The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company by David A. Price

A Non-Fiction Page Turner
Brian Drake (bdrake@deloitte.com), Collaboration Consultant, 07/29/2008

Most books of this genre often resort to rumor and intuition about what 'really happened.' David Price uses a combination of personal interviews, news stories, press releases, and content from Pixar DVDs to draw a detailed mosaic of what has made Pixar successful over the past twenty years. Price supplies a highly objective account of the most difficult years of the company and brings us all the way through the acquisition of Pixar by Disney. While the book does not dive deeply into the collaborative methods the company employs, it does focus the reader's attention toward the importance of 'story.' In this case, John Lasseter's insistence on 'getting the story right' and understanding audience responses to concepts and ideas. Great stuff for anyone interested in marketing, the entertainment business, and best practices of creativity.

Also recommended: Freakonomics The Cult of the Amateur Selling the Invisible