David Geffen revealed in new documentary

'David gets what he wants,' says director Susan Lacy

David Geffen is, arguably, one of the most influential gay men in popular culture. He started Geffen Records, was one of the cofounders of DreamWorks, and he married Cher.

The self-made billionaire is also notoriously media shy. So, a new American Masters documentary offers a rare glimpse at the man behind the legend.

“I’ve always been interested in those people that make things happen, who aren’t necessarily the person who wrote the song or painted the picture or directed the movie but whose influence, whose vision, creates a cultural shift,” says Susan Lacy, director and executive producer of Inventing David Geffen. “And David was one of those people for me.”

He also has a reputation for being ruthless.

“David knows what he wants,” Lacy says. “And I think David gets what he wants.”

Below are clips from the film and a video interview with Lacy. Inventing David Geffen, which premiered earlier this year at TIFF, airs Tuesday, Nov 20 at 8pm on PBS.

On occasion, the number of editors and other staff who contribute to a story gets a little unwieldy to give a byline to everyone. That’s when we use “Xtra Staff” in place of the usual contributor info. If you would like more information on who contributed to a particular story, please contact us here.

Read More About:
Culture, Video, Media, Arts, Canada

Keep Reading

Drag queens on RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars compete in a roast challenge.

How the ‘All Stars 10’ bracket format could save ‘Global All Stars’

The global season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” largely missed the mark. Could the tournament-style bracket format of “All Stars 10” be the way to get it right?
Dodgers players Glenn Burke and Dusty Baker perform what is considered to be the very first high-five in 1977.

The lesser-known gay history of high-fives

Glenn Burke made history as the first Major League Baseball player to publicly come out as gay. He’s also credited with inventing the high-five

Canadian judge halts deportation of non-binary American

The ruling could set a massive precedent for trans and non-binary Americans seeking refuge in Canada amidst Trump’s wave of anti-trans attacks

Canada reportedly considered advisory for trans travellers to the U.S.

A new report from Reuters shows that Canadian officials struggled to advise travellers on Trump’s trans policies following his January executive order