Managing Show Business
By Johnny Russo — 09/24/09
Richard Arlook has breakfast at 8:00am in the morning everyday. It is not just breakfast, but a breakfast meeting. Arlook meets with clients, industry professionals, and anyone who is anyone in Hollywood to discus business over the morning meal. Arlook is the president of the Arlook Group. It is a talent management company he jump started after leaving TGA where he worked for many years climbing the ranks all the way up to becoming a senior partner and head of the literary department. Now, Arlook works with many directors and writers in his own shop. His group focuses on the literary department of the movie and television business. Arlook said it all starts with the written word, and even with years of experience in Hollywood under his belt, he still loves working with creative people. Even though Arlook works mostly with people behind the scenes mainly writers and directors, some of his clients work both in front of the camera and behind it like director and star of Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock.
When asked about where talent management is going as stars are representing themselves and tossing agents and managers aside, Arlook agrees some big names do not need representation. Arlook said, “Leonard Dicaprio does not need an agent. I am sure he has no loss of work because he works without an agent.” Arlook says the big stars are the exception, but in an ever-changing industry where people have to know what is happening especially in a town like LA, actors, actresses and everyone else needs representation. Arlook has a great reputation in the industry for working hard for his clients and not only communicating with his clients but communicating with Hollywood’s biggest movers and shakers to land his clients opportunities.
In addition to wearing his manager’s hat, Arlook puts on a producers hat once in a while. Arlock at the age of 26, he finished his first movie as an executive producer back in 1989 with the movie After Midnight. More recently he has acquired the rights to a script about former two Super Bowl quarterback Jim Plunkett. Arlook has come a long way since getting his start with the television show Tic Tac Dough. Whether he is eating with the next big time Hollywood writer, or sitting down with a studio executive to talk about his production company, High Bar Pictures, you can be sure Richard Arlook with be at breakfast bright and early.