How Pixar’s Ed Catmull and Pete Docter make magic on and off screen | ReThinking with Adam Grant

As they dreamed up iconic characters like Buzz and Woody, Pixar reinvented how animated movies are made. But first, they had to build a culture to make this magic possible. Pixar's co-founder and longtime president Ed Catmull and Oscar-winning Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter talk with Adam about how to spark and sustain creative collaboration. They also reveal the secret to great storytelling, discuss how to maintain and evolve a vision, and reflect on the lessons learned from working closely with the ever-enigmatic Steve Jobs. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts The TED Audio Collective is a collection of podcasts for the curious. The TED Audio Collective videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organiz...). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com.

Adam GranthostPete DocterguestEd Catmullguest

Aug 4, 202339mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: August 4, 2023
Duration: 39m
Channel: Re:Thinking with Adam Grant
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

As they dreamed up iconic characters like Buzz and Woody, Pixar reinvented how animated movies are made. But first, they had to build a culture to make this magic possible. Pixar's co-founder and longtime president Ed Catmull and Oscar-winning Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter talk with Adam about how to spark and sustain creative collaboration. They also reveal the secret to great storytelling, discuss how to maintain and evolve a vision, and reflect on the lessons learned from working closely with the ever-enigmatic Steve Jobs. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts The TED Audio Collective is a collection of podcasts for the curious. The TED Audio Collective videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organiz...). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com.

SPEAKERS

Adam Grant
host
Organizational psychologist and Wharton professor; host of the ReThinking podcast.
Pete Docter
guest
Pixar filmmaker and executive; director of Up, Inside Out, and Soul.
Ed Catmull
guest
Co-founder and longtime president of Pixar; computer scientist and author on creative culture.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Re:Thinking with Adam Grant, featuring Adam Grant and Pete Docter, How Pixar’s Ed Catmull and Pete Docter make magic on and off screen | ReThinking with Adam Grant explores pixar leaders on creativity, dissent, and evolving culture amid uncertainty Catmull and Docter argue that creativity is iterative problem-solving, not sudden genius, and that “getting lost” is a normal phase of directing and innovation.

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