The self-made billionaire is also notoriously media shy. So, a new American Masters documentary offers a rare glimpse at the man behind the legend.

 

“I’ve always been interested in those people that make things happen, who aren’t necessarily the person who wrote the song or painted the picture or directed the movie but whose influence, whose vision, creates a cultural shift,” says Susan Lacy, director and executive producer of Inventing David Geffen. “And David was one of those people for me.”

 

He also has a reputation for being ruthless. 

 

“David knows what he wants,” Lacy says. “And I think David gets what he wants.”

 

Below are clips from the film and a video interview with Lacy. Inventing David Geffen, which premiered earlier this year at TIFF, airs Tuesday, Nov 20 at 8pm on PBS.