only the most powerful in Hollywood play a game of high stakes gambling on the backs of the talent that walks through the doors.
If you are fascinated by actors/actresses, films, movies, Hollywood, and or the history of some of the most powerful men in the industry of film, and Hollywood..., this book is for you!
Yes!! The stories you've heard are true!
Peddling the flesh of new talents and fighting to hold onto what they have..., the William Morris Agency is cut throat, and at times ruthless.
A book well worth the time and the money👍🏻

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Talentless reader detracts from excellent book.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, the subject material is fascinating.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It was a broad overview of the William Morris Agency and too many characters to name just one.

How could the performance have been better?

The reader has all the inflection of a dial tone. It was difficult to concentrate on the story because he read so poorly. I can't believe a book with such extraordinary and interesting subject matter was given to someone with virtually no talent. His diction was fine, but he had zero personality and one had to make a conscious effort to dismiss his lackluster ability. What were they thinking? His reading undermines this fascinating book.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

How to read a book like a junior high school C-student.

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Waste of Time

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

1. A narrator who actually sounds interesting. Marlin's reading sounded incredibly dry, it was hard to get used to.
2. The book itself wasn't focused--it went on half a million tangents that contributed little to nothing to the story of the William Morris Agency.
3. Despite being published in 2013, the history of William Morris ends back in the 90s--before the IMG and Endeavor mergers. So any hope that we'd get a real look into how William Morris started and how it became what it is today (or at least, effective 2013) is disappointingly absent.
4. The last 1/4 of the book is basically a slow trudging experience describing how old and dying and ineffective everyone at William Morris became...There is a giant disconnect between what looks like the death of the William Morris agency at the end of this book and the reality of where they are today (what with their IMG/Endeavor mergers/acquisitions) that begs the question, "what happened?!"

Has The Agency: William Morris and the Hidden History of Show Business turned you off from other books in this genre?

No.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Dry reading; he didn't sound interesting or excited about anything. He also didn't know how to pronounce a few words here, which was mildly annoying. But the dryness is the worst part.

What character would you cut from The Agency: William Morris and the Hidden History of Show Business?

All the random people who have nothing to do with the William Morris agency. There are too many tangents in this book.

Any additional comments?

I listened to this hoping to understand WME's roots and understanding their position in the market as of the time this book was written (2013), but it was majorly disappointing. Not only do the historical accounts end in the 90s, but most of the details in the book are irrelevant or otherwise add little to nothing to the conversation. I felt like they went into more detail on some of the stars themselves than the actual agency. For example, there were entire sections for Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, the CAA offshoot from William Morris, but even less on what was keeping William Morris going towards the end of the book.

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