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Title details for Who Knew by Barry Diller - Wait list

Who Knew

by Barry Diller
ebook
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Barry Diller, one of America's most successful businessmen, reveals himself here—his successes, failures, and struggles—with surprising candor and intimacy in a memoir rich in Hollywood lore and filled with business acumen.
Writing in his singular voice, Barry Diller delivers an astute business memoir, an unvarnished look at Hollywood, a primer on media, and a surprisingly frank coming-of-age story.

"I want to work in the mail room at William Morris." So begins Diller's show business life. Diller did not aspire to be an agent, nor was he a glove fit for William Morris, the legendary talent agency he describes as resembling a "Jewish Vatican." But he was a good assistant and student and took it all in.

Before long, Diller was offered a job at ABC. His ascent was meteoric, launching ABC TV's Movie of the Week at age twenty-seven, becoming CEO of Paramount Pictures at age thirty-two, and launching the Fox TV network at age forty-four. Along the way, Diller oversaw the production of classic films such as Saturday Night Fever, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Home Alone (a film he credits with saving Rupert Murdoch's career) and hit TV shows such as The Simpsons, Married...with Children, and Cops. He programmed and developed by instinct—not by research or data.

Diller's media savvy changed the course of American culture. His championing of Alex Haley's Roots put long-form miniseries on the map. He was never cowed by the talent—actors, directors, and producers—and worked with them all. Indeed, throughout his career, Diller championed "creative conflict," encouraging argument in every business he managed ("I've never thought decision-making should be peaceful," he writes). Diller also recognized our digital future, founding IAC and growing it into a billion-dollar constellation of brands, including Match, Tinder, and Expedia.

Moving beyond business, Diller recounts his family life, personal struggles, and regrets, his joyful marriage to Diane von Furstenburg, and where he has found fulfillment.

Intimate, candid, and moving, Who Knew is a different kind of business memoir, one that holds nothing back.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 20, 2025

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781668096895

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781668096895
      • File size: 107877 KB

  • Accessibility

    The publisher provides the following statement about the accessibility of the EPUB file supplied to OverDrive. Experiences may vary across reading systems. After borrowing the book, you may download the EPUB files to read in another reading system.

    Summary

    A moderate complexity publication with images and logos, converted to meet EPUB Accessibility specifications of WCAG-AA level. This book contains various accessibility features such as alternative text for images and logos, table of contents, page-list, landmark, reading order, structural navigation, and semantic structure. Blank pages from print have been removed in this ebook, with related page number spans set on the first following in-spine page. Certain front and back matter pages have been adjusted in the reading order sequence from print, with related page references reordered in the page-list order.

    Ways Of Reading

    • No information about appearance modifiability is available.

    • Not all of the content will be readable as read aloud speech or dynamic braille.

    • Has alternative text descriptions for images.

    Conformance

    • The publication contains a conformance statement that it meets the EPUB Accessibility and WCAG 2 Level AA standard.

    • This publication claims to meet EPUB Accessibility 1.1 WCAG 2.2 Level AA.

    Navigation

    • Table of contents to all chapters of the text via links.

    • Elements such as headings, tables, etc for structured navigation.

    Additional Information

    • Page breaks included

    • High contrast between text and background

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      Starred review from May 30, 2025

      In this candid, no-holds-barred memoir from one of the United States' most influential media executives, Diller recounts the twists and turns of his remarkable life, from growing up in a "perfectly dysfunctional" Jewish household to navigating his sexual identity and ambitious professional journey. Diller chronicles his early days as a mailroom assistant at ABC before becoming the youngest VP in network television history and eventually the chairman of Paramount Pictures. Under his leadership, Paramount produced iconic hits like Saturday Night Fever, Grease, and Beverly Hills Cop. Diller's journey continues through key roles at 20th Century Fox, ventures with QVC, and the founding of IAC. The book captures his spirit of entrepreneurship, philanthropy, resilience, and innovation, culminating in his involvement in the creation of the dating app Tinder. Despite his towering achievements, Diller is refreshingly honest about his personal struggles. He reflects on his long path to self-understanding and his enduring relationship with fashion designer Diane von F�rstenberg, whom he married in 2001, 26 years after they met. Diller's story provides a rare glimpse into the shifting landscape of American media across decades, written with clarity, insight, and surprising vulnerability. VERDICT An inspiring, must-read memoir offering a compelling look into a life marked by both extraordinary success and personal struggle.--Alessandro Cimino

      Copyright 2025 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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