Extra Credit Three: Inventing David Geffen - Hour Two

                We begin the second hour of the documentary by learning that Geffen's record company, Asylum, merged with Elektra Records. At this point in time, the record company had a tremendous impact in the sales of records, thus having an economic impact within the industry. He coordinated the tour of Bob Dylan and The Band, both of whom were on his label, which he deemed the "highlight of his career." At this time also, he was in a short-lived relationship with Cher, and upon ending, David was incredibly unhappy which led him to go on to his next endeavor: film.

                In 1974, Geffen became the vice chairman of Warner Brothers Pictures. Well known for being brutally honest, he did work there and eventually got fired because he got his "higher-ups" angry, which was something he was not used to. Just two years later, David was falsely diagnosed with bladder cancer. This led him to start his own company, Geffen Records, which signed artists like John Lennon, Neil Young, and later on, Aerosmith and Guns 'n' Roses. He also began Geffen Films, which debuted its presence with Risky Business. David critiqued his filmed in order to make them successful, and even Stephen Spielberg noted, "[his films] are great movies." With the death of his close friend Michael Bennett in the early 1980's, David donated much of his earnings to AIDS research. In the mid-1990's, David sold his record company for 750 million dollars and by 1995, he was a billionaire. Instead of retiring, he thought "work was more fun," and on that note, founded DreamWorks with Stephen Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg. He received one billion dollars in capital (for the company) in a week's time, from which he borrowed from J.P. Morgan. DreamWorks produced many films, most notably Saving Private Ryan, A Beautiful Mind, and Shrek, all of which were very successful.

                David Geffen is known for having incredible power within Hollywood and within show business, which has influenced politics, including the 2008 presidential race. David was once a great supporter of Bill Clinton, but when Clinton kept "don't ask, don't tell," Geffen felt betrayed because he promised to do something else. He became a supporter of Obama when he was running against Hilary in 2008, and at the Democratic National Convention, Geffen called Obama and said, "you're going to be president." The media took notice of his incredible influence within politics and fox news headlined, "Don't mess with David Geffen."

                David Geffen has had a profound influence on the culture and economics of show business. He made artists and actors successful by recognizing their talent. When he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, he is noted by saying, "I have no talent, but to recognize it in others." 

"David left Brooklyn... but Brooklyn didn't leave him."

"Inventing David Geffen." American Masters. PBS, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/david-geffen/film-inventing-david-geffen/2361/>.