A Passion to Win
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
A titan of modern media, Sumner Redstone shares how he became the head of one of the world’s great media empires and one of the richest men in the entertainment business.
In one of the most fascinating and eye-opening business autobiographies written, Sumner Redstone shares the unvarnished story of how he overcame significant obstacles on his trek to build a vast media and entertainment engine.
A Passion to Win gives a riveting look behind the scenes at the highly charged negotiations that won Redstone both Viacom and Paramount, revealing the intense business calculations and strong emotions of Redstone’s head-to-head confrontations with adversaries such as Barry Diller and H. Wayne Huizenga.
In a book that shows readers what it takes to win, Redstone shares the rollercoaster journey that led him to become the head of a wildly successful company and the mind behind the revolution of the video industry.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Redstone made his first big splash in the media world at the age of 63 when, after a hotly contested battle against the management of Viacom, he acquired the company, which owns MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon and Showtime/the Movie Channel (as well as this book's publisher, Simon & Schuster). The 1987 purchase of Viacom and Redstone's prolonged ultimately successful struggle with Barry Diller over the acquisition of Paramount are the two pillars around which Redstone has constructed his autobiography. While rich in detail about his business dealings, it gives only scant attention to his private life (in any case, Redstone readily acknowledges, "Viacom is my life"). Redstone's obsession to build the world's largest software-driven media company had harsh consequences for a number of less-powerful executives. While it was predictable that Redstone would fire an executive like the "volcanic" (one of the milder terms he uses to describe the former Simon & Schuster chairman) Dick Snyder, it was more surprising when he axed Frank Biondi, who had helped him build Viacom. More to Redstone's liking is Mel Karmazin, who became Viacom's COO after the company acquired CBS in a friendly takeover in 1999. Under his leadership, Viacom has become one of the most powerful media conglomerates in the world. While he claims he has no use for the limelight, Redstone also seems to feel he hasn't received enough credit for his accomplishments. Anyone interested in learning about the making of Viacom will enjoy this insider's view from the man who had the passion to make it happen.
