Shōgun

It’s Nothing Until It’s Something

The Power of Relentless Execution

Recently, during a rare free moment, I found myself caught up in the Hulu/FX series Shōgun. Unlike much of today’s passive entertainment, Shōgun demanded attention—not just because of the subtitles, but because of the subtle power plays and complex character dynamics set in feudal Japan. Clearly, I wasn’t alone in my appreciation, as the series swept the Emmys, winning 18 out of 25 nominations, making it the most awarded single season in Emmy history.

Turns out, I was late to the party. The series was based on James Clavell’s 1975 best-selling novel, which had already been adapted into a successful 1980 miniseries, winning 8 Emmys. Shōgun wasn’t just an overnight success—it was a story that had been revived, refined, and reintroduced over decades.

I came across this backstory while reading Who is Michael Ovitz?, an account of how Ovitz, a co-founder of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), helped bring Shōgun to life. When studios were reluctant to take on Clavell’s 1,200-page historical epic, Ovitz did what champions do—he didn’t take no for an answer.

From Impossible to Inevitable

Hollywood executives weren’t thrilled about the book’s complexity. Too long. Too niche. Too difficult to adapt. But instead of accepting that verdict, Ovitz read it himself, devouring it page by page.

When he first pitched Shōgun as a movie to Paramount, the deal collapsed under its own weight. Instead of giving up, he pivoted—proposing the miniseries format, which was still relatively untested in the early 1980s.

Even then, rejection came swiftly:

❌ ABC: “No thanks.”
❌ CBS: “Americans don’t care about Asia.”

Finally, after relentless pitching, he found an ally at NBC, someone willing to take a chance. But the hurdles didn’t stop there. The writers made a bold creative decision—having the Japanese characters speak in Japanese without subtitles. This was unheard of in prime-time television, and executives were skeptical. But Ovitz and his team stood firm.

The result?

📺 Shōgun became a cultural phenomenon, winning multiple Emmys, inspiring a wave of best-selling adaptations, and even popularizing sushi in America.

Ovitz later reflected:

"Deals always almost fall apart twenty times. That was the first time we took a client’s far-fetched dream and made it come true."

Business, Like Hollywood, Rewards Relentless Champions

This story is a reminder that success isn’t an accident—it’s willed into existence.

• Big ideas don’t sell themselves—they need people who push, iterate, and refuse to take no for an answer.
• Deals don’t magically come together—they almost collapse multiple times before finally closing.
• Most things are nothing until they are something—and the difference between failure and success is who’s willing to push until the breakthrough happens.

Whether in investing, business, or creative work, the lesson is the same: the first rejection isn’t the final answer. Champions find a way through, even when the odds seem impossible.

As Shōgun’s Lord Toranaga would put it—nothing worth having comes easily.