Bernie Brillstein Bernie Brillstein ( 1931 - 2008 ) was Jim Henson ' s manager and close friend throughout most of Henson ' s career . Brillstein was working as an agent in 1960 at the New York offices of William Morris Agency when he became Henson ' s first talent agent . At William Morris , Brillstein sold Rowlf the Dog ( puppeteered by Henson ) as a regular guest on " The Jimmy Dean Show " . When Brillstein left William Morris in 1964 to become a manager at Kummer and Associates , Henson followed him . Thus Brillstein transitioned from being Henson ' s agent to being his talent manager — a relationship that lasted until Henson ' s passing in 1990 . Brillstein secured many of the first season guest stars for " The Muppet Show " . In additon , Brillstein pushed for the merchandising of the " Sesame Street " Muppet characters , something Henson was reluctant to do until Brillstein convinced him that profits from the deal would allow Henson artistic freedom for the rest of his life . Brillstein has signed and developed such talents as John Belushi , Dan Aykroyd , Gilda Radner , Lorne Michaels , Alan Zweibel , Rob Lowe , Martin Short , John Larroquette , Bob Odenkirk , Wayne Brady , Dana Carvey , Kevin Nealon , Adam Sandler , Dennis Miller , Molly Shannon and David Spade . Brillstein and David Lazer were responsible for Jim Henson ' s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . Brillstein ' s autobiography , " Where Did I Go Right ? You ' re No One in Hollywood Unless Someone Wants You Dead " , captures many moments of behind - the - scenes dealings and personal stories associated with Henson and the Muppets . Although Brillstein also represented " Saturday Night Live " creator Lorne Michaels and several cast members , Brillstein states in his memoir that including the Muppets in season 1 of the show was the idea of executives at NBC . The book also contains several photos with Henson and associates , as well as Brillstein ' s Muppet likeness . The Name " Bernie " . In addition to being Henson ' s manager , Brillstein was also Henson ' s close personal friend ; thus , writers often included tributes to Brillstein ' s name in their scripts . Bio . A New Yorker , Brillstein first came into contact with show business through his uncle , Jack Pearl , a Ziegfield Follies star . Following graduation from New York University , he landed his first industry job working in the William Morris mailroom . Remaining with the agency for nine years , Brillstein left in 1964 to join Kummer and Associates , which later became Management III , where he continued to specialize in talent representation . In 1967 , Brillstein moved to Los Angeles to open a West Coast office of Management III . Realizing that he had no chance at the " big name " stars , he decided to sign writers , producers and directors as a means of survival . As these clients rose to television stardom , Brillstein became a packager and in 1969 , The Brillstein Company was launched . Brillstein ' s first big package was " Hee Haw " . He was subsequently instrumental in the generation of many movie and television products including " The Muppet Show " , " The Muppet Movie " , " Saturday Night Live " , and " Fraggle Rock " . By capitalizing on multi - talented Muppeteer Jim Henson ' s genius and ability to diversify into all mediums , Brillstein broke barriers in both television and in the movies . Together with Henson , Brillstein launched " The Muppet Show " on network television at a time when it was unheard of for a network show to star " puppets . " Brillstein executive - produced the award - winning TV series " ALF " , " It ' s Garry Shandling ' s Show " and " The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd " . In feature films , Brillstein ' s credits as executive producer included such box office phenomenons as " Ghostbusters " , " Ghostbusters II " , " The Blues Brothers " , " Dragnet " , " Spies Like Us " , " Hexed " and " The Cable Guy " . In 1999 , Little Brown Inc . released " Where Did I Go Right ? " , Brillstein ' s candid memoir telling of his rise from the mailroom at William Morris to become head of Brillstein - Grey . The book remained on L . A . ' s bestseller list for ten weeks . The biography features many behind - the - scenes stories of Jim Henson and the Muppets . Brillstein received a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2001 , in acknowledgement of his hard work and dedication to the Hollywood community . Brillstein served on the Dean ' s Council at New York University ' s Tisch School of the Arts . He is survived by his wife and five children . External links . _ _ NOWYSIWYG _ _