An Interview With Donny Deutsch

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D.D.: That was it.

L.G.: That was it? You did only the one thing?

D.D.: Turned down CNN, turned down MSNBC. And I literally got, you know, 100 requests.

L.G.: So for you, it was not really a good marketing opportunity because it was so off-brand?

D.D.: It was, at the end of the day. You and I both know that when you're in the center of the news, it can be. Our show came off, I think, as very intelligent. I frankly think I handled myself well. It was news. It was interesting. We're in a media world—so of course. [The Rev. Al Sharpton drops by the table to say hello.] Reverend! There he is! [Sharpton leaves.] That obviously was big press, but it's not where I'm going with my show. It was a little bit of a double-edged sword.

L.G.: But your name, because of all this, is just that much more prominent, at least for the week. Then at some point you'll go back to doing what you're doing.

D.D.: I never left doing what I'm doing.

L.G.: Let's go back a little bit. Did you learn anything in business school?

D.D.: I went to business undergrad, at Wharton [at the University of Pennsylvania]. Did I learn anything? I'd like to think I learned some things there, yeah. I really learned more of an overall way to think, to problem solve. I made a lifelong core group of friends, so I think it gave me an edge. I think it really—what's the word?—sharpened my sword, if you will. So absolutely. Can I go back and say that what I learned in accounting and balance sheets was the most important thing in my life? No, but it really gave me an overall problem-solving approach to business and a lot of management skills. So yeah, absolutely, to be honest with you, it was a tremendous learning experience.

L.G.: And then you went out to L.A.

D.D.: I went out to L.A., fucked around for a while, went to Ogilvy & Mather, went to work for my dad [at the small David Deutsch advertising agency]. I was a really bad assistant accounting executive.

L.G.: Were you a slacker or something?

D.D.: I was kind of a fuckup, I think. I left after almost a year, then went to find myself. Went out to L.A., went on game shows, sold jeans at flea markets, da da da da.

L.G.: You were on The Match Game, weren't you?

D.D.: A great moment. I won five grand on The Match Game, and five grand at that point [in 1979] was like a million dollars, you know?... That was fun stuff. That was good stuff.

L.G.: And then you came back, and you worked for your dad's ad agency?

D.D.: Did that.

L.G.: You were there for a while, and he fired you.

D.D.: Yeah.

L.G.: What was that like, being fired by your dad?

D.D.: It was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. I was in my young twenties. I was still running around, going crazy, really wasn't ready to settle in, and I think that was a good dose of reality. I can't remember the exact moment he called me in, but he fired my ass, threw my ass out.

L.G.: Why?

D.D.: Because I wasn't doing my job. I wasn't performing. I wasn't committed, and my father's a very passionate guy. That was a good thing, and it caused a little soul-searching. It was a very good wake-up call. It felt awful, but I probably needed it, and then I kind of said, "Give me a second chance—let's do it differently."
 

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