[Flash] When CEO of Universal Studios Mentored Movie Producer Brian Grazer

She taught him the value of admitting his ignorance, insisting: “As long as we ask questions, not knowing the answer just makes us more interested.”

She then reinforced Brian’s curiosity by calling it his “superpower.”

Emboldened by Grandma Sonia’s mentoring, Brian started calling people he was curious to meet. He coined this practice, “Curiosity Conversations.” For the past 40 years, Brian has made a weekly phone call, eager to learn from someone new.

Fascinated by the movie business, Brian leveraged Curiosity Conversations to understand the mechanics of the film industry as he was exploring a career in Hollywood.

One year, he pursued Lew Wasserman, the CEO of Universal Studios, for a Curiosity Conversation.

Brian desperately wanted to learn from Lew. And after many attempts with Lew’s assistants, Brian landed an in-person Curiosity Conversation with the Hollywood mogul.

When he arrived at Lew’s office, Lew stopped him in the lobby, abruptly stating, “You wait here. You’re not coming in.”

Lew then handed Brian a pencil and a pad of paper.

He said, “Put these in your hand and put the pencil to the paper. It will have greater value than they do as separate parts. Now, get out of here.”

As Brian reflected on The Person Who Believed in Me podcast, “In other words, don’t come see me without any ideas. Don’t pick my brain. Come in with something of meaning. Sell me something. Have an idea. Represent it.”

While Lew’s admonishment felt blistering and embarrassing, Brian eventually recognized the actionable advice: don’t just take ideas; generate them.

Lew’s mentoring sparked Brian into action… he started working on his screenplay idea and wrote the script for the 1988 movie Splash.

While Curiosity Conversations have helped Brian open doors, Lew’s micro-mentoring helped Brian discover the power of bringing value to those conversations.

Likewise, in your own pursuit of wisdom, don’t implore, “Mentor me!” or ask, “Can I pick your brain?” (… it’s painful, literally and figuratively)

Instead, bring someone your project, passion, proposal, or plan, and invite them to contribute.

Showing up with something meaningful demonstrates your respect for their thought partnership. 

Mentors want to add value. Help them help you, and together, you’ll create something that wouldn’t have happened without your own curiosity conversation.

© 2026. Ann Tardy and MentorLead. www.mentorlead.com. All Rights Reserved.