“It’s having the vision and then going there and making it happen with whatever dials I need to turn— creatively or business or political or financing—to get it done.”
— David Maisel
David Maisel (@maiseldavid) is the Founder of Mythos Studios and the former Founding Chairman of Marvel Studios. In 2003, David pitched Marvel on his idea of Marvel financing and producing its own movies in a connected cinematic universe. He went on to executive produce Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Angry Birds Movie. In 2009, David arranged the sale of Marvel to Disney for $4 billion.
David is currently the Founder of Mythos Studios, an IP entertainment studio. The Ekos Genesis Art Collection, all 1/1 original hand-crafted digital art, is the first offering in the forthcoming Ekos Universe.
Please enjoy!
#676: David Maisel of Marvel Studios Fame — Never-Before-Heard Tales of Hollywood Dealmaking, The Art of Aiming Big, Lessons from Power Broker Michael Ovitz, Combining Business Smarts with Street Smarts, The Making (and Importance) of Iron Man, Selling to Disney for $4 Billion, and Much More
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What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
- Connect with David Maisel:
- Connect with Mythos Studios/Ekos:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
- Movies, Characters, Comics, TV | Marvel
- Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
- Strategic Management Consulting | Boston Consulting Group
- Who Is Michael Ovitz? Portfolio’s Adrian Zackheim Sheds Light | Penguin Random House
- The Talent Behind the Hollywood Deal | The Washington Post
- Software Is Eating the World | Andreessen Horowitz
- Theater Studies | Duke Arts
- Global Management Consulting | McKinsey & Company
- Star Wars
- A New Film Studio from the Moguls Behind Justin Bieber and Marvel | The New York Times
- The Flash Final Trailer | DC
- Thor | Prime Video
- AOL | Wikipedia
- From a Comic Fan to Marvel Movie Maker | Financial Times
- Who Is Michael Ovitz? by Michael Ovitz | Amazon
- The Operator: David Geffen Builds, Buys, and Sells the New Hollywood by Thomas R. King | Amazon
- The Hollywood Reporter
- Variety
- Seagram-Vivendi Deal | The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Disney to Acquire Marvel Entertainment | The Walt Disney Company
- 1999 Tony Winner: Fosse (Musical) | Playbill
- William Morris Endeavor (WME)
- Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical
- All That Jazz (The Criterion Collection) | Amazon
- Cabaret | Prime Video
- Stage Types: Proscenium Arch | Theatre Design
- Fosse/Verdon: Inside Ann Reinking and Gwen Verdon’s Unlikely Friendship | Vanity Fair
- How a Spider-Man Musical Became a Theatrical Disaster | BBC Culture
- Marvel Cinematic Universe | Fandom
- Wayne’s World | Prime Video
- MonsterVerse | Wikipedia
- X-Men | Prime Video
- Spider-Man | Prime Video
- The Filmmaking Process for Beginners | NYFA
- What Exactly Is the Role of a Movie Studio in a Movie and Why Do Multiple Companies Often Collaborate to a Make a Movie? | Quora
- The 10 Largest Film Studios in the United States | Zippia
- The Apprentice | IMDb
- Michael Jackson: Thriller (Official 4K Video) | YouTube
- How Do Asset Bubbles Cause Recessions? | Investopedia
- Marvel Entertainment Is Down…But Not Out | CNN Money
- Wealth Management and Financial Services | Merrill Lynch
- Angry Birds
- How ‘Avengers’ Was Assembled, Before Marvel Was Mighty | The New York Times
- Avengers: Endgame | Prime Video
- AAA | Investopedia
- Iron Man | Prime Video
- The Avengers (UK) | Prime Video
- The Black Panther Party: Challenging Police and Promoting Social Change | National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings | Prime Video
- Asgard | Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki
- Hulk (2003) | Prime Video
- The Incredible Hulk (2008) | Prime Video
- Hulk Hands | Amazon
- “Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist” Clip | The Avengers (2012)
- The Mandalorian | Disney+
- Swingers | Prime Video
- Elf | Prime Video
- Zathura | Prime Video
- The Dark Knight | Prime Video
- Google’s New L.A. Office Has Left Cool Coworking Spaces Speechless | Inc42
- Why The Spruce Goose Only Flew Once | Simple Flying
- Lionsgate Sets ‘Invincible Iron Man’ | The Hollywood Reporter
- Marvel Animated Features | Wikipedia
- Hit Filmmaker Jon Favreau’s Techniques and Routines | The Tim Ferriss Show #71
- Master of the Universe | Vanity Fair
- MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards | Amazon
- Marvel Wants to Flex Its Own Heroic Muscles as a Moviemaker | The New York Times
- “Iron Man” Shows Strength at the Box Office | CNBC
- “Iron Man” Tops $100 Million in Opening Weekend | The New York Times
- World Famous Dining Experience | Mr. Chow
- The Hub Network | Discovery Press Web
- Iron Man 2 | Prime Video
- Bob Iger on How He Convinced Steve Jobs to Sell Pixar to Disney | CNBC
- Apple Cofounder Steve Jobs Had Major Role in Disney Buying Marvel | Business Insider
- Ralphs
- Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein | Amazon
- DC Universe | Wikipedia
- James Gunn Unveils DC Slate with Batman, Superman, and More | The Hollywood Reporter
- Avatar | Prime Video
- The Random Show with Kevin Rose — The $1M Bitcoin Bet, Japanophilia, Rare IPAs, Preventing Hangovers, AI Companions, Fringe Discords, Affordable Luxuries, High-Fidelity Audio, and Much More | The Tim Ferriss Show #670
- Top 10 Clay Tobacco Pipe Finds from the River Thames | Nicola White Mudlark
- Nirvana
- Stranger Things | Netflix
- The Butterfly Effect: Everything You Need to Know About This Powerful Mental Model | Farnam Street Blog
SHOW NOTES
- [09:25] Michael Ovitz.
- [17:00] How David became Michael’s right-hand man.
- [25:12] Creative interests.
- [26:14] When David fell in love with comic books.
- [28:34] Early Hollywood lessons — learned and taught.
- [35:43] Resources for people aspiring to work in the entertainment industry.
- [39:20] How Marvel enters the picture.
- [48:11] A detour to Broadway theater.
- [54:51] Making the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
- [1:28:26] Why start the MCU with Iron Man?
- [1:31:56] Decisions between development and deployment.
- [1:36:18] Biggest challenges.
- [1:39:45] Animated feature films.
- [1:41:14] Not just another pretty suit.
- [1:47:20] Five stars for Favreau.
- [1:48:48] Why hasn’t David done more PR until recently?
- [1:53:24] The surprise success of Iron Man.
- [1:59:45] Wheeling and dealing with Bob Iger.
- [2:08:50] Ron Burkle.
- [2:10:35] Finalizing the big sale to Disney.
- [2:14:36] Recommended reading.
- [2:15:17] Building new mythologies and legacies in a post-MCU landscape.
- [2:21:12] Parting thoughts.
MORE DAVID MAISEL QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW
“Part of managing creativity is knowing when to exert yours and when to get the best out from others”
— David Maisel
“It’s having the vision and then going there and making it happen with whatever dials I need to turn—creatively or business or political or financing—to get it done.”
— David Maisel
PEOPLE MENTIONED
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