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EXCLUSIVE: I’ve learned that the following email is going out to WME staff from Dave Wirtschafter this week today:
I want to let all of you know that moving forward I have decided to remove the Co-CEO portion of my title. I will continue on as a Board member, Partner, and most importantly, agent.
It was my intention to accept the position to help us through the merger, and now eight months later, I am proud to say we are well on the way to realizing the potential we saw for the two combined entities. My decision is reflective of both my belief in the leadership of Ari and Patrick and our collective vision for the future.
This decision allows me to focus on what I truly love to do, creating and maximizing opportunities for our clients whose interests and ambitions cross the many divisions of this incredible company.
I am available if you have any questions.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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The one thing I will always appreciate about Dave Wirtschafter is how gracious he is…to admit he’s out the door when most of the people in his position just lie.
Please wake me when I don’t have to return Nicole David, Kim Bialek and Sara Newkirk’s calls.
Just thinking out loud but…I’m pretty sure keeping your co-ceo title, rather than resigning it, will better allow you to do what you love…
Actually that’s not true.
There are a lot of fiduciary responsiblities that prevent a CEO or Co-CEO from “just doing what they want” on a daily basis at their own company.
That’s really sad..he’s such a great guy and an amazing leader…
Dave is an amazing agent, an amazing colleague, and an amazing leader. He is the sort of guy who will give as much time and attention to a seasoned veteran as he will to a hard-working assistant. He’s incredibly smart, incredibly kind, and wonderfully unique. Truly one in a million.
Sara and Jill and PDB…it’s getting late in the day…you’re more exposed than Tiger Woods.
This is no surprise: he only ever got anything because his boy JW gave it to him.
Along with that fancy title, his $7 million paydays are gone…forever.
He’s been irrelevant for a long time, even before the merger; this just officializes what everyone within and without WME already knows.
Does this mean we no longer have to hear about Kevin Garnett’s footsteps in the Malibu sand, about Malcolm “my hair is bigger than Dave’s” Gladwell’s and Thomas Friedman’s latest cliches, about the Italian guy in London with the bad teeth who’s going to bring Dave respect in the fashion world, about the irrelevant U2 drummer he “signed,” and finally, about the 2 sister designers in Pasadena who are going to make WME “the coolest agency on the planet?” You mean Patrick and Ari have finally figured out he is full of caca, overpaid, and without any social grace whatsoever (and it is certainly difficult to stand out when he’s in the running with Ari).
This makes the merger almost worthwhile. Too bad everyone had to suffer so much carnage to make this happen. The legacy WMA folks won’t be satisfied till the job is done and he is on the street however. Who would hire the guy besides Sara Newkirk?
Good job Ari. Didn’t expect to be saying that anytime soon.
So its done- the takeover is complete.
Thinking of this past December, when things felt strange in the hallways of WMA, who would have thought that the end was being planned and a year later, that the company was gone.
Dave- you were complacent, and that is the worth thing to be while your company (that you claimed to love (ha!) was about to be destroyed and your colleagues throats were cut.
Not that DW was a meaningful representative of WM, but pretty soon a memo will be issued by the title of the place saying that now that it is up and running, “William Morris” will retire from being part of the title.
No matter how gracefully it’s worded, “spin” is still spin.
It’s a nonevent. Multi-CEOs rarely work long term anywhere. Makes sense for some transitions, but not long term.
As mentioned in his note, “I will continue on as a Board member, Partner, and most importantly, agent.” Mergers are never easy. Good for him for helping out when needed and going back to what he likes when the job’s complete.
What about Champion Apparel Friday’s?
i’ll certainly miss those AWESOME shoes and great sweatshirts he wears..super cool…i’d want to be repped by him just based on his taste in clothes
When will you all stop referring to this as a “merger”?
Dave Wirtschafter is that rare kind of agent who is straightforward and honest with his clients. He is a decent man in a town full of snakes.
I would rather be in a foxhole with Dave Wirtschafter than in the comfort of Ari’s inner circle. At least, you’d survive the foxhole.
One less arrogant, self-absorbed, pompous bore at William Morris. If that guy had any sense of what people felt as they had to listen to him ramble on and on endlessly, with his own phony protestations of humility, he would be embarassed to show his face in an office. A final word to ol’ DZW: you make thing you’re the smartest guy in the room, but you are not. And as to your being a fan of his Anita: he only makes people feel as they if they exist if it serves his needs. Otherwise, fugheddaboutit. Off to New Zealand with him. As soon as he walks out the door of William Morris for the last time, that will mean the departure of Mo, Larry and Curly is complete.
Silence Dogood … you’ve obviously have had a different experience with Dave, but through my own years of reporting on this town (let’s see … uh, 14 to be exact), there were few people anywhere who had the courage not to lie and instead say “I don’t mean to be rude, but I can’t comment.” He was extremely loyal to his clients, and earned my respect. I also heard directly from clients how they liked working with him. I stand by him.
Anybody who didn’t see this coming is either blind, deaf and dumb or Jim Wyatt.
I always liked Dave.
Who accepts this demotion? Seriously…what kind of a guy with any backbone hands the keys back like this? I think it’s the outside world is only now privy to what the people at WMA already knew…Dave ain’t that smart. He talks a big game, but in reality, he’s a self-serving, closed off talking head.
dzw cultivated an environment wrought w/ cliques and hollow promises. he has conned Alicia and Jeff Robinson into thinking he adds value to their team when in fact sam kirby and keith sarkisian are the true producers within that team and somehow convinced taylor swift and her organization that he can facilitate the next stage of her career. They should seek counsel from john mayer and michael macdonald as to the likelihood of this notion. He has forced Sara Newkirk upon anyone who will tolerate her and convinced his minions they can count on him. That is until they actually need his support at which time he disappears. He is simultaneously an invertibrate and a predator
Sounds all to precious to me, which means it smells of spin. Why couldn’t there be no announcement or just a 1 sentence announcement and get onto business? Why so much sap? Why does he need this announcement? People who are doing well, business wise, don’t need to make such an announcement.
I agree with most here. Dave is a great guy. He was my professor at USC (well, we’d drive to WMA), and his lessons were always well planned, honest and enlightening. He cared about our education. And most regrettably, he lost a couple major clients due to his candidness with us. I thank him for that experience.
…as opposed to “candor?” He really set a high bar with that class didn’t he?
My favorite bit was his vision for the boutique sports business he was building. He maintained that CAA would crush itself on the overhead spent for Condon, Close, Kenyon, etc. Guess he never imagined they could build a world class “IMG for the new century.”
While WME leaders sold the company’s soul (real estate) and took the $ all for themselves, CAA’s Top Dawgs bet a huge piece of their company on building a business for the long term, and provided some major diversification, aka protection to their aging business model. Game changer. And a huge morale booster to all the troops.
Meanwhile, Ari’s still going long on actors and writers…that definitely looks like a growth business…cough, cough.
Joe Ravitch’s Rangers sale will make a huge statement to the sports world for sure. That Ari’s a crafty guy, isn’t he?
DZW’s major insecurities revolve around 2 things: being 5’6″ and graduating from mediocre state schools. He’s pretty sure he’s Yale Law material…he just didn’t want to stray too far from the holy ground of San Pedro.
Now will someone please save Lindsay Bloom from a fate working for that tool? She is the ultimate combo of Jewish hotness / intellect…almost in your league Nikki Baby.
Question: Do you view this
as
A
Demotion.
Quel shock- NOT!
who’s next from the old WMA? Ari do tell as you were planning this the whole time?