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Every summer, Hollywood offices fill up with the sons and daughters and nephews and nieces of the entertainment industry’s major players. I’ve learned that Management 360 has just made a new hire right out of Brown for an entry-level position: Sam Grey, the son of Paramount chief Brad Grey. “He had an 
informational meeting with one of our managers who thought he was fantastic,” Management 360 tells me. “We offered him a mailroom trainee position this past week, and he has accepted. Sam starts with us in early August, and we’re looking forward to having him with us as we think he will have a bright future.” Insiders claim Sam pursued this opportunity with 360 “on his own”, and “at no point did Brad call anyone at 360 on his behalf. He was hired on his own merits — and not by virtue of his last name — based upon his academic credentials, his overall demeanor, and his knowledge of film and filmmakers. We had a great chat about Preston Sturges, and it’s shocking how few young people wanting to get into the business are familiar with filmmakers pre-1980!”
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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The huge story here is not that Sam Grey is working for Management 360. The incredible story, and this should go out on all the networks and newswire services, is that anyone at Management 360 knows who Preston Sturges is and that filmmakers existed before 1980!
In other important news, the 3rd floor men’s restroom at CAA is out of paper towels.
If I was Brad Grey I would have just told my son to go to dental school.
long live sam grey the mailroom trainee! first order of business, come up with new ‘management 360′ logo – one that doesn’t look so much like a pretentious optical illusion.
The real question/story is why he’s working at 360 and not accross the street…
Interesting … none of my immediate bosses have ever heard of Preston Sturges, so it’s never helped me or mattered that I knew who he was or that he made one of my favorite films (Sullivan’s Travels).
Why is this news?
The problem with posts like these, in my opinion, is twofold:
1) Nepotism exists in every industry and it’s not necessarily a bad thing unless the hiring/promotion is completely undeserved. For example, if Sam Grey was hired on as a manager or a partner straight out of college, that would be ridiculous. But for someone who graduated from Brown to start off in the mailroom…I mean, give the kid a break, he’s starting off in the mailroom, what do you want? But now there’s a stigma about him, as if he got something that he didn’t deserve. And who knows what that will do on the kid’s psyche?
Which leads me to point #2:
2) I once had the pleasure of meeting a mostly-humble guy named Jordan Berkus. Jordan works in the hospitality industry, not the entertainment industry, and kept his “secret identity” fiercely under wraps – even going so far as to move to NYC for some time where he could live and work in relative anonymity. To people like myself who are familiar with industry names, I quickly realized that he was the son of UTA’s Jim Berkus. But I kept it to myself, because really, what would be the point of bringing it up? I respected the fact that he kept his lineage low profile and tried to “earn” his way up the ladder.
Bottom line: if someone gets something that they don’t deserve, solely due to nepotism, then by all means post away. But something like this seems a nonstory to me.
I’m sure no matter what he said it would be “FANTASTIC.” He could’ve re-pitched Freddy Got Fingered and I’m sure 360 would’ve ate it up.
If this is news, can we get where he previously interned? And Paramount doesn’t count.
“Freddy Got Fingered”
ROFLMBAO!!!!
(cries & shakes head, falls out of chair and chokes on tongue!)
That. Was. PRICELESS!!!!
Oh, so this is why the rest of us fresh out of college with a film degree and great resumes don’t get these positions. Clearly, his last name and connections had no part to play at all…
With this headline, I thought that this post was a joke at first. Well, actually, I guess it kind of is.
You’re so bitter you had to post as anonymous
Who’d wanna put a film major in the mail room? Film majors are a bunch of pretentious kids who know nothing about business. Mail rooms exist in places of business.
You have a ‘great resume’, ‘fresh out of film school’? Seriously? Doing what? Term papers?
Right, “What the?”, because, while in film school, you do absolutely nothing but schoolwork–no actual work or internships…
In any case, I understand the frustration that you can do everything you’re SUPPOSED to do to get an entry level position such as this but be edged out by someone with connections. It happens all the time–especially in this industry–but it doesn’t make it any less frustrating for someone doing it on their own.
Well said. It’s astonishing the number of people whining about this story. For their sake, I hope they aren’t from the same group that yelled ‘FOUL! Daddy got him the job! Nepotism run amuck!’ when George W. took office. Because…you know, hypocrisy is unheard of in this town.
Nikki,
Thanks for posting this story. In a town where many are out of work (and struggling more than ever to even break in), I appreciate your willingness to highlight crap when it’s on the front porch in flames. As if the new ‘Karate Kid’ weren’t bad enough, we now have this to serve as another stark reminder.
i’m a big fan of this site and of your reporting, nikki, but this is a pretty gross story for you to report. absolutely not news. if this kid was given a cushy CE job right out of college, maybe it’s a story, but mailroom trainee…come on.
Has anyone from Brown ever gotten a position “based upon academic credentials”?
BULLSHIT. I worked my way up from a mailroom. 20+ years in the business with no family connections. I know for fact it would have been much easier to get aboard with the right name. I do feel sorry for the kid as he will never know if he’s being recognized for any merit he may have on his own.
By the way. This is not news.
IF M360 hired this kid because of who is dad is then they are taking a rather large risk. After all, they are just a management firm – they’re not an international, publicly traded corporation. If the kid turns out to be a bust, they can’t just fire him nor can they put him in a department of low-importance. In management, you’re either a manager/producer, an assistant or in the mailroom. There’s no place to hide.
As an owner of a management firm, I can tell you that there’s no way in a million years you hire the son of a studio head unless you’re pretty damn sure that person has what it takes.
If someone wants a start in this business, they must use whatever connections are available. I have had countless bosses’ kid brothers, DP’s nieces, and writer’s college buddies as utterly green set PAs. But after that, prove yourself worthy of promotion. If Father Grey had given him a job, or if he had landed a junior exec position instead of MAILROOM TRAINEE, it would be worth carping about.
This story is interesting not specifically because of Grey and father, but because of the age old way we judge others and ourselves by how they/we got there/here. We are vulnerable to insecurity and jealousy. But, please, Nikke, let’s not call out the guy again until his title has shed the words “mailroom” and “trainee”. The best thing about this story might just be that Preston Sturges has been introduced to a new generation.
On second thought, if my father was Brad Grey I would whore that fact around town at every meeting.
I’m not sure if it’s nepotism, but a lot of children of Hollywood flake out of the rep business. It’s pretty much a meat grinder that eventually will grind you up, regardless of the name attached.
Considering who his father is, he really doesn’t have to work, so perhaps maybe, just maybe, this is a person who’s passionate about doing this.
Then again, even if he fails, he can expect a POD deal over at Paramount. Bully for Sam.
Yeah, I agree that this isn’t news. Nepotism is certainly an issue but there are more blatant examples than this and there are bigger issues in the industry right now — like trying to get all those out-of-work crew people back on the job, getting the studios to greenlight higher-quality productions, getting them to greenlight more productions, the dead spec script market, the awful reaction audiences have had to Last Airbender and the ripple effect that will have, sky-rocketing P&A costs, etc…
“And this is news why…?” by Hollywood Assistant
I think you mean: “And why is this news?” Surely you didn’t mean to use that outdated Chandler Bing speak. Tired, tired, tired.
Leave him the fuck alone.
This is not news. I’m confused why its on this site. It’s of no relevance to anyone working in the industry.
shouldnt this kid be at Brillstein?
It’s stories like this and the Warner Bros accounting story — calling out Hollywood’s less-than-honest ‘business as usual’ practices — that distinguish Deadline from the other studio-sanctioned news sites. Sam might not deserve to be singled out, but then if a controversial mention of nepotism causes even one hiring manager to consider meeting a few more experienced or qualified candidates before hiring on the basis of a name, this story will have been worth its weight in digibytes.
Eff off Peggy. How the he’ll can you spin this nothing story into a race issue? People like you are cancer.
i’d just like to take a moment and point out all of the hollywood offspring that have never set foot in a mailroom or done anything but set up fake production companies or just become hack writer/directors… the mailroom SUCKS and this kid could have walked out of school and into something more glamorous if that was his style. looks like it’s not. maybe he learned a thing or two about hard work from his father. either way, let’s give him a break here, people. he’s making the best of the life that was given to him and i, personally, wish him well.