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RYAN SEACREST FOLLOWS IN FOOTSTEPS OF MENTORS GRIFFIN, CLARK
One of Ryan Seacrest's first television jobs was hosting Click, a Merv Griffin-produced syndicated kids game show that ran from 1997-98. Sometimes Seacrest would sit in on the boss's meetings at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Griffin didn't hold back on the advice.
"We were having lunch at a place called the Griff there," Seacrest said. "He said, 'Kid, 1 know you wanna host shows and you wanna be on the air, but take a look around you. 1 own this hotel. 1 own a lot of different things. And one of the things that you should do is own the material. Own the show and try to be as involved as possible."
Seacrest owns a lot of things now too. A decade ago, American Idol became the most dominant show in television - and Seacrest, by extension, became the host of the most dominant show in television. From there, his sphere of influence has grown to Griffin-esque dimensions.
"I remember pretty early on someone telling me that Ryan was modeling himself after Dick Clark," said Fox Television Group chief operating officer Joe Earley, referencing another of Seacrest's mentors. "And 1 said, 'That's perfect, because Dick is positive and impactful. That's what Ryan is going to be.'"
SPANNING THE DIAL
The Seacrest universe is now so vast that it touches each of the Big Four networks. He succeeded Clark at the helm of ABC's now tortuously titled Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest. In...