The c-myc protooncogene is a senior administrator of the cell helping to allocate resources and direct proliferation, growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. As an oncogene, MYC is a high-ranking member of the gang of molecular thugs that hijacks cells and perpetrates cellular terror. Belying the terrifying organismal consequences of MYC misregulation, its influence on the expression of most target genes is only modest; MYC seldom exerts a dominating influence on natural or artificial targets. Besides acting at the level of chromatin, MYC may also operate at later stages of the transcription cycle, after pre-initiation complex formation. In addition to using generic chromatin complexes to up- or down-regulate transcription, the MYC network also conscripts individual factors to modify expression locally on an ad hoc basis. For example, YY1, AP2, MIZ1, SP1, BRCA1, and other proteins interact directly with MYC, and so may directly modify the output of the MYC network.