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Dealcraft with Jim Sebenius

A weekly podcast featuring interviews with the world’s greatest dealmakers and diplomats, discussing their most challenging and complex negotiations.

From Disney’s acquisition of Pixar, to trade agreements with China, pivotal Blackstone deals, and the peaceful end of apartheid in South Africa, landmark agreements are often spearheaded by savvy negotiators who employ winning strategies and tactics. 

I’m Jim Sebenius, your host for Dealcraft. For decades, I've practiced, researched, advised high-level clients,  and taught effective approaches to complex negotiations.  These experiences led me to create Dealcraft.  I welcome you to join me each week as I share fascinating deal stories and distill practical insights for listeners to apply in their own toughest negotiations.

Here are a few of Season One’s featured guests:

  • Blackstone Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder Steve Schwarzman on the early make-or-break negotiations that launched his firm that is now a financial juggernaut;

  • Former Secretaries of State Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice,  Hillary Clinton, and Rex Tillerson on how they negotiated with Vladimir Putin – with implications for dealing with really hard bargainers; 

  • Legendary entertainment attorney John Branca on how he negotiated the acquisition of the Beatles catalog for Michael Jackson at a bargain price, beating out rivals such as Richard Branson and others who made even higher bids for this prize;

  • Costa Rican diplomat Christiana Figueres on how she “saved” the Paris climate talks; and 

  • Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on how he handled pivotal points in his critical negotiations with China, Russia, Egypt, Israel, and Syria.

SEASON 1 EPISODES

Episode 1: John Branca Part I: Negotiating Michael Jackson’s Thriller

The most viewed music video of all time, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, was almost destroyed before it was released except for some almost unbelievable negotiations by music industry super-lawyer, John Branca, over 30 of whose clients—ranging from Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones to Michael Jackson and Dr Dre—have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Incidentally, this episode reveals how Branca was able to negotiate for Jackson the ownership of  his master recordings, an almost unprecedented feat at the time.

Episode 2: Critical Moments in Negotiation

Via dramatic interviews, the inaugural episode of Dealcraft highlights how six­­­ remarkable negotiators handled pivotal points in their critical negotiations. Protagonists include former U.S. Special Trade Negotiator Charlene Barshefsky, former ExxonMobil head and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Blackstone Co-founder, Chairman and CEO Steve Schwarzman, an English property developer, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and key climate negotiator Christiana Figueres.

Episode 3: Negotiating At and Away from the Table

“At the table moves”—including establishing rapport, connection, and relationships—include Hillary Clinton dealing with Vladimir Putin, artist Jeanne-Claude, who with her husband Christo, won over countless stakeholders to build their massive outdoor art installations, as well as former Secretary of State James Baker, and Disney CEO Bob Iger.  Protagonists whose “away from the table” moves to shape the underlying situation in their favor include former Colombian President Juan Santos dealing with a guerrilla group, Christiana Figueres quietly building powerful external support prior to the Paris climate negotiations, former Goldman Sachs managing partner Steve Friedman, and music industry super-lawyer John Branca hit with a surprise buy-sell demand from Sony—that held all the financial and legal cards.