Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Quibi Odyssey: Blind Hubris or Ambition Denied?
How big a stain on Jeffrey Katzenberg’s record is the failure of Quibi? The veteran Hollywood executive has been the driving force behind some of the industry’s epic successes in modern times — notably the revival of Disney Animation in the late ’80s and early ’90s with its signature hit “The Lion King.” DreamWorks SKG, co-founded with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen, was a hugely ambitious attempt to establish a major Hollywood studio at the turn of the century. Out of that venture came DreamWorks Animation, which brought us delightful films and epic blockbusters like “Shrek,” “Trolls” and “How to Train Your Dragon.” But Katzenberg’s prominence in the clubby world of Hollywood masked the reality that many of his most ambitious ventures failed to fulfill their promise: DreamWorks never achieved orbit, ultimately selling to Paramount. DreamWorks Animation was spun off as Katzenberg’s project, which he spent years building and finally sold to NBCUniversal in 2016, an outcome that many regarded as a lucky save. His early internet evangelism foundered in Pop.com, and his near-religious ardor for 3D movies — which he predicted would transform the movie business — came to naught. Still, all of these pale beside the $2 billion...
Read original story Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Quibi Odyssey: Blind Hubris or Ambition Denied? At TheWrap
