Peter Lampack joined the William Morris Agency in 1967 through its now famous mail room training program, acceptance into which is said to be more competitive than Harvard. Peter was David Geffen's first assistant when David was a rising star in the television department, then served as an assistant to Sol Leon and Lou Weiss, veteran TV agents and co-heads of the department before being promoted to an agent himself. His other mentors at WMA included President Nat Lefkowitz, and Executive VP and International Head of the Film Department Howard Hausman.
As a novice agent still in his twenties, Peter discovered and sold a treatment/pilot script entitled, The Sign of the Tiger, the Way of the Dragon by Ed Spielman and Howard Friedlander, which became the iconic television series Kung Fu starring David Carradine. Peter's other clients included head writers of The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, The Merv Griffin Show,The Ed Sullivan Show, a new staff writer at Laugh In, and the comedian and talk show host Steve Allen.
Peter also represented The Negro Ensemble Company, a groundbreaking off-Broadway theater troupe which presented original dramatic plays about the social and economic conditions of African Americans. That company's play, Ceremonies In Dark Old Men by Douglas Turner Ward won the Pulitzer Prize.
After 5 years in the television department, Peter transitioned into film where he represented actors, writers, directors and producers. He successfully packaged Gordon's War, written by Spielman and Friedlander and produced by Robert Schaffel, also a client. The 20th Century Fox/Palomar Pictures film was actor Ossie Davis' debut as a feature film director. Peter sold the first television script by Sylvester Stallone, a then-aspiring writer in New York. He also represented a production company which was a joint venture between Robert Schaffel and Academy Award winner Jon Voight.
Peter sold a first novel by Jeffrey Konvitz, his direct rival at the talent agency CMA. That novel, The Sentinel, became a New York Times Best Seller. Peter sold the film rights to head of Universal Pictures, Ned Tanen, as the largest book-to-film deal of the year with Konvitz writing the screenplay and producing the film. Peter sold The Mediterranean Caper by Clive Cussler, the first in the now famous 'Dirk Pitt' action adventure book series. Cussler's third novel, Raise The Titanic, hit the New York Times Best Sellers List and remained there for 24 weeks. (Peter sold the film rights to British entertainment tycoon Lord Lew Grade in the largest book-to-film deal of the year. Many years later Peter sold film rights to Sahara and Inca Gold to Denver billionaire Phil Anschutz for what was reputed to be the largest book to film deal in Hollywood history. Peter sold film rights to Warren Adler's War of the Roses to Twentieth Century Fox. The film starred Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny Devito. Random Hearts to Colombia Pictures. Film starred Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott-Thomas. The television rights to The Sunset Gang, a collection of short stories about retirement community, to Linda Lavin for PBS' American Film Playhouse series, which starred Uta Hagen, Harold Gould, Doris Brenner, Jerry Stiller and Doris Roberts, who won an Emmy award for Best Supporting Actress in a mini series. He sold the film rights to J. M. Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians to producer Michael Fitzgerald, which is presently in production in Morocco, starring Johnny Depp, Mark Rylance and Robert Pattinson.)
In 1977 Peter founded his eponymous agency. He has represented NYT Best Selling authors Sally Mandel, Doris Mortman, John Coyne, Warren Adler, Ted Bell, Martha Grimes and Clive and Dirk Cussler. His longtime client, J. M. Coetzee, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2003. Non-fiction authors have included Laurence Bergreen, Gerry Spence, Judith Kelman and Peter Scardino, MD, the Head of Surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital.
Peter continues to ply his trade every day.
