WHAT IS IT REALLY LIKE…TO BE A (famous) HOLLYWOOD AGENT?
“As three bullets ripped through my groin and a pool of blood started to form at the base of my left Gucci shoe, I knew I was about to start the most exciting adventure of my career…”
(with apologies to Mickey Spillane, KISS ME DEADLY)
In 1960 Budd Moss reported for his first day of work at the newly-founded General Artists Corp. as a fledgling talent agent under legendary founder Marty Baum. Of the ten original agents at this seminal agency, two died of heart attacks (some claim brought on by Marty’s impossible demands); one committed suicide; one went blind; and another was beheaded in a grisly car accident on a twisty canyon road off Mulholland Drive. Budd not only survived, he triumphed. Fifty years later, he is still in Hollywood, still making deals, and here to tell the story of the evolution of an entire era.
Born in the shadows of Sunset Boulevard, son of a prominent film editor at 20th Century Fox and nephew of legendary MGM producer Sam Zimbalist (Quo Vadis, Ben-Hur), Budd was an actor, director and bullfighting aficionado in his youth. At Budd’s famous El Matador Bar in West LA, legendary bullfighters Dominguin and Arruza mingled with Tony Quinn, Robert Mitchum, Deborah Kerr, Lana Turner and Harold Robbins. Budd also married movie star Ruth Roman (The Champion with Kirk Douglas) while still in his twenties. One might say he was born to be an agent. (Others might say he slept his way into the business.)
AND ALL I GOT WAS TEN PERCENT takes readers on an unforgettable journey through the world of entertainment. From the back stages of Broadway’s biggest hits through the dawn of scripted television programming and the end of the traditional movie studio casting system, all the way up to present-day cutthroat agency dealmaking and the creation of reality shows, this is a true insider’s overview of the business of talent.
Budd personally walked Mia Farrow to meet Peyton Place producer Paul Monash… made his first big television series deals with Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman for I Dream of Jeannie and Elizabeth Montgomery for Bewitched… placed eight clients including Sidney Poitier, Dorothy McGuire and Martin Landau in the classic film The Greatest Story Ever Told in his first motion picture deal… and that was just the beginning. The line between work and play blurred as Budd became enmeshed in every aspect of his clients’ lives and careers. From that day to this, through enduring friendships and love affairs to backstabbing and betrayals, Budd has continued to fight for his clients and stay on the lookout for the next great star or project.
Full of wit, candor and war stories, AND ALL I GOT WAS 10% is packed full of anecdotes about the biggest bold faced names from the worlds of stage, screen and television over the past five decades. Combining a veteran professional’s knowledge with a fan’s love for the business, Budd Moss delivers the definitive account of what it really means to be a talent agent.
“As three bullets ripped through my groin and a pool of blood started to form at the base of my left Gucci shoe, I knew I was about to start the most exciting adventure of my career…”
(with apologies to Mickey Spillane, KISS ME DEADLY)
In 1960 Budd Moss reported for his first day of work at the newly-founded General Artists Corp. as a fledgling talent agent under legendary founder Marty Baum. Of the ten original agents at this seminal agency, two died of heart attacks (some claim brought on by Marty’s impossible demands); one committed suicide; one went blind; and another was beheaded in a grisly car accident on a twisty canyon road off Mulholland Drive. Budd not only survived, he triumphed. Fifty years later, he is still in Hollywood, still making deals, and here to tell the story of the evolution of an entire era.
Born in the shadows of Sunset Boulevard, son of a prominent film editor at 20th Century Fox and nephew of legendary MGM producer Sam Zimbalist (Quo Vadis, Ben-Hur), Budd was an actor, director and bullfighting aficionado in his youth. At Budd’s famous El Matador Bar in West LA, legendary bullfighters Dominguin and Arruza mingled with Tony Quinn, Robert Mitchum, Deborah Kerr, Lana Turner and Harold Robbins. Budd also married movie star Ruth Roman (The Champion with Kirk Douglas) while still in his twenties. One might say he was born to be an agent. (Others might say he slept his way into the business.)
AND ALL I GOT WAS TEN PERCENT takes readers on an unforgettable journey through the world of entertainment. From the back stages of Broadway’s biggest hits through the dawn of scripted television programming and the end of the traditional movie studio casting system, all the way up to present-day cutthroat agency dealmaking and the creation of reality shows, this is a true insider’s overview of the business of talent.
Budd personally walked Mia Farrow to meet Peyton Place producer Paul Monash… made his first big television series deals with Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman for I Dream of Jeannie and Elizabeth Montgomery for Bewitched… placed eight clients including Sidney Poitier, Dorothy McGuire and Martin Landau in the classic film The Greatest Story Ever Told in his first motion picture deal… and that was just the beginning. The line between work and play blurred as Budd became enmeshed in every aspect of his clients’ lives and careers. From that day to this, through enduring friendships and love affairs to backstabbing and betrayals, Budd has continued to fight for his clients and stay on the lookout for the next great star or project.
Full of wit, candor and war stories, AND ALL I GOT WAS 10% is packed full of anecdotes about the biggest bold faced names from the worlds of stage, screen and television over the past five decades. Combining a veteran professional’s knowledge with a fan’s love for the business, Budd Moss delivers the definitive account of what it really means to be a talent agent.
