Larry David became a client of business manager Matt Lichtenberg in 1984, shortly after David got a writing job for “Saturday Night Live.” David was not looking for representation at the time, but Matt Lichtenberg cornered him outside the Improv comedy club in New York and insisted that David hire him as a manger.
A year later, when David was fired from “SNL,” he began a four-year stint where he “didn’t make a dime.” The memory of how Lichtenberg kept him on as a client and continued to pay his bills during those lean years made David, the wildly successful co-creator and showrunner of “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” choke up a little when he presented Lichtenberg. Wednesday with the kudos as Business Manager of the Year Variety‘s Business Managers Breakfast presented by City National Bank.
In the late 1980s I called him up and said, ‘Look, you’re wasting your time with me. Nothing’s going to happen. My mother told me this a thousand times,” David recalled to Lichtenberg. “Let’s just end this business relationship. We’ll still be friends. I don’t care. It’s no big deal.”
But Lichtenberg didn’t want to let David go. When asked why, Lichtenberg told David that he could see his talent and influence in the fact that other top comedians flocked to David’s stand-up performances. When David told the crowd that his association with Lichtenberg is “one of the few relationships I’ve never regretted,” his voice lifted slightly, making the moment even more moving. “Going with him turned out to be one of the smartest decisions I’ve made in my life,” David added in closing.
Lichtenberg explained to the audience the steps in his personal and professional life that led the native New Yorker to move to the “sun-drenched beaches” of Southern California to specialize in handling business matters for comedians. He channeled his customers’ timing and delivery with a witty observation about how he’s not used to being in the spotlight.
When I accepted the Business Manager of the Year award, “It basically encompasses everything I don’t like to do,” Lichtenberg said. “I don’t like wearing a suit. I don’t like being the center of attention. I don’t like public speaking. I don’t like breakfast, and I really don’t like asking my customers to please me. I try never to ask my customers to do me a favor.”
Larry David with longtime manager Matt Lichtenberg Variety’s Business Managers Breakfast.
Variation via Getty Images
Lichtenberg emphasized the importance of trust and having long-term relationships with customers, as he does with David and other comics including Will Ferrell and Lewis Black.
“Here we are a room full of apparently smart people, and I ask myself: What separates smart people from successful people? Successful people know that to succeed, you have to surround yourself with smart people,” said Lichtenberg. “As business managers, we wake up every day at a table playing a high-stakes poker game. We are all in and we are betting everything that we and everyone who works for us will do everything right that day and that no mistakes will be made. And God forbid, if an error occurs, it is minor and easily corrected.”
FX Chairman John Landgraf was the event’s keynote speaker. He spoke in detail about the state of the industry, specifically the changing talent compensation protocols (an urgent consideration for the audience). He drew a stark contrast between the tech giants that have entered entertainment in the past decade and the established Hollywood studios with deep roots in storytelling.
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“We don’t intend for the algorithm to help us replicate a whole series of successes. We are participating in the out-of-the-box, extraordinary innovation that is ‘The Bear,'” Landgraf said, referring to FX’s Emmy-winning comedy series. “And I never know where that will come from. It will come out of nowhere. That is the magic of this industry that never changes.”
The power and influence that the entertainment industry wields was the focus of the opening speech by Kelly Coffey, CEO of City National Entertainment, Private Banking and Wealth Management.
“The global entertainment and media sector continues to grow, contributing as much as $2.8 trillion annually,” Coffey noted. “This includes film, television, theater and digital media, each shaping stories and cultural values. The music industry alone now generates nearly $30 billion in revenue worldwide, demonstrating resilience and adaptability that we all need to be thinking about today as things change, fueled by streaming and supported by a growing base of physical media fans.”
These eye-popping figures underline why creative talent who works tirelessly and often on a project basis needs expert financial guidance more than ever.
“But beyond the numbers, entertainment promotes global connections and understanding that transcends borders and engages people through universal stories and sounds, which we all need today,” Coffey said. “Business managers have challenging and diverse roles, and we see it first-hand at City National. Whether they are managing investments, negotiating deals, overseeing real estate, planning for the future, they balance countless priorities every day.”