E book excerpt: “Who Knew” by Barry Diller

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TV, movie and media govt Barry Diller spent a decade at ABC, the place he helped popularize the made-for-TV “Film of the Week.” In his new memoir, “Who Knew” (to be revealed on Could 20 by Simon & Schuster), Diller writes about his profession, together with a lesson in regards to the limitations of an excessive amount of info – when intuition (for, like, what makes an intriguing Film of the Week?) could also be a greater predictor of success.

Learn an excerpt under, and do not miss Tracy Smith’s interview with Barry Diller on “CBS Sunday Morning” Could 11!

“Who Knew” by Barry Diller

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We had been good on titles within the early days

Girls in Chains was one in all my favorites; it was a horrible film, however what a promotable title.

Scream, Fairly Peggy wasn’t unhealthy, both.

Typically the employees would ask, “Is it business?” and I might brutalize them, as a result of quite than utilizing their instincts, they had been making an attempt to foretell the general public’s urge for food, which I mentioned then and say now, over and over, merely is not doable. Neither is utilizing analysis to assist make selections. No quantity of analysis on concepts is well worth the paper (or pc display) it is printed on. Knowledge can inform you what has occurred, not what can or will occur. Knowledge is usually dangerous to intuition, and I consider this to be true for making not solely artistic selections however many enterprise selections. PowerPoint will be the enemy; structured info typically narrows the sieve simply when you’ll want to broaden it out within the areas between info and actual understanding. Overtraining our brains on information alone would not confer a bonus, and it may be a deterrent if it is the one decision-making part. That is typically the issue with MBA college students, who come armed with all of the enterprise instruments and case research however little easy human intuition. I don’t consider that utilizing intuition quite than deep, laborious numerical or fact-based information to assist with decision-making is the lazier course of. An excessive amount of info can overload, overcomplicate, and obscure what’s on the essence of any proposal: Is it a good suggestion, and does it make any widespread sense?

You not often get the proper mission or the proper script. In all my expertise I in all probability have not learn ten scripts out of a thousand which are so absolutely realized, so completely and incontrovertibly nice that you simply simply scream, “Make it!” A kind of, although, was the day in 1970 that Leonard Goldberg, who had lately moved on from ABC to run a big tv manufacturing firm, referred to as up and mentioned, “You have to learn this script proper now.” It was referred to as Brian’s Music, the story of the deep bond between a Black and a white professional soccer participant, one who will die of most cancers. I wept as I learn it. I referred to as him up and mentioned, “We are able to solely screw it up from right here—it is good—let’s go.” Sometimes called one of many best tv movies ever made—and one of many best sports activities movies as effectively—it was nominated for 9 Emmys and received 5. One other of these few instances, Dan Curtis, a number one ABC daytime producer, despatched me a manuscript of an as-yet-unpublished novel referred to as The Kolchak Papers. I learn it in two or three hours—it was the up to date story of a vampire in Las Vegas—and I instructed Dan, “That is pretty much as good a narrative as I’ve ever learn.” And what a terrific thought: Las Vegas, a metropolis most alive at night time—the proper place for a vampire to reside.

Out of that novel we made The Night time Stalker, which turned out to be so good that we held a screening for the senior ABC administration, who all mentioned, “That is a terrific film. We should always launch it theatrically!” I fought in opposition to that, saying, “Sure, it is a terrific film, nevertheless it’s a Film of the Week, and that is the place it belongs.” We aired the movie in early January 1972, and it grew to become ABC’s highest-rated Film of the Week, drawing about 50 million folks, a report. The Night time Stalker spawned a sequel (The Night time Strangler) and a tv collection (Kolchak: The Night time Stalker), and it was adopted by two extra made-for-TV motion pictures and a subsequent remake of the collection. All that from one good thought!

From “Who Knew” by Barry Diller. Copyright © 2025 by Barry Diller. Excerpted with permission by Simon & Schuster, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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“Who Knew” by Barry Diller

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For more information:

• “Who Knew” by Barry Diller (‎Simon & Schuster), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio codecs, obtainable Could 20