Making of a Blockbuster: How Wayne Huizenga Built a Sports and Entertainment Empire from Trash, Grit, and Videotape
"The Making of a Blockbuster is an engrossing depiction of an out of nowhere, self-made American industrialist, Wayne Huizenga. It captures with intensity the true grit and dynamic, unwavering character of a blockbuster personality and his rise to this country's preeminent entrepreneur." — Sumner Redstone Chairman of the Board, Viacom Inc.\ "This is more than a book. It's a fantasy about a man with great vision. A must read for anyone with dreams for their future." — Aaron Spelling Spelling...
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"The Making of a Blockbuster is an engrossing depiction of an out of nowhere, self-made American industrialist, Wayne Huizenga. It captures with intensity the true grit and dynamic, unwavering character of a blockbuster personality and his rise to this country's preeminent entrepreneur." — Sumner Redstone Chairman of the Board, Viacom Inc. "This is more than a book. It's a fantasy about a man with great vision. A must read for anyone with dreams for their future." — Aaron Spelling Spelling Television Inc. "I have always admired anyone who makes it on their own and Wayne has done that in a big time way while never forgetting where it all began. The whole story is between the covers of this fascinating book, The Making of a Blockbuster." — Frank Gifford ABC Sports Despite all the media buzz surrounding Blockbuster video, little has been written about Wayne Huizenga, the charismatic man behind it all—until now. Here is the complete inside story of how this college dropout-turned-garbage collector rose to become a corporate titan. This eye-opening book reveals everything from Huizenga's incredible transformation of 19 Blockbuster stores into a $4 billion entertainment conglomerate to his successful entry into the sports arena as owner of the Miami Dolphins, Florida Marlins, and the Florida Panthers. Huizenga's winning combination of business strategies, management style, and vision is explained in this book—a fascinating testament to the power of true grit, seat-of-the-pants dealmaking, and sheer entrepreneurial genius. The Making of a Blockbuster is an enthralling read for all who follow the entertainment and sports industries, andbusiness readers who want to find out just how it's done. Library Journal Huizenga embodies the proverbial rags-to-riches story. With $5000 in borrowed money, he bought a broken-down garbage truck and a small collection route. Huizenga built this small enterprise into Waste Management, a global garbage empire, and then sold out. Next, he bought into a small-time video operation named Blockbuster that eventually grew into an entertainment conglomerate. Along the way, he has purchased the Miami Dolphins football team, the Florida Marlins baseball team, and the Florida Panthers hockey club. Author DeGeorge's account of Huizenga's career is interesting at first, but one can only listen to so many instances of buying businesses for next to nothing and later selling them for millions. Joseph Campanella is a wonderful narrator and breathes life into this unabashed account of unrestrained greed. Purchase where wannabe entrepreneurs roam the stacks.-Ray Vignovich, West Des Moines P.L., Ia.
"One Man's Trash": Building a Garbage Kingdom.Garbage into Gold: The Early Waste Management Years.Waste Management: Regulatory Woes and Industry Triumphs.Wayne's Companies After Waste Management: Toilets, Lawns, Bugs, and Water.Video Venture: Taking Charge of Blockbuster.Fast Forward: Building the Blockbuster Management Team.Deal du Jour: Blockbuster Swallows Up the Competition.Don't Hit Pause: Blockbuster in Turbulence.Sports Inc.: Stadium Seats and a Baseball Team.Sports Tycoon: Hockey, Football, and a Game Plan.Viacom: The Deal from Hell.After Blockbuster: What's Next.Author's Notes.Personal Interviews.Sources.Index.
\ Library JournalHuizenga embodies the proverbial rags-to-riches story. With $5000 in borrowed money, he bought a broken-down garbage truck and a small collection route. Huizenga built this small enterprise into Waste Management, a global garbage empire, and then sold out. Next, he bought into a small-time video operation named Blockbuster that eventually grew into an entertainment conglomerate. Along the way, he has purchased the Miami Dolphins football team, the Florida Marlins baseball team, and the Florida Panthers hockey club. Author DeGeorge's account of Huizenga's career is interesting at first, but one can only listen to so many instances of buying businesses for next to nothing and later selling them for millions. Joseph Campanella is a wonderful narrator and breathes life into this unabashed account of unrestrained greed. Purchase where wannabe entrepreneurs roam the stacks.-Ray Vignovich, West Des Moines P.L., Ia.\ \ \ \ \ David RouseThe many media accounts profiling Huizenga have dubbed him "Midas." Everything he touches seems to turn to gold, and he has made (and never lost) three separate fortunes. He cofounded what is now WMX Technologies, the world's largest waste-management service company. After leaving there, he took control of Blockbuster Entertainment, overseeing its phenomenal growth. Last year he sold the video retailing giant to Viacom. In the meantime, he purchased three Florida professional sports teams and built a 2,500-acre theme park on the edge of the Everglades. Since stepping down last year as Blockbuster's CEO, he had been out of the news, but he resurfaced late this summer with the purchase of Republic Waste, another waste-management firm. That company's stock soared 766 percent on the news that Huizenga had taken over. DeGeorge, "Business Week"'s Miami bureau manager, has covered Blockbuster and Huizenga for nearly 10 years, and recounts all this with prodigious detail. Her book will certainly appeal to those who are fascinated by entrepreneurial success stories.\ \
