“With success in one column, you help build value in other columns. That is a growth business,” Silbermann says. In terms of his own role in the process, he explains, “I liken it to being the chief of staff at a hospital. It doesn’t mean I don’t love surgery and dealing with patients—I’m an agent with my own clients. But I also have teams of people that I help strategize with, and then I have a lot of management duties.”
Granted, Silbermann has a long way to go before ICM is back to its glory days. But he has already won over the entertainment execs he’s done business with. “Chris has brought a new generation of leadership there,” says CBS chief Les Moonves. “He is a shining star and someone who will be very influential in our business in the future.”
Ron Meyer, president of Universal Studios, adds, “Chris should not be underestimated.”
But there are some in the industry who counsel that Silbermann has some work to do. “ICM needs to rebuild itself, and he’s a smart guy who will do what he has to do to rebuild,” says one insider. Signing some marquee names would help prove ICM can once again work with the highest levels of talent. “You need to make yourself attractive to one or two big clients. You have to sign someone that makes people say, ‘Wow!’”
Silbermann knows this, and he’s already honed his pitch. “I’m not a guy who’s just going to blow smoke up your ass or say, ‘Oh God, your agent screwed that up!’ That’s a cheap shot,” he says. “Good representation comes from just being passionate about somebody and having a connection and understanding their goals.”
And, of course, he says, it’s about the synergy. “ICM is more of a team-based environment than it used to be,” Silbermann says, invoking his buzzword. “It’s not like everybody has their shop in the mall selling different things. We look at every client as an opportunity for any division and any agent at ICM to shape in some way. We’re hungry. And we’re working our asses off.”
