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Biography & Autobiography. Business. Performing Arts. Nonfiction. HTML:From a co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios�??the Academy Award�??winning studio behind Coco, Inside Out, and Toy Story�??comes an incisive book about creativity in business and leadership for readers of Daniel Pink, Tom Peters, and Chip and Dan Heath. NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Huffington Post �?� Financial Times �?� Success �?� Inc. �?� Library JournalCreativity, Inc. is a manual for anyone who strives for originality and the first-ever, all-access trip into the nerve center of Pixar Animation�??into the meetings, postmortems, and �??Braintrust�?� sessions where some of the most successful films in history are made. It is, at heart, a book about creativity�??but it is also, as Pixar co-founder and president Ed Catmull writes, �??an expression of the ideas that I believe make the best in us possible.�?� For nearly twenty years, Pixar has dominated the world of animation, producing such beloved films as the Toy Story trilogy, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Up, WALL-E, and Inside Out, which have gone on to set box-office records and garner thirty Academy Awards. The joyousness of the storytelling, the inventive plots, the emotional authenticity: In some ways, Pixar movies are an object lesson in what creativity really is. Here, in this book, Catmull reveals the ideals and techniques that have made Pixar so widely admired�??and so profitable. As a young man, Ed Catmull had a dream: to make the first computer-animated movie. He nurtured that dream as a Ph.D. student at the University of Utah, where many computer science pioneers got their start, and then forged a partnership with George Lucas that led, indirectly, to his co-founding Pixar in 1986. Nine years later, Toy Story was released, changing animation forever. The essential ingredient in that movie�??s success�??and in the thirteen movies that followed�??was the unique environment that Catmull and his colleagues built at Pixar, based on leadership and management philosophies that protect the creative process and defy convention, such as: �?� Give a good idea to a mediocre team, and they will screw it up. But give a mediocre idea to a great team, and they will either fix it or come up with something better. �?� If you don�??t strive to uncover what is unseen and understand its nature, you will be ill prepared to lead. �?� It�??s not the manager�??s job to prevent risks. It�??s the manager�??s job to make it safe for others to take them. �?� The cost of preventing errors is often far greater than the cost of fixing them. �?� A company�??s communication structure should n… (more)
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LibraryThing member pmtracy
The book is presented as a “how to” on inspiring a creative culture and doing away with anything that hinders the creative process. While giving a great behind-the-scenes look at the production steps that went into favorite animated films, it also provides some valuable tidbits of advice for
Whether you work in a creative company or one where creativity is valued, you’ll find detailed discussions around the following topics useful:
* Encourage all employees to express themselves freely with no required conformity
* Create a space that encourages community and collaboration
* Don’t shy away from irreverence and whimsy
* Have confidence in the people you hire
* Put your own insecurities aside; hire the best even if they’ll take your job someday
* Create opportunities for employees to solve problems
* Candor is crucial to the creative process
* Mistakes are learning experiences
* Build trust so mistakes can be resolved together
* Check your ego at the door
* Don’t let your desire for quality become unreasonable
* Always look for ways to tap into the creativity of ALL of your employees
The stories about what went into the making of a number of films were entertaining. The meat of the book is at the very end when Catmull summarizes all of his leadership advice in one section called Starting Points. Read the book for fun and bookmark the last chapter for the advice you’ll want to use in developing the creative culture you desire.
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leaders.Whether you work in a creative company or one where creativity is valued, you’ll find detailed discussions around the following topics useful:
* Encourage all employees to express themselves freely with no required conformity
* Create a space that encourages community and collaboration
* Don’t shy away from irreverence and whimsy
* Have confidence in the people you hire
* Put your own insecurities aside; hire the best even if they’ll take your job someday
* Create opportunities for employees to solve problems
* Candor is crucial to the creative process
* Mistakes are learning experiences
* Build trust so mistakes can be resolved together
* Check your ego at the door
* Don’t let your desire for quality become unreasonable
* Always look for ways to tap into the creativity of ALL of your employees
The stories about what went into the making of a number of films were entertaining. The meat of the book is at the very end when Catmull summarizes all of his leadership advice in one section called Starting Points. Read the book for fun and bookmark the last chapter for the advice you’ll want to use in developing the creative culture you desire.
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LibraryThing member dimwizard
I am an architect and been working in the creative industry for 20 years and am currently working at a large firm (140 staff). I read the book with a keen interest in developing and maintaining the creative culture. Although the size of project teams (300+) for the films discussed in the book are
I found the book valuable for a couple reasons - it tells the history and development of a computer animated films which i found very interesting, it gives strategies - what worked and what did not (lessons learned) for management, production, brainstorming, structure, inspiration and commitment in a forthright candid manor while not falling into the how-to methodology.
I highly recommend this book for anyone in the creative field - whether you are a designer or manager - this book will inspire and motivate you!
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much larger than the project teams i work with (2-30), the concepts still apply. I found the book valuable for a couple reasons - it tells the history and development of a computer animated films which i found very interesting, it gives strategies - what worked and what did not (lessons learned) for management, production, brainstorming, structure, inspiration and commitment in a forthright candid manor while not falling into the how-to methodology.
I highly recommend this book for anyone in the creative field - whether you are a designer or manager - this book will inspire and motivate you!
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LibraryThing member PencilStubs
I kept a pad of Post-Its nearby while reading “Creativity Inc.” so I could mark particularly enlightening passages to refer back to later. Now that I’m done, the top, bottom and side of the text block is cluttered with protruding, canary-yellow Post-It note edges. The book is packed with
I can’t think of a way to adequately summarize all the fantastic principles in this book, so I’ll just share my top ten favorites and urge you to pick up the book to read about them and many others in depth: For greatness to emerge, there must be phases of not-so-greatness. Individual creativity is magnified by other people. Differing viewpoints are additive not competitive. Trust in people, not processes. Learning art isn’t about learning how to draw, but learning how to see. Procedures should help people solve problems, not prevent people from screwing up. Candor vs. honesty. Hold lightly to goals and tightly to intentions. Hindsight isn’t 20/20 because of selective memory. The future is a direction not a destination.
All the fun and fascinating Pixar stories—from Pixar’s rocky inception to specifics on how its widely loved movies evolved into masterpieces—made this an enchanting, delightful read. Steve Job’s involvement in Pixar was news to me so I found mentions of him particularly interesting, and the final chapter about him was heartwarming and poignant. Something I really loved about “Creativity Inc.” was Catmull’s candor about Pixar’s mistakes and weaknesses. Seeing how he identified failures and shortcomings, worked to understand and learn from them, and then overcame them was compelling.
“Creativity Inc.” is a must read for any Pixar fans, people working in management, or anyone interested in the creative process.
Note: I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
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brilliant and inspirational insights! This inspiring brilliance focuses specifically on the principles of fostering excellence while managing people in a creative business, but all of Catmull’s ideas for how to be the best and how to continually improve can be applied in general creative, management, and even life contexts too.I can’t think of a way to adequately summarize all the fantastic principles in this book, so I’ll just share my top ten favorites and urge you to pick up the book to read about them and many others in depth: For greatness to emerge, there must be phases of not-so-greatness. Individual creativity is magnified by other people. Differing viewpoints are additive not competitive. Trust in people, not processes. Learning art isn’t about learning how to draw, but learning how to see. Procedures should help people solve problems, not prevent people from screwing up. Candor vs. honesty. Hold lightly to goals and tightly to intentions. Hindsight isn’t 20/20 because of selective memory. The future is a direction not a destination.
All the fun and fascinating Pixar stories—from Pixar’s rocky inception to specifics on how its widely loved movies evolved into masterpieces—made this an enchanting, delightful read. Steve Job’s involvement in Pixar was news to me so I found mentions of him particularly interesting, and the final chapter about him was heartwarming and poignant. Something I really loved about “Creativity Inc.” was Catmull’s candor about Pixar’s mistakes and weaknesses. Seeing how he identified failures and shortcomings, worked to understand and learn from them, and then overcame them was compelling.
“Creativity Inc.” is a must read for any Pixar fans, people working in management, or anyone interested in the creative process.
Note: I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member figre
If you are reading this book strictly from the aspect of how to build a creative culture – that is, if you go into reading this book wearing blinders that only allow you to look for specific tips about creativity – then you may be in for a disappointment. (Then again, if you go into anything
Of course this book delivers on the promise to talk about how Pixar built and maintained a creative culture. And there is information here that can get anyone started in that direction. But to focus on that aspect of the book is to do it a disservice – there is a whole lot more here.
First, for the animation freak/Pixar fan/Disney nerd (that last one is me) there are fascinating stories about the development of the movies that have become classics. There are stories of the false starts and misdirections and twists and turns that led to development of some of the most famous Pixar movies. We are allowed access into the meetings where these battles are hashed out. We learn about the movies that might have been, and why those movies would have been so much worse than the ones we experienced.
Want to know how Toy Story 2 got the tension it needed to escape reaching a far too predictable end? Want to know what stayed and what was ejected from the first (unworkable) versions of Up? Want to know how a pivotal scene was changed in a way that kept Mr. Incredible from becoming a dislikable, dominating thug of a husband - all without changing a single line of dialogue? All these stories and many more (sorry about the cliché) are included, all providing insights into the movies and insights into the way teams work when they are at their best.
Second, for the individual who wants to learn about leadership there are invaluable lessons. They are not explicitly brought forward; after all, this is a book that focuses on creativity. But within you see how Ed and the team work as leaders. In fact, the lessons about leadership may be more valuable than those about creativity. (And it is worth noting that Ed actually sells himself and executive leaders short. He constantly gives the credit to the creative environment and the people. But the leadership underpinning these is the real reason for Pixar's success. But then, a true leader does point somewhere else rather than at him or herself.)
One great example of how leadership is shown happens near the end of the book when executives realize that the creative, sharing atmosphere they have built may be coming apart under the pressures of size and speed. The actions taken by the leadership team show better than words how they believe the principles they are preaching. And the ability to listen and act (and take on the barbs that are part of the realization) perfectly exemplified the traits any leader should show.
Third, for anyone looking for insights regarding the broad aspects of business – teamwork, motivation, any of the areas people tend to identify as necessary for things to work well – the book is rife with them. I cannot count the number of dog-eared pages I put on this book. Here are a few quotes. "[You have] to be able to engender support for those ideas among the people who'd be charged with employing them." "Making something great is the goal." "Craft is what we are expected to know; art is the unexpected use of our craft." "...failure is a manifestation of learning and exploration." Small snippets of important insights, they are only a taste of the ideas brought forward in the book.
And, finally, the book, as promised, is for the creative person. It talks about creativity, it talks about how to build a creative environment, it talks about how to celebrate creativity, it talks about how to embrace creativity. Others may quibble that there is not the focus on creativity that is promised. But I say that creativity is so riddled throughout the book you cannot walk away without having learned something about that intangible skill.
This is just a flat out entertaining book. It is written in a style that is easygoing, but never pedestrian. And I am hard pressed to believe you can't find something of value for yourself after you've read it. Because it covered so much territory, because it was so well written, and because I found myself consistently gobsmacked by the content within the book, I would say it is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I am quite convinced it will remain so well into the future.
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about creativity with blinders on then you will be disappointed. Creativity is about throwing the blinders off. But I digress.) Take the blinders off and revel in the joy and creativity that is Pixar.Of course this book delivers on the promise to talk about how Pixar built and maintained a creative culture. And there is information here that can get anyone started in that direction. But to focus on that aspect of the book is to do it a disservice – there is a whole lot more here.
First, for the animation freak/Pixar fan/Disney nerd (that last one is me) there are fascinating stories about the development of the movies that have become classics. There are stories of the false starts and misdirections and twists and turns that led to development of some of the most famous Pixar movies. We are allowed access into the meetings where these battles are hashed out. We learn about the movies that might have been, and why those movies would have been so much worse than the ones we experienced.
Want to know how Toy Story 2 got the tension it needed to escape reaching a far too predictable end? Want to know what stayed and what was ejected from the first (unworkable) versions of Up? Want to know how a pivotal scene was changed in a way that kept Mr. Incredible from becoming a dislikable, dominating thug of a husband - all without changing a single line of dialogue? All these stories and many more (sorry about the cliché) are included, all providing insights into the movies and insights into the way teams work when they are at their best.
Second, for the individual who wants to learn about leadership there are invaluable lessons. They are not explicitly brought forward; after all, this is a book that focuses on creativity. But within you see how Ed and the team work as leaders. In fact, the lessons about leadership may be more valuable than those about creativity. (And it is worth noting that Ed actually sells himself and executive leaders short. He constantly gives the credit to the creative environment and the people. But the leadership underpinning these is the real reason for Pixar's success. But then, a true leader does point somewhere else rather than at him or herself.)
One great example of how leadership is shown happens near the end of the book when executives realize that the creative, sharing atmosphere they have built may be coming apart under the pressures of size and speed. The actions taken by the leadership team show better than words how they believe the principles they are preaching. And the ability to listen and act (and take on the barbs that are part of the realization) perfectly exemplified the traits any leader should show.
Third, for anyone looking for insights regarding the broad aspects of business – teamwork, motivation, any of the areas people tend to identify as necessary for things to work well – the book is rife with them. I cannot count the number of dog-eared pages I put on this book. Here are a few quotes. "[You have] to be able to engender support for those ideas among the people who'd be charged with employing them." "Making something great is the goal." "Craft is what we are expected to know; art is the unexpected use of our craft." "...failure is a manifestation of learning and exploration." Small snippets of important insights, they are only a taste of the ideas brought forward in the book.
And, finally, the book, as promised, is for the creative person. It talks about creativity, it talks about how to build a creative environment, it talks about how to celebrate creativity, it talks about how to embrace creativity. Others may quibble that there is not the focus on creativity that is promised. But I say that creativity is so riddled throughout the book you cannot walk away without having learned something about that intangible skill.
This is just a flat out entertaining book. It is written in a style that is easygoing, but never pedestrian. And I am hard pressed to believe you can't find something of value for yourself after you've read it. Because it covered so much territory, because it was so well written, and because I found myself consistently gobsmacked by the content within the book, I would say it is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I am quite convinced it will remain so well into the future.
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LibraryThing member Nodosaurus
A lot of CEOs are writing books these days. They usually proclaim their brilliance at seizing opportunity, but don't convey much useful information in their books. This one is different.
From the beginning, we can see Ed Catmull as a different person. With a Ph.D. in computer science, he has been a
The authors focus on how the maintained a creative environment and even enhanced it. This is repeated throughout the book. When they arrived at Disney, they managed to enhance a team that had lost its creative abilities, this without throwing the group in turmoil and while maintaining morale.
The book includes a short synopsis of Steve Jobs and known by the workers in Pixar, then concludes with an afterword that includes ideas on managing creative teams.
From the beginning, we can see Ed Catmull as a different person. With a Ph.D. in computer science, he has been a
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pioneer in computer graphics. Having a personal goal of creating a full-length animated movie, he founded Pixar. Although the book details the events of Pixar, Disney, and Ed's interactions with Jobs, the book is really about how the successes occurred. The authors focus on how the maintained a creative environment and even enhanced it. This is repeated throughout the book. When they arrived at Disney, they managed to enhance a team that had lost its creative abilities, this without throwing the group in turmoil and while maintaining morale.
The book includes a short synopsis of Steve Jobs and known by the workers in Pixar, then concludes with an afterword that includes ideas on managing creative teams.
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LibraryThing member dirac
This is not just a management book. This book offers an insight into the history of Pixar and that alone made it worth reading. As to the management ideas, they will not work for everyone in all industries but then no business rules hold across the board. I found that I could take much away of
I think I might have overstated the 5 stars on this. Mr. Catmull uses the history of Pixar to illustrate his points but to this film buff, the history of Pixar could have sustained his writing. But then he attempted to make points with what was learned at Pixar and many of these points made sound sense.
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value from the examples and I also found some ideas that I would like to spread at my own job.I think I might have overstated the 5 stars on this. Mr. Catmull uses the history of Pixar to illustrate his points but to this film buff, the history of Pixar could have sustained his writing. But then he attempted to make points with what was learned at Pixar and many of these points made sound sense.
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LibraryThing member ivan.frade
Surprisingly human and honest book about managing a creative company. It opens as a Pixar history and then it gets really into management matters explaining the work style in the company. The third act tells about the Disney acquisition and how their management ideas were applied there.
The proposed
I found the book interesting in different fronts. It talks about management, entrepreneurs-ship, following a personal passion, keep the mind open and handle success (which is not so common in these kind of books), all in an honest "this is how i learn it" tone that makes it an enjoyable reading.
The proposed
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management style is in the line of "manage less" exposed in other books, but this one shines because of his truly personal approach: It is not based in abstract reasoning or second hand study cases but in the author's hands-on experience leading the companies.I found the book interesting in different fronts. It talks about management, entrepreneurs-ship, following a personal passion, keep the mind open and handle success (which is not so common in these kind of books), all in an honest "this is how i learn it" tone that makes it an enjoyable reading.
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LibraryThing member aklinn
This book is an interesting account of the founding of a well-known company. Not only is it engaging, but it gives a perspective on business that is refreshing and innovative - something Pixar is especially good at, apparently in many ways.
LibraryThing member Daniel.Estes
I can't tell if I love this book because I love Pixar films, or because I have a secret wish to work on animated movies someday, or because this is one of the most enlightened books on how to run a company that I've ever read. I think it's the latter though I suspect I'm a bit biased.
LibraryThing member ehousewright
Mr. Catmull is very self-aware and is also committed to introspection, analysis, honesty and teamwork as approaches to management. He doesn’t use the term “learning organization” but his emphasis is on constantly considering what might be done better and fostering that approach among his
Many of the lessons, illustrated by interesting examples, while worthwhile are somewhat predictable: hire smart, trust the team, when faced by a challenge get smarter, keep communication lines open, etc. A couple of insights did come through as especially memorable and worth thinking about. He tells us that Steve Jobs, who was integral to the success of the company and whom he labeled a “genius”, changed his mind instantly when presented by new facts. Such a simple thing—and yet done very seldom. Mr. Catmull also uses his background in physics (proof right there that a diverse context will inform most jobs, however unrelated they seem) in the chapter on Change and Randomness—my favorite. If you can learn, as he has, to embrace change as inevitable and randomness as beautiful and a spur to creativity, if you can see past patterns and avoid oversimplification, if you can create an atmosphere where everyone can calmly take ownership of small issues and solve them, you gain practice that will help you deal with the inevitable large issues when they arise.
Who wouldn’t want to work in a company that tries to improve continuously, faces mistakes head on and empowers employees with a real voice in direction and process? Read it and think what you can do to get there with your workplace.
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employees. His examples will be instantly recognizable to those who have seen the movies produced by Pixar and will make you want to see them again with the new knowledge of what was going on during their conception and production. Many of the lessons, illustrated by interesting examples, while worthwhile are somewhat predictable: hire smart, trust the team, when faced by a challenge get smarter, keep communication lines open, etc. A couple of insights did come through as especially memorable and worth thinking about. He tells us that Steve Jobs, who was integral to the success of the company and whom he labeled a “genius”, changed his mind instantly when presented by new facts. Such a simple thing—and yet done very seldom. Mr. Catmull also uses his background in physics (proof right there that a diverse context will inform most jobs, however unrelated they seem) in the chapter on Change and Randomness—my favorite. If you can learn, as he has, to embrace change as inevitable and randomness as beautiful and a spur to creativity, if you can see past patterns and avoid oversimplification, if you can create an atmosphere where everyone can calmly take ownership of small issues and solve them, you gain practice that will help you deal with the inevitable large issues when they arise.
Who wouldn’t want to work in a company that tries to improve continuously, faces mistakes head on and empowers employees with a real voice in direction and process? Read it and think what you can do to get there with your workplace.
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LibraryThing member Spoerk
I'm a sucker for any sort of creativity book. And even though this is a business book, it's great for anyone who works in any sort of management. (But that's what it's going for isn't it?)
I work retail. In a company that prides itself for being not your average grocery store. A lot of what Ed
It's a great book for a bit of Pixar history, as well as learning how to interact with people on a general level, not just managerial. I do recommend this to anyone who is looking for something more substantial than "Who Moved My Cheese?" and "One Minute Manager." Also this book is for anyone, and I mean anyone interested in the Pixar culture.
I work retail. In a company that prides itself for being not your average grocery store. A lot of what Ed
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Catmull said is stuff that my company actually does. Now I used to work for a large chain bookstore that is still in business, and let me tell you, they are the opposite of everything this book is about. It's a great book for a bit of Pixar history, as well as learning how to interact with people on a general level, not just managerial. I do recommend this to anyone who is looking for something more substantial than "Who Moved My Cheese?" and "One Minute Manager." Also this book is for anyone, and I mean anyone interested in the Pixar culture.
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LibraryThing member PJNeal
Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace have done a wonderful job crafting a business book that follows Pixar's design principals from the first page to the last. Unlike many other business books, which use bullet lists and call-out boxes to highlight the lessons-to-be-learned, Creativity Inc. tells a series of
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stories about Catmull's life, the birth of the company, the creation of cinematic hits, and other events and adventures that took place along the way. The book is engaging, and a strong compliment to the other Pixar histories and business books on the market. Show Less
LibraryThing member brieanne.allen
What an interesting book! Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace wrote a book combining three interwoven plots: Ed's memoir of his interest as a child in movies, college experience, and his jobs that got him to Pixar, a business management text that goes beyond catch phrases to think about management as a way
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of life rather than a job, and finally all through the lens of Pixar and the films they made. It took me a while to get into the book, as I was a bit confused at the beginning, but once I got into it (and also realized that 3 part plot) it was a great read! I especially enjoyed his management information that he shared about running Pixar. Show Less
LibraryThing member sstaheli
Note: I received a copy of this book through the Early Reviewer program.
Pixar Animation's unprecedented success really lies in the innovative and creative brain trust they have created, paired with a culture of energy and open-mindedness. The principles he discusses are insightful, valuable, and
Pixar Animation's unprecedented success really lies in the innovative and creative brain trust they have created, paired with a culture of energy and open-mindedness. The principles he discusses are insightful, valuable, and
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actionable! This kind of thinking has transformed one form of entertainment, and if actually implemented, can do the same for companies across industries and across the globe. An enjoyable and also useful read, highly recommended!!! Show Less
LibraryThing member jcbrunner
A fascinating history of computer graphics and the making of Pixar. What surprised me was the long history of computer graphics going back to the 1960s and the evolution of computer graphics in the 1970s (think Star Wars animation). Edwin Catmull is thus almost a fossil and survivor in the current
It is a great story about the evolution of a company that became Pixar, first as a service provider and software producer for Hollywood, then as a computer maker and finally as the animation studio everyone is familiar with. Catmull comes across as a likeable and understanding manager, though the difficult moments such as firing more than a third of employees and other crisis moments are rather brushed over. Pixar owes its existence to the mad genius of Steve Jobs who did not want to sell it to Microsoft. The company would have looked quite different under Microsoft guidance ("Hello, Clippy!"). Jobs' ego also shielded the company from too much intrusion by the uncreative Disney management. Having now entered into the Magic Kingdom, it will be interesting to learn whether Pixar can preserve its quality and innovative edge.
A highly readable account of a very successful and creative management career.. Recommended.
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explosion of the use of computer graphics everywhere.It is a great story about the evolution of a company that became Pixar, first as a service provider and software producer for Hollywood, then as a computer maker and finally as the animation studio everyone is familiar with. Catmull comes across as a likeable and understanding manager, though the difficult moments such as firing more than a third of employees and other crisis moments are rather brushed over. Pixar owes its existence to the mad genius of Steve Jobs who did not want to sell it to Microsoft. The company would have looked quite different under Microsoft guidance ("Hello, Clippy!"). Jobs' ego also shielded the company from too much intrusion by the uncreative Disney management. Having now entered into the Magic Kingdom, it will be interesting to learn whether Pixar can preserve its quality and innovative edge.
A highly readable account of a very successful and creative management career.. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member sullijo
Ed Catmull's "Creativity, Inc." is one part company history, one part memoir, and one part leadership lesson. Normally that might be a recipe for disaster, but when the author is a founder and president of Pixar Animation the results are an insightful look at how to organize and manage in such a
Catmull is unflinchingly honest about both the successes and failures of Pixar. This lends great credibility to his management insights since they are born of real-world experience and the pain of experimentation and discovery. Catmull is adamant that failure is not necessarily a setback and, coupled with an expectation of honesty and candor when working with peers, this conviction serves as the backbone of how he has run Pixar.
A special note should be made of the epilogue in which Catmull reminisces about his years of collaboration with Steve Jobs. Catmull paints a moving and personal picture of the legendary CEO -- one that is at odds with the public perception of a cold, calculating leader. It's a wonderful tribute that also underscores the advice he gives in the book.
"Creativity, Inc." is a great read for managers and leaders, especially in fields that require agility and creativity, and would benefit anyone looking for ways to lead with integrity.
Disclaimer: I received a free pre-publication copy of this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.
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way as to unlock people's creativity, energy, and passion.Catmull is unflinchingly honest about both the successes and failures of Pixar. This lends great credibility to his management insights since they are born of real-world experience and the pain of experimentation and discovery. Catmull is adamant that failure is not necessarily a setback and, coupled with an expectation of honesty and candor when working with peers, this conviction serves as the backbone of how he has run Pixar.
A special note should be made of the epilogue in which Catmull reminisces about his years of collaboration with Steve Jobs. Catmull paints a moving and personal picture of the legendary CEO -- one that is at odds with the public perception of a cold, calculating leader. It's a wonderful tribute that also underscores the advice he gives in the book.
"Creativity, Inc." is a great read for managers and leaders, especially in fields that require agility and creativity, and would benefit anyone looking for ways to lead with integrity.
Disclaimer: I received a free pre-publication copy of this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.
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LibraryThing member BookWallah
A look behind the scenes at the creative culture of Pixar. Part memoir, part business how-to, and part historical record of the evolving graphic technologies. Enjoyed the advice to, "Create a space that encourages community and collaboration". Recommended for anyone looking for insight into the
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creative culture behind a successful company. Show Less
LibraryThing member greggchadwick
Ed Catmull's "Creativity, Inc." is much like the films of Pixar itself: a balanced mix of sheer enthusiasm and careful planning. Catmull writes,"The thesis of this book is that there are many blocks to creativity, but there are active steps we can take to protect the creative process." Catmull
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writes about the history and vision of Pixar as well as the strategies and mechanisms that have kept the creativity flowing for an amazing run of great animated films - second only in my mind to the stunning work of the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki and his Ghibli film studios. Cattmull's book is a must read for anyone involved in the arts. From painters, to writers, to actors, to musicians, to film-makers, to game designers - all will benefit immensely from Catmull's encouragement to embrace the unknown while learning to communicate creatively. Show Less
LibraryThing member kristinedement
Ed Catmull reveals the culture of Pixar--makers of the movies Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Up, WALL-E, and the Toy Story trilogy. This is a great book for anyone looking to become more creative or lead a company to have a thriving and productive culture with "braintrust" sessions. I highly
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recommend this book. The afterword is all about the late Steve Jobs and his role in making Pixar a success. 5 stars Show Less
LibraryThing member Neale
A brilliant book. Very accessible. It coves many aspects of encouraging and maintaining creativity in an organisation and it uses Pixar movies as an example. Highly reco
LibraryThing member gmicksmith
This book really angers me since so many companies are not run properly and people are chewed up by bad management.
LibraryThing member krazykiwi
Ed Catmull is, for those who don't recognise the name, one of the founders of Pixar and it's current president. Initially a computer scientist, he was pretty famous within the graphics and comp. sci. community long before he became involved in the film industry. Indeed Pixar itself grew up out of
Pixar is justifiably famous for it's technological innovation, and Dr Catmull, as the primary developer for the Renderman software, is owed a good part of that reputation. But that's not what this book is about. In fact, I'm not sure Renderman is even mentioned by name.
Instead what this book is about, is how a scientist, fresh out of a academic research, found himself managing a company. And not just a company, but a creative company full of people with wildly different competencies far outside his own. Another thing Pixar is famous for is that it is a fabulous place to work, perhaps the dream employer for anyone involved in animation or movies. Despite the managements inexperience in the beginning, clearly they got it right, building a company with a unique and identifiable culture that manages to keep the shareholders satisfied, the customers delighted and the employees dedicated. In fact they got it so right that when Disney acquired Pixar in 2006, they put the Catmull/Lasseter team in charge of Disney's other animation studios as well.
As such, this is a cross between a management manual, a managers memoir and a biography of a company, and surprisingly enough, it manages all three, with caveats.
Personally, having read more than my share of academic organisational psychology textbooks over the past couple of years, I found this book to be a distillation of how, in practice, all the very things that current OP best practices recommend can be implemented in reality. In fact, it could have pretty much replaced some of those textbooks, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Full review posted @Booklikes
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producing rendering software and hardware for Lucasfilm and later Disney. Of course, things changed. Pixar is justifiably famous for it's technological innovation, and Dr Catmull, as the primary developer for the Renderman software, is owed a good part of that reputation. But that's not what this book is about. In fact, I'm not sure Renderman is even mentioned by name.
Instead what this book is about, is how a scientist, fresh out of a academic research, found himself managing a company. And not just a company, but a creative company full of people with wildly different competencies far outside his own. Another thing Pixar is famous for is that it is a fabulous place to work, perhaps the dream employer for anyone involved in animation or movies. Despite the managements inexperience in the beginning, clearly they got it right, building a company with a unique and identifiable culture that manages to keep the shareholders satisfied, the customers delighted and the employees dedicated. In fact they got it so right that when Disney acquired Pixar in 2006, they put the Catmull/Lasseter team in charge of Disney's other animation studios as well.
As such, this is a cross between a management manual, a managers memoir and a biography of a company, and surprisingly enough, it manages all three, with caveats.
Personally, having read more than my share of academic organisational psychology textbooks over the past couple of years, I found this book to be a distillation of how, in practice, all the very things that current OP best practices recommend can be implemented in reality. In fact, it could have pretty much replaced some of those textbooks, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Full review posted @Booklikes
Show Less
LibraryThing member hskey
This was the fastest I burned through a book suggested by our office book club. Pixar is so revered throughout the world that it felt wondrous to hear about the inner workings. Ed seems like the kind of boss I'd love to work for, particularly as a creative type. Hearing about the pitfalls and
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triumphs through their incredible history of quality motivated me to do better and look for more efficient ways to do my own job. Hearing lots about Steve Jobs was also interesting. Not the most lean book considering the subject matter, but there's a lot of history to go over and I'm glad I read it. Show Less
LibraryThing member AlisonY
I'm part of a start up that's very disruptive within it's market (or at least planning to be), therefore this book appealed as a bible on how to build a culture that promotes innovative and creative thinking.
Ed Catmull was a co-founder of Pixar and is president of both Pixar and Walt Disney
I took a lot of lessons away from this book, from alternative meeting styles to how to most encourage creative output. Catmull believes strongly in empowering employees, giving people the opportunity to do the job you hired them to do and to put forward their ideas. It sounds so simple, yet many companies fail miserably at putting trust in the people they employ. Candor is another critical element at Pixar - again, not so easy to get people to speak candidly, but hugely impacting on the organisation's success when they do.
I didn't know prior to reading this book that Steve Jobs had owned the company and been involved with it for several decades. Although he wasn't involved on a daily basis, it's fair to say that his genius insight touched Pixar in many ways, and Catmull interestingly showed a much warmer, humane side to Jobs that other biographies on him have been loathe to offer a glimpse into.
Overall, this is a great business book to learn from, not just for creative industries but for any company. However, it was about a third longer than it needed to be, and I started to get bored of reading it after a while. After a long day at work, in places it started to feel like more work such was the level of detail he got immersed in.
4 stars - half a star dropped for excessive content, but many stars for the lessons taken away from it.
Ed Catmull was a co-founder of Pixar and is president of both Pixar and Walt Disney
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Animation Studios. His success, he believes, is down to his ability to effectively manage the company's singularly most important asset - its employees. If this book is an accurate account of what it's like to work at Pixar (and from it's success we have to assume that something's working phenomenally well there), then this is a man who has excelled on that front.I took a lot of lessons away from this book, from alternative meeting styles to how to most encourage creative output. Catmull believes strongly in empowering employees, giving people the opportunity to do the job you hired them to do and to put forward their ideas. It sounds so simple, yet many companies fail miserably at putting trust in the people they employ. Candor is another critical element at Pixar - again, not so easy to get people to speak candidly, but hugely impacting on the organisation's success when they do.
I didn't know prior to reading this book that Steve Jobs had owned the company and been involved with it for several decades. Although he wasn't involved on a daily basis, it's fair to say that his genius insight touched Pixar in many ways, and Catmull interestingly showed a much warmer, humane side to Jobs that other biographies on him have been loathe to offer a glimpse into.
Overall, this is a great business book to learn from, not just for creative industries but for any company. However, it was about a third longer than it needed to be, and I started to get bored of reading it after a while. After a long day at work, in places it started to feel like more work such was the level of detail he got immersed in.
4 stars - half a star dropped for excessive content, but many stars for the lessons taken away from it.
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LibraryThing member JeffV
Ed Catmull is the president of Pixar Studios. How Pixar came to be what they are today is a remarkable story -- one that very nearly ended prematurely back in the company's early days. I had no idea they started out as a hardware company designing high-end graphic workstations, for example.
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Creative types don't respond very well to rigid structure, so flexibility is often called for. Catmull discusses several occasions when the tenuous relationship between staff and management became strained by errant policy decisions, and what was done to reverse such setbacks. Acquisitions are another topic covered in detail. While Pixar was acquired by Disney, the Pixar management not only stayed in place but also took over Disney Animation Studios, and a culture clash ensued.
There are plenty of dry management books out there, this is not one of them. I try to read a couple of management-related books a year just for professional development; I wish all were as entertaining to read as this book.
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this book is a history of the company, with anecdotes of useful commentary to insure the reader is learning the lessons Catmull and crew learned -- often the hard way. Some of it is skewed towards the particular business of creating a unique, expensive product like a movie. A catastrophic disaster can instantly sink such a company -- this nearly happened when the work files of one of their movies was completely deleted from a production server during routine maintenance and there was no apparent backup. By happy accident, an employee working from home had a week or so earlier copied all of the files to her local machine because it was too slow working remotely. Creative types don't respond very well to rigid structure, so flexibility is often called for. Catmull discusses several occasions when the tenuous relationship between staff and management became strained by errant policy decisions, and what was done to reverse such setbacks. Acquisitions are another topic covered in detail. While Pixar was acquired by Disney, the Pixar management not only stayed in place but also took over Disney Animation Studios, and a culture clash ensued.
There are plenty of dry management books out there, this is not one of them. I try to read a couple of management-related books a year just for professional development; I wish all were as entertaining to read as this book.
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Language
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — 2015)
Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year (Longlist — 2014)