Review "Many have attempted to formulate and categorize inspiration and creativity. What Ed Catmull shares instead is his astute experience that creativity isn’t strictly a well of ideas, but an alchemy of people. In Creativity, Inc. Ed reveals, with commonsense specificity and honesty, examples of how not to get in your own way and realize a creative coalescence of art, business and innovation." (George Lucas)"This is best book ever written on what it takes to build a creative organization. It is the best because Catmull’s wisdom, modesty, and self-awareness fill every page. He shows how Pixar’s greatness results from connecting the specific little things they do (mostly things that anyone can do in any organization) to the big goal that drives everyone in the company: Making films that make them feel proud of one another." (Robert I. Sutton, Professor of Management Science at Stanford University, author of The No A**hole Rule and co-author of Scaling Up Excellence)"Just might be the best business book ever written" (Forbes Magazine)"Pixar uses technology only as a means to an end; its films are rooted in human concerns, not computer wizardry. The same can be said of Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull’s endearingly thoughtful explanation of how the studio he co-founded generated hits such as the Toy Story trilogy, Up and Wall-E. . . . [Catmull] uses Pixar’s triumphs and near-disasters to outline a system for managing people in creative businesses―one in which candid criticism is delivered sensitively, while individuality and autonomy are not strangled by a robotic corporate culture" (Financial Times)"Achieving enormous success while holding fast to the highest artistic standards is a nice trick―and Pixar, with its creative leadership and persistent commitment to innovation, has pulled it off. This book should be required reading for any manager" (Charles Duhigg - Author of THE POWER OF HABIT) From the Inside Flap As a young man, Ed Catmull had a dream: to make the world’s first computer-animated movie. He nurtured that dream first as a Ph.D. student at the University of Utah, where many computer science pioneers got their start, and then forged an early partnership with George Lucas that led, indirectly, to his founding Pixar with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter in 1986. Nine years later and against all odds, Toy Story was released, changing animation forever.Since then, Pixar has dominated the world of animation, producing such beloved films as Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Up, and WALL-E, which have gone on to set box-office records and garner twenty-seven 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. Now, in this book, Catmull reveals the ideals and techniques, honed over years, that have made Pixar so widely admired―and so profitable. Ceativity, Inc. is a book for managers who want to lead their employees to new heights, a manual for anyone who strives for originality, and the first-ever, all-access trip into the nerve center of Pixar Animation Studios―into the story meetings, the postmortems, and the ‘Braintrust’ sessions where art is born. It is, at heart, a book about how to build and sustain a creative culture―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.’ See all Product description
D**A
Primer on managing creativity
I am not a great fan of books written about a great company / companies. Most of the lists churned out turn out to be lemons over a period of time. From Tom Peters ( remember 'In search of excellence) to Jim Collins ( Good to Great / Greater / Greatest'grandest'and the multiple titles that he authored)'.they write books with an outsider's perspective ' of all the good to great things that these companies do in innovation / customer service / branding / leadership building s etc., The guys who wrote the books never worked inside the companies'.they do not have a first-hand feel for the pains of building world class companies'.mostly successful and prolific authors / journalists or the McKinsey types'.riding the gravy train of somebody else's success.When they are written by the founders / builders of these companies'it is a different story altogether. Remember reading a great book called 'Joy Inc' by Richard Sheridan about a medium sized software products company called Menlo Systems. It was a class act ' a straight from the heart story of a CEO on what it takes to build a highly engaged company. Creativity Inc is a notch above.It is multiple stories woven together'.it is the story of Ed Catmull and his dreams'.and PIXAR '.redefined computer animation and graphics'and produced a series of block busters ( think Toy Story 1 and 2, Think Monsters, Think Finding Nemo'the list is endless)'15 Academy awards, 11 Golden Globes and 7 Grammys and gave Disney Animation a run for their money and their tired tales of Alice in Wonderland, Snow White etc., A whole generation of Americans ( not just kids !) grew up on these newly created characters, their quirky stories and the home truths spun around them'.almost like the ancient Disney stories but set in the modern world and integrating it into the complexities of the new world'.It is also the story of the birth of the 3D Graphics and Computer animation'.and the history and coming of age of these movies'.and the role of hi-tech in entertainment.Concurrently it is also the story of the men (strangely no women in this) who defined a genre which holds on and getting stronger in spite of multiple other slicker franchisees. We go thru the lives of some of the greatest entertainers post Walt Disney'..Starting off from George Lucas, then to John Lasetter and Ed Catmull'and how after merger with Disney'.it is the story of Disney and Pixar combined together but run autonomously by Catmull under the watchful eye of Robert Iger.It is also a great book on how to build great companies'.how to build creative companies'whose value is as much as the collective imagination and motivation of its employees'.the insightful stories of the successes of Catmull and Lasetter in ensuring that an animation company which is a marriage of Technology and Creativity'sustains where neither is swamped by the other'but each function builds on the strengths of the other'..the chapters on Brains Trust, Post Mortems, Story Telling are a must read for anyone who is leading people'.how to build high performance companies and sustain them'.this autobiographical book is like a Bible'.Ditto with the chapters post the Disney acquisition'Read it to appreciate the subtle nuances the author is so sensitive about organizational issues'.and how he carefully navigates the egos and anxieties'And finally'this is a book about Steve Jobs'..who got in as the promoter of the company and bought it from George Lucas'.and the autonomy and independence he provided to Ed Catmull and John Lasetter'through the trying times in the beginning'to its humongous success later.'.and gave birth to an industry'of hi-tech computer animation, 3D graphics and yet narrating simple goofy tales'contrary to the stories of the brilliant but tyrannical Jobs'which comes out from the Apple related books, Steve Jobs comes out pretty well'as a genius'who could appreciate other intelligent and creative people'and challenge them to greater heights. A natural question people would may be tempted to ask is how much of the creative genius of Steve Jobs played a role in the growth and success of PIXAR'.think we should spin the question around and ask 'How much of the creativity and innovation so well nurtured in PIXAR played a key role in shaping Job's genius and its eventual success on a much larger canvas called APPLE Inc ?Normally I look down on management / how to books'I would classify this book more as the story of individual dreams and how you build and nurture them'..Read it'you will be wiser and also get a first-hand feel for hi-tech and the world of entertainment'and the efforts required to fuel and sustain it.
K**R
it's a great book!!
Great book. I'm so glad that i bought this book.Remember on thing, buy this book on 1st of any month, becoz Amazon gives great discount upto 50%.When i bought this book i got 50% discount.
V**K
One of the best creative management books I have read
I am a long time Pixar fan (I am sure most of the people who consider this book will be) and so buying this book was a no brainer.What I loved about this book is the authority and honesty with which this book is written. It is not a book in which Pixar is shown as a wonderland where everything is perfect. This book shows the efforts it truly takes to build a creative team and culture.The fact that Pixar as a company is popular helps when it comes to understanding the anecdotes and instantly connecting with them.What helps this book the most is that it is written by an insider and an insider with a lot of authority to speak about the company. It is not written by a journalist or a author who has to take lot of permissions to access the material / archives of the company and has to get the material approved by the company before it goes to print.It is straight from the heart of someone who believes in the power of creative culture and teams and it shows.I would recommend it to anybody who is interested in any kind of team management.
A**I
Gotta read it!
I've been reading this book for some time now. And this guy Ed catmul, he has beautifully crafted his story and his learnings together. Takes you to the inside journey of Pixar. You'll enjoy the journey he takes you to. Enjoy the book!
B**Y
Good book
Good book to understand the working of pixar, which is one of the most legendary companies in the world and also to understand how to build a great company
A**R
You can't stop to love it and get inspired!
Awesome! Must read for managers, team members, students, designers, creatives, or rather anyone who wants to learn and grow in the career and in general life. It's all about building something, just about anything, with enough love, care, passion, honesty & commitment. Brilliant read.
S**A
Practical management
This book gives you some great insights into the real world issues that most organisations face. And also provides some delightful ways of solving those problems. Also gives you a deep understanding of why change is important and why we should continuously change.Fabulous book. Would read it again when I start my own company ;)
A**H
Love it :)
After started reading this book, I couldn't stop till I complete. Really inspired by this book and it will improve your self confidence..
Trustpilot
4 days ago
2 weeks ago
