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by

Tim Ferriss

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 (#676)

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“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 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!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch the interview on YouTube here.

Brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs recruitment platform with 900M+ users, LMNT electrolyte supplement, and Vuori comfortable and durable performance apparel.

The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

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#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

This episode is brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. Whether you are looking to hire now for a critical role or thinking about needs that you may have in the future, LinkedIn Jobs can help. Using LinkedIn’s active community of more than 1 billion professionals worldwide, LinkedIn Jobs can help you find and hire the right person faster. When your business is ready to make that next hire, find the right person with LinkedIn Jobs. And now, you can post a job for free. Just visit LinkedIn.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by LMNT! What is LMNT? It’s a delicious, sugar-free electrolyte drink mix. I’ve stocked up on boxes and boxes of this and usually use it 1–2 times per day. LMNT is formulated to help anyone with their electrolyte needs and perfectly suited to folks following a keto, low-carb, or Paleo diet. If you are on a low-carb diet or fasting, electrolytes play a key role in relieving hunger, cramps, headaches, tiredness, and dizziness.

LMNT came up with a very special offer for you, my dear listeners. For a limited time, you can get a free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase. This special offer is available here: DrinkLMNT.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Vuori Clothing! Vuori is a new and fresh perspective on performance apparel, perfect if you are sick and tired of traditional, old workout gear. Get yourself some of the most comfortable and versatile clothing on the planet at VuoriClothing.com/Tim. Not only will you receive 20% off your first purchase, but you’ll also enjoy free shipping on any US orders over $75 and free returns.

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:

Twitter | Instagram

  • Connect with Mythos Studios/Ekos:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

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

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Jessica Robitaille
Jessica Robitaille
2 years ago

I would like to know if we can consider an update of the book The 4-hour workweek??

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aamod joshi
aamod joshi
2 years ago

I appreciate the in-depth tutorials and step-by-step guides on your blog. They are incredibly helpful for beginners in the subject matter.

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Herbal
Herbal
2 years ago

The Podcast was literally awesome, Tim, Thank You for bringing such good podcast to all of us.
Now I’m feeling way more motivated towards my brand [Moderator: link removed.] to make it successful.
Once again thank you TIm

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New!

Coyote

A card game by Tim Ferriss and Exploding Kittens

COYOTE is an addictive card game of hilarity, high-fives, and havoc! Learn it in minutes, and each game lasts around 10 minutes.

For ages 10 and up (though I’ve seen six-year olds play) and three or more players, think of it as group rock, paper, scissors with many surprise twists, including the ability to sabotage other players. Viral videos of COYOTE have been watched more than 250 million times, and it’s just getting started.

Unleash your trickster spirit with a game that’s simple to learn, hard to master, and delightfully different every time you play. May the wit and wiles be with you!

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