Book SummaryCreativity, Inc., by Ed Catmull

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Creativity, Inc.

When Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios, started his career, he had one goal: Create films using computer-generated animation. At the time, all animation was done by hand, and the concept of using a computer to create characters was deemed nearly impossible. In fact, his early pitches of computer animation were rejected by major studios such as Disney.

Though he faced a multitude of challenges, Catmull persevered. He worked tirelessly to advance the technology of computer animation and, eventually, co-founded Pixar to marry his love of animation with his expertise in computer technology. Through the journey of Pixar’s creation, Catmull developed leadership strategies that fostered creativity in the workplace while ensuring the company remained profitable and successful. Before we explore Catmull’s leadership strategies and eight tools for maintaining a team’s creative spark, we’ll examine Catmull’s background and the decisions that led to the rise of Pixar.

University of Utah

Catmull graduated from the University of Utah (U of U) with undergraduate degrees in physics and computer science. During his time in U of U’s graduate program, he learned how to work with highly creative and highly intelligent people. His professors gave him and his colleagues the freedom and resources to create whatever they wanted. They created programs that were forerunners of Photoshop, Netscape, PDFs, and user interfaces.

New York Institute of Technology

After graduate school, Catmull took a job at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) under the direction of Alex Schure. Schure believed that computers were the way of the future and brought Catmull in to run a research lab dedicated to the computer animation process. While Catmull made significant advancements with the NYIT research lab, both Catmull and his close collaborator, Alvy Ray Smith, believed the innovations they discovered would mean nothing if they didn’t have creatives and filmmakers working alongside them.

They contacted studios such as Disney to promote their services and technology as the “next big thing.” However, these studios still didn’t see the value of computer animation and passed on their proposal.

Star Wars and Lucasfilm

Using technology in filmmaking wasn’t seen as important in Hollywood until 1977 with the release of an industry-changing blockbuster: George Lucas’ Star Wars. While Lucas’ studio, Lucasfilm, used a lot of practical effects, Lucas saw the ways computers could improve the filmmaking process and create stunning new worlds. In 1979, Lucas created a computer division at Lucasfilm and hired Catmull to run the department.

Catmull experienced some success, including the creation of a new computer called the Pixar Imaging Computer. However, in 1983, Lucas tried to sell Lucasfilms’ computer division (also known as “Pixar”) following a divorce in which he lost half of his assets. Unfortunately, most companies still didn’t see the value of computer animation.

This changed with Steve Jobs. In 1985, Catmull scored a meeting through a friend and showed Jobs the technology they had created. Though Catmull and Smith were uneasy at first, they eventually agreed to a deal: Jobs purchased Pixar for $5 million in February 1986, and the company “Pixar” was born.

Pixar’s Early Years

At first, Pixar struggled financially and was torn between its identity as a computer company selling products and an animation studio producing films. Jobs had never marketed high-tech machines like the Pixar Imaging Computer, and neither Catmull nor his colleagues had ever run a company before. Catmull tried to better his managerial skills by reading books but found most of them to be shallow and useless.

Abandoning Computer Sales

Despite Catmull’s best efforts, Pixar was constantly in the red. Though they had a fair amount of success as an animation studio (their early films earned them two Academy Award nominations and one win), they only managed to sell 300 computers. These sales didn’t cover the cost of building and developing the hardware.

With this in mind, Catmull decided to stop selling hardware. The team was much more passionate about filmmaking, and removing the costs of creating hardware would save them significant amounts of money. The problem, however, was that they now had no source of significant income. The short films they were making may have garnered awards and praise, but they didn’t bring in box office money.

Toy Story and the Rise of Pixar

Though Pixar was struggling financially, their film work had gotten the attention of major studios, including the biggest name in animated films: Disney. They called the Pixar team in for a meeting at their headquarters in Burbank. They were primarily interested in the talents of Pixar’s John Lasseter, who had worked for Disney in the past, but, since he wouldn’t leave Pixar to return to Disney, Disney agreed to make a deal with the studio that led to the creation of their first feature film: Toy Story.

Toy Story was a critical and commercial success. Many on the Pixar team expressed pride in having created such an acclaimed and important piece of cinema. Catmull, however, didn’t share in this excitement. Though he was immensely happy with Toy Story and its reception, he had a new obstacle on his mind: maintaining momentum. Toy Story set the bar extremely high, and Catmull wanted Pixar to continue to meet and exceed expectations.

Building a Creative Workplace

As Pixar solidified itself as a premier animation studio, Catmull discovered the keys that made his company stand out from the rest: promoting candor in the workplace, embracing failure, and protecting new ideas.

Promoting Candor

Candor is willingness to be forthright about issues, concerns, ideas, and anything else on your mind. Candor allows teams to get straightforward...

Creativity, Inc. Summary Part 1: Ed Catmull and the Birth of Pixar

When Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios, started his career, he had one goal: Create films using computer-generated animation. At the time, all animation was done by hand, and the concept of using a computer to create characters was deemed nearly impossible. In fact, his early pitches of computer animation were rejected by major studios such as Disney.

Though he faced a multitude of challenges, Catmull persevered. He worked tirelessly to advance the technology of computer animation and, eventually, co-founded Pixar to marry his love of animation with his expertise for computer technology. Through the journey of Pixar’s creation, Catmull developed leadership strategies that fostered creativity in the workplace while ensuring that the company remained profitable and successful. Any company that values creativity in the workplace can apply these principles and strategies.

In this summary, Parts 1 and 2 focus on the origins of Pixar, Parts 3, 4, and 5 break down Catmull’s principles, and Part 6 provides a case study that reveals the effectiveness of these concepts.

Chapter 1: Childhood and Education

As a child, Catmull was fascinated with the...

Creativity, Inc. Summary Part 2: Pixar’s Early Years

At the beginning of its life as an independent company, Pixar struggled financially and was torn between its identity as a computer company selling products and an animation studio producing films. Jobs had never marketed high-tech machines like the Pixar Imaging Computer, and neither Catmull nor his colleagues had ever run a company before. Catmull tried to better his managerial skills by reading books but found most of them to be shallow and useless.

Chapter 3: The Early Structure of Pixar

In the beginning of its time as an organization, Pixar was just as focused on selling the Pixar Imaging Computer as it was on creating animated films. In an attempt to run the product division effectively, Catmull sought advice from his friends in Silicon Valley. Unfortunately, this advice turned out to be ineffective and, sometimes, actively hurt the company, and Catmull learned there are no simple answers to complex problems.

For example, when considering how he should price the Pixar Imaging Computer, he turned to the presidents of Sun and Silicon Graphics. They suggested that he start with a high number, arguing that it was easier to bring the price down than to raise...

Shortform Exercise: Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanagement can stifle creativity and prevent your team from doing their best work.

Think of a time that someone micromanaged you. How did it make you feel? Describe the situation and how it impacted your work.

Creativity, Inc. Summary Part 3: Building a Creative Workplace

As Pixar solidified itself as a premier animation studio, Catmull discovered the things that made his company stand out from the rest. In this section, you will learn the core concepts that you can use to develop a successful creative organization. These keys include promoting candor in the workplace, overcoming fear, and embracing failure.

Chapter 6: Promoting Candor

Candor is a willingness to be forthright about issues, concerns, and ideas. In a creative environment, candor allows teams to get straightforward feedback to improve their final product. This helps employees see flaws they may have been blind to and get suggestions to move forward.

To ensure that employees feel comfortable sharing their opinions, develop a judgment-free environment that allows employees to speak up. At Pixar, Catmull developed this environment using a process he called Braintrust Meetings. Every few months, Pixar team members who aren’t directly involved in a particular project gather to watch material from the project. Afterward, they talk with the project’s director and head creatives about issues and potential routes forward. These meetings rely on everyone sharing their...

Shortform Exercise: Promote Candidness Through Feedback

Promoting candidness in the workplace allows you to hone your projects through feedback and discover issues you may not have noticed.

Think about your current workplace. What feedback systems do you have in place? Are they effective?

Creativity, Inc. Summary Part 4: Growing Through Change

Another of Catmull’s keys to building a successful organization is beinge willing to implement change, accept randomness, and find your blind spots. Many creative organizations fall into the trap of holding onto systems that worked in the past without understanding why they worked. They try to force a process onto a problem or concept, even if that process isn’t the most effective for the project at hand.

For example, when Pixar started work on Toy Story 2, they believed the process they developed on Toy Story would allow new directors to succeed at the helm of the project. What they failed to recognize was that the reason Toy Story was successful wasn’t because of the “process.” It was because of the people. Without the right people, the “process” was hollow and almost led Pixar to its demise.

Chapter 9: Implementing Change and Adapting to Randomness

Many people believe, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” meaning that processes that have worked in the past don’t need to be changed. This can be a dangerous belief, especially in the long term.

Change is necessary. The world is changing all of the time, and you have to adapt accordingly. Just because a...

Shortform Exercise: Navigate Your Blind Spots

Your blind spots may contain problems that could have potentially disastrous consequences. To ensure the safety of your organization, take the time to find the problem areas that are currently hidden from your view.

Think of a time where a team member seemed to agree with everything you said. Did their support seem genuine or could you detect signs they were just telling you what they thought you wanted to hear? Describe the situation.

Creativity, Inc. Summary Part 5: Sustaining a Creative Workplace

People’s perspective on the world often distorts what’s right in front of them. In regards to creativity, this limited perspective often leads to inflexibility. People become convinced their perspective is the correct perspective, and they ignore new information that contradicts their view. When you get together a team of dozens or hundreds of people, this inflexibility can stall a creative process.

Chapter 11: Eight Tools to Expand Your Team’s Worldview

To ensure that your team doesn’t fall into this inflexibility, create opportunities for them to expand their worldview and interact with people who have different perspectives. The following are eight tools you can use to help your team maintain their creative spark and challenge their own perspectives:

Tool #1: Hold Frequent Feedback Meetings

When going through the development process, frequent feedback sessions allow your team members to get different perspectives on their work. This prevents your employees from becoming overly committed to their work and enables them to solve problems collaboratively. Frequent feedback also allows your team to fix potential problems early on instead of after...

Shortform Exercise: Keep Your Team Creative, Part 1

Using the eight steps to expand your team’s worldview promotes creativity in the workplace. Steps 1-4 highlight the importance of feedback meetings, research, boundaries, and technology.

Frequent feedback meetings are important to stay aware of the goings-on in your workplace. Using Dailies (Pixar’s daily feedback meetings) as a guide, how could you implement regular feedback sessions to keep updated on current projects?

Shortform Exercise: Keep Your Team Creative, Part 2

Steps 5-8 highlight the importance of experimentation, attention to detail, postmortems, and learning opportunities.

Experimentation leads to innovative and original work. Think of your current workplace. In what ways could you promote experimentation? Think about think-tanks, experimental spaces, and giving employees freedom to solve problems.

Creativity, Inc. Summary Part 6: The Disney Case Study

In 2005, Jobs told Catmull and Lasseter that he was considering selling Pixar to Disney. This shocked the Pixar leaders because, at the time, Pixar and Disney had hit a rough patch. However, leadership at Disney had recently changed, and the new CEO, Bob Iger, wanted to bring Pixar back into the fold. Disney Animation had been struggling for years, and Iger believed that Catmull and Lasseter could reinvigorate the organization by leading both Pixar and Disney Animation. Iger assured them that Pixar would maintain its autonomy and its company culture.

Ultimately, Jobs gave the decision to Catmull and Lasseter. During negotiations, Catmull drafted a lengthy list of demands that ensured Pixar’s culture wouldn’t be impacted after being bought by a massive entertainment studio such as Disney. These demands ranged from keeping a “no assigned parking” rule to ensuring that Pixar leadership could still distribute bonuses following box office success. In addition to these demands, Catmull insisted that Pixar remain separate from Disney Animation Studios with each company working on their own projects. **Once these safeguards were established, Catmull and Lasseter agreed to sell Pixar...

Shortform Exercise: Create a Mental Model

Visualization helps you move through a project while staying focused on your goals and comfortable with uncertainty.

Think about an upcoming project. Describe your role and your responsibilities for this project.