I liked the VC story. There's a footnote to the A16Z story, which is the influence of Holywood agent Michael Ovitz on the setup and formation of the firm. After Opsware/Loudcloud flailed and got bought, and Andreessen went nowhere with Ning, the one-time Time coverboy went to LA to lick his wounds. There he was pals with Ovitz, and when he started kicking around starting a VC he conceived it much more like a Hollywood production studio than like a traditional firm - more glitz, big budget productions, lots of ancillary media. One of the firm's first hires was an extremely capable PR person, and the book-lined reception area was full of books on finance, tech...and Hollywood. Ovitz had an office there for a long time.
I liked the VC story. There's a footnote to the A16Z story, which is the influence of Holywood agent Michael Ovitz on the setup and formation of the firm. After Opsware/Loudcloud flailed and got bought, and Andreessen went nowhere with Ning, the one-time Time coverboy went to LA to lick his wounds. There he was pals with Ovitz, and when he started kicking around starting a VC he conceived it much more like a Hollywood production studio than like a traditional firm - more glitz, big budget productions, lots of ancillary media. One of the firm's first hires was an extremely capable PR person, and the book-lined reception area was full of books on finance, tech...and Hollywood. Ovitz had an office there for a long time.
Thanks! And yep, great point.