We are taking a business-as-usual position at my agency, though business before 9/11 wasn't that hot either!
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
A lot of my work concerns a crisis of agency - what can we do?
When I was at U.C.L.A., I worked my way through school as a tour guide at Universal Studios, and I came in contact with a lot of people in the agency business.
Unfortunately, since the Sept. 11 tragedy, our business is not doing too well.
The morale when I came in was not the best. It was because the agency had not been valued.
We couldn't afford to move, so we decided to start up a model agency.
The conventions of an almighty agency tapping you for greatness and signing you up and telling you this is going to be the next big thing; that has not been my career.
The William Morris Agency handled me. In that business, you're only as good as your last picture.
My job was to turn the company around and to give Time Warner a profitable Web business to spin off and a profitable access business that still throws off a tremendous amount of cash. I can check both of those boxes. I am done, and I feel good about what we've accomplished.
Even my agents say, We don't know what this business is anymore.
I personally believe this Agency has always been very dedicated and has always worked as hard as it possibly can to do things as safely and as effectively as possible.