Who Knew

Version: Unabridged

Best Seller Rank

Description

Barry Diller, one of Americas most successful businessmen, reveals himself herehis successes, failures, and struggleswith surprising candor and intimacy in a memoir rich in Hollywood lore and filled with business acumen. Writing in his singular voice, Barry Diller delivers an astute business memoir, an unvarnished look at Hollywood, a primer on media, and a surprisingly frank coming-of-age story. I want to work in the mail room at William Morris. So begins Dillers show business life. Diller did not aspire to be an agent, nor was he a glove fit for William Morris, the legendary talent agency he describes as resembling a Jewish Vatican. But he was a good assistant and student and took it all in. Before long, Diller was offered a job at ABC. His ascent was meteoric, launching ABC TVs Movie of the Week at age twenty-seven, becoming CEO of Paramount Pictures at age thirty-two, and launching the Fox TV network at age forty-four. Along the way, Diller oversaw the production of classic films such as Saturday Night Fever, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Home Alone (a film he credits with saving Rupert Murdochs career) and hit TV shows such as The Simpsons, Married with Children, and Cops. He programmed and developed by instinctnot by research or data. Dillers media savvy changed the course of American culture. His championing of Alex Haleys Roots put long-form miniseries on the map. He was never cowed by the talentactors, directors, and producersand worked with them all. Indeed, throughout his career, Diller championed creative conflict, encouraging argument in every business he managed (Ive never thought decision-making should be peaceful, he writes). Diller also recognized our digital future, founding IAC and growing it into a billion-dollar constellation of brands, including Match, Tinder, and Expedia. Moving beyond business, Diller recounts his family life, personal struggles, and regrets, his joyful marriage to Diane von Furstenburg, and where he has found fulfillment. Intimate, candid, and moving, Who Knew is a different kind of business memoir, one that holds nothing back.

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