The making of a blockbuster : how Wayne Huizenga built a sports and entertainment empire from trash, grit, and videotape / by Gail DeGeorge.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

DeGeorge, Gail.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Huizenga, Wayne.

Businessmen--United States--Biography.

Businessmen.

Video recordings industry.

Refuse disposal industry.

United States.

Sports team owners--United States--Biography.

Sports team owners.

Refuse disposal industry--United States.

Video recordings industry--United States.

Viacom International.

Blockbuster Entertainment Corporation.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xiii, 354 pages, 4 unnumbered leaves of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : John Wiley, 1995.

Summary:

Thirty-five years ago, Wayne Huizenga rose before sunup each morning to run his garbage collection route. Today, the sun hasn't yet set on his multibillion-dollar sports, entertainment, and waste management empire. Now, in The Making of a Blockbuster, Business Week reporter Gail DeGeorge gives us the complete inside story of how a rowdy young college dropout-turned-garbage collector rose to become a corporate titan. Writing in a taut, journalistic style, DeGeorge traces the evolution of Huizenga's business empire, beginning in 1962 when, with $5,000 borrowed from his father-in-law, Huizenga purchased a second-hand garbage truck and a handful of commercial accounts. From this modest start, he built Waste Management, the world's largest waste collection company. He then managed a string of far-flung and highly profitable business ventures - from portable toilets to pest control - and then grew Blockbuster from l9 video stores to a 3,700-store entertainment conglomerate with annual revenues of more than $4 billion. We learn for the first time the full details behind how he built Blockbuster, in just seven years, through a combination of grit, seat-of-the-pants dealmaking, and sheer entrepreneurial genius. When he sold Blockbuster as part of the sensational 1994 Viacom/Paramount merger, Huizenga emerged as a powerbroker in the entertainment industry. We also get a behind-the-scenes look at Wayne Huizenga's successful launch into the sports industry, including his unparalleled ownership of three major professional sports franchises - the Miami Dolphins, the Florida Marlins, and the Florida Panthers - as well as Miami's Joe Robbie Stadium. Huizenga has recently purchased a small solid wastecompany - leading us to wonder if he's now building his third multibillion-dollar corporation.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0471122696

OCLC:

34027111