Harvey Weinstein screwed me too!

In 2006, I produced an amazing show in my series at Carnegie Hall honoring the music of Bob Dylan, it was a very special and warm show.  Shortly thereafter, I got a call from Bob Dylan’s manager Jeff Rosen, to ask if I would be interested in doing it again, this time with some of the movie stars from the upcoming film coming out by Todd Haynes, “I’m Not There” with Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere, Julianne Moore, etc.  and a tremendous soundtrack done by my friend Randall Poster.  The Weinstein Company was producing the release and they wanted to create another special concert in sync with the release of the movie.  I was so excited to get the call.

All I could think about at the time was, Bob Dylan actually might be aware of the work I did honoring his music at Carnegie. OMG. (I don’t think I went with OMG then, much more the traditional, Oh My God kinda thing or maybe, holy shit).  And now, Jeff Rosen was asked to call me, me, this little producer downtown, to do a big splashy show with movie stars and Harvey Weinstein…OMG.

The request was to produce the show, another all-star line-up in a date needing to be…. Which was only 4 months away.  But with the film’s momentum and Weinstein committing to buying 1000 tickets, it was a no brainer.  I could not do Carnegie again as it is usually booked solid for over a year or more.  I was able to find a date at The Beacon Theatre, about the same 2800 seats, and so, I went to work.   In a few weeks, along with help from Randall calling on artists who did the soundtrack for the Film, put together a great show.   

We went on sale, and the 1800 tickets available, since I had pulled the 1000 best for Weinstein Co. sold out a few weeks before the show.  But something was not right.  The people I had been dealing with at the Weinstein Company had stopped communicating with me about the show, the tickets, only about the expensive afterparty I was including for the 1000 tickets.   We had agreed to a $50 per ticket price for the 1000 seats, or $50,000.  It was now 2 weeks out and I need the money.   I called Jeff, he said he really had no suggestions, I needed to talk to Harvey.   I called Randall about a week away somewhat frantically, what shall I do, I really need this money.   He was not sure what to do, but said “just hang in there, you should be ok, not always easy getting paid by Weinstein”.

2 days from the show, I was excited to learn Heath Ledger was confirmed and needed to go over the script of some of his music introductions.  I am frantically calling and getting answering machines from everyone at Weinstein.  I’m sending emails, pretty much saying, “ya’ll, I need to get the tickets back, so I can try and sell them, if you're not going to pay for them….”  But I was being ghosted by them,

Show day, I get to the Beacon Theatre about noon, we are already sound checking the house band, exciting stuff, but I am freaking out.  Almost the entire orchestra,  1000 tickets, are in the hands of the Weinstein company, they owe me $, are they coming, or what.  I’m leaving messages from the stage, I’m pacing backstage, I can’t tell the artists.  I have checks to pay out (will they bounce?) 

At 4:15pm, I finally get a phone call from an assistant, “please hold for Harvey Weinstein”.    Finally!!    “Michael, how you doing?”    “Well, not very good Harvey” I said.  “What the hell, I’ve been trying to get someone for 3 weeks, I need to get paid”.   Harvey says to me, “Michael, Michael, Michael, did you know I promoted concerts early in my career, I understand where you’re coming from.  I’ve been to the Knitting Factory, I know the business, I get it….But the film is not doing very well out of the gate and unfortunately, I am only going to be able to pay you $15,000.00”.

I said, “what are you talking about, you owe me $50k”, ‘I will have no choice but to sue you, why are you doing this to me?”  “Harvey continues like he didn’t hear much, “Michael, I will have my General Counsel there with a check in 30 minutes.   You can try suing me, many people do, but nobody wins, I have an army of lawyers, Your going to spend more money and not get a penny.  Think about it, wouldn’t you rather have $15k than zero.  You’re a smart guy, take the money, my guy will there before 6pm.   Oh, and he will have a release for you to sign.”

I had no real choice.  I needed the cash.  I was going to loose a lot, $15k to pay some bills was indeed better than nothing, but the mother fucker.  I at least had presence of mind while on the call to say, “Harvey, fine.  But can you at least put this release document on your letterhead so that I can frame it and put it on my office wall as a memento”.   He laughed and hung up.

Perfectly on time, a guy who will go unnamed, came into the theatre with a briefcase, handed me a document and a check and said, you need to sign one copy before I release the check.  Of course, it was not even on letterhead, just plain paper, what an extra asshole move.

I took the check, the show went on, it was great, the world didn’t know a thing, and Harvey had successfully screwed me bad.   The me too# stuff had not surfaced yet, but he clearly was such a scum bag.  I do remember after the show, in the parking garage under the Beacon, talking with Heath who smoking a cigarette and clearly, something was deeply sad with him.  He died not much after that.  What Harvey did to so many women is million times worse than screwing me for $35,000.  But the scum bag mother fucker owes me money.   I’m still a little pissed.