Moguls, Monsters And Madmen

“An extraordinary look at a few influential power players that redefined Hollywood and the entertainment industry. Barry goes inside and gives you a front row seat.” —Ron Meyer, Vice Chairman, NBC Universal 

“Nobody understands the brilliant, twisted, dark mind of an entertainment mogul better than Barry Avrich. Read this book. It’s thrilling — and terrifying.” — Michael Riedel, New York Post

“Barry has carved out a fascinating career walking a tightrope while simultaneously chronicling moguls and working for them. This book will be dangerously fascinating for those that love the machinations of Hollywood.” —James Earl Jones

Film producer/director and advertising executive Barry Avrich has created powerful documentaries on Harvey Weinstein, Lew Wasserman, and Bob Guccione, among others. He taught Prince Charles how to spin records, palled around with Vanity Fair columnist Dominick Dunne, who topped even Truman Capote’s capacity for celebrity access, and once “saved” Maggie Smith from a hotel she dubbed The Shining.

Now in his memoir Moguls, Monsters And Madmen: An Uncensored Life in Show Business (ECW Press; May 2016) Avrich spares no one, least of all himself, as he details his extraordinary relationships and encounters with legends like Frank Sinatra, Quincy Jones, Lauren Bacall, Shirley MacLaine, Harvey Weinstein, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Tony Bennett, John Kenneth Galbraith, Kathleen Turner, and many others. In his foreword, Peter Fonda calls these accounts “some of the great show business stories in print today.”

In his sharp and witty exposé of show business and notorious characters, Barry reveals the shaping of his brand as a creative adman with the infamous convicted Broadway impresario Garth Drabinsky and the legendary Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and U2 promoter Michael Cohl. He shares the backstory to his most provocative films — like “The Last Mogul,” “Unauthorized,” and “Filthy Gorgeous,” and the unexpected, raucous, and outrageous experiences while hanging around with royalty, rogues, clients, and confidants.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Barry Avrich is a marketing executive, film and television producer, and philanthropist. His film documentaries on Harvey Weinstein, Lew Wasserman, Bob Guccione, and many others have been widely acclaimed. Author of three books on marketing, he has led thousands of cultural marketing campaigns for high profile clients and films. He led the strategy that won the 2015 Pan American Games for Toronto, and in 2008, built the Daniels Hollywood Theatre, the world’s first movie theatre in a hospital, at the Hospital for Sick Children. He is director of The Prince’s Charities Trust and Hot Docs, and previous director for TIFF. He lives in Toronto, Ontario.