A Passion to Win

by Sumner Redstone, Peter Knobler

A titan of modern media, Sumner Redstone shares how he became the head of one of the world’s great media empires and one of the richest men in the entertainment business.In one of the most fascinating and eye-opening business autobiographies written, Sumner Redstone shares the unvarnished story of how he overcame significant obstacles on his trek to build a vast media and entertainment engine. A Passion to Win gives a riveting look behind the scenes at the highly charged negotiations that won Redstone both Viacom and Paramount, revealing the intense business calculations and strong emotions of Redstone’s head-to-head confrontations with adversaries such as Barry Diller and H. Wayne Huizenga. In a book that shows readers what it takes to win, Redstone shares the rollercoaster journey that led him to become the head of a wildly successful company and the mind behind the revolution of the video industry.

Genres: Business, Biography, Nonfiction, Billionaires

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2001

Reviews

[Barry Bridges · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the chapter where Redstone is telling us how smart he is, top of this class, top of that class, he writes (should I say ghost writes?) like a tenth grade athlete. I do have to give him credit, however for he does reveal his secrets to success: 1) Everyone is his friend unless they happen to disagree with him. Later, when he has "won" they might be his friend again. 2) He treats everyone like family at work as long as they work hard, long, and ignore their actual family. 3) When you can't get your way, feel like you have been wronged and go ahead and file suit. But hey, how do you argue with a billionaire even if he does own the publishing company and can publish his own mediocre book?

[Nanette Bischoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, the book was written in 2001. So much as happened to Viacom since then.

It was amazing to read about Sumner's early life -- Boston Latin, Harvard, Japanese code breaker, famous tax lawyer. However, the second half of the book, while providing great detail on the Paramount and Blockbuster deals, reads like a self-tribute to Sumner's genius. He is a egomaniac, even though he says several times that he is not.

[Mark Dantonio · Rating 4 out of 5]

ISBN = 0743518217 Sumner Redstone

This is a fun book to read if you like deals. Sumner Redstone is a smart guy (Harvard educated lawyer) with natural toughness. He explains how he almost lost his life in a Boston Hotel fire. Sumner hung by his fingers off of the balcony until he was rescued. He was still badly burned and barely survived. I felt he was honest in his portrayal of himself with the exception that he is not inclined to litigation. It appears that he is very inclined to litigate. Nevertheless, a great story of a great company called Viacom.

Redstone merges Blockbuster and Paramount into Viacom and must Deal with Wayne Huizenga from Blockbuster (see my review on the Blockbuster book for more details). These two guys were very different, and the deal must have been a miracle. I can say that Sumner seems like a decent man with great drive and stamina. He does not enjoy the spotlight like, Martha, Trump, or Jack Welch. The book was easy reading and can be bought cheaply.

Mark D.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the stories in the book, however most of them are obtainable from free sources (like book reviews). That is a big part of why I gave 3 stars - this book is expensive ($17) and much of the content is available elsewhere for free.

It's a fascinating time to read this book (and other articles about ViacomCBS and the Redstone family) since Viacom and CBS merged in December 2019 and the equity value of the new company has lost ~60% of its value (as of April 2020).

Sumner Redstone is undoubtedly a successful business person (he grew up with modest means and successfully created a large media company). It's impossible to know about his character or the ethics of how he created his company, though. His history is full of lawsuits and public spats with family and business associates. That could be because he wronged others or it could be that they wronged him (or a mix of the two).

[Martin, I stand with ISRAEL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Autographed copy

[Matthew Valentinas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great biography on who Sumner was and how he created his empire.

[. .]

You’ll be out of your depth but get in the room.
Always always be up for a meeting & discussion.
Total immersion/commitment to the job.
Fearless and ambitious.
Don’t back down if it’s not right.
Be a transformational leader and never underestimate the importance of personal relationships amongst ppl.

[Reuben · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fairly dry - and now dated - telling of Sumner Redstone's meteoric rise in the media world. The book discusses his relationships and negotiations with relevant media/business players as he litigated his way to the head of one of the world's largest media conglomerates. An unpleasant character study.

[Andreas Tovefalk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have fallowed Sumner Redstone in Vanity Fair and The Hollywood reporter . And in that light his life is another story then in this book. In the book he talks about his bound and love for his family . But in real life it has been another story . But i can`t take away his great success in business . He is a great businessman , but probely not that great husband and a father .

[Christopher Lewis Kozoriz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story of the man who acquired Viacom, Paramount, CBS, MTV, Blocker Buster, etc.

One of the major lessons that one can take away from reading this mans story is that one can get so fixated on achieving success in business and career that one neglects his or her family.

[Dong Kaizen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is simply great

[M. Spio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how honest he was. Always love an American Dream story!