Welcome to our second Design Better episode on the creative process. You may not know Ed Catmull’s name, but there’s almost no doubt you’re familiar with his work. As the co-founder of Pixar, he’s responsible for helping to create movies ranging from the original Toy Story on through The Incredibles, Wall-E, Moana, and Inside Out.
Ed has a background in computer science, and as someone who pioneered many of the computer graphics and digital animation techniques that we now take for granted, he has a unique perspective on the intersection of technology and creativity.
We chat with Ed about his transition from creating things himself, to leading creative teams; the elements of a sustainable creative culture, and how to give people feedback so they’ll actually listen to you.
Ed also collaborated with Steve Jobs longer than probably anyone else who knew him—for over 30 years—and we hear some stories that haven’t been told anywhere else.
One more quick thing before we go: we have some amazing guests lined up for our upcoming AMAs, like Judy Wert Debbie Millman, which are filling up quickly. Go to our events page and you can register for free.
Dr. Ed Catmull is co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios and the former president of Pixar, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Disneytoon Studios. For over twenty-five years, Pixar has dominated the world of animation, producing #1 box office hits that include iconic works such as Toy Story, Frozen, Cars, and The Incredibles. Pixar’s works have grossed more than $14 billion at the worldwide box office, and won twenty-three Academy Awards®, 10 Golden Globes Awards, and 11 Grammys, among countless other achievements.
Dr. Ed Catmull’s book Creativity, Inc.—co-written with journalist Amy Wallace and years in the making—is a distillation of the ideas and management principles he has used to develop a creative culture. A book for managers who want to encourage a growth mindset and lead their employees to new heights, it also grants readers an all-access trip into the nerve center of Pixar Animation Studios—into the meetings, postmortems, and “Braintrust” sessions where some of the most successful films in history have been made.
Dr. Catmull has been honored with five Academy Awards®, including an Oscar of Lifetime Achievement for his technical contributions and leadership in the field of computer graphics for the motion picture industry. He also has been awarded the Turing Award by the world’s largest society of computing professionals, the Association for Computing Machinery, for his work on three-dimensional computer graphics.
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Bonus: AI and the Creative Process
Ben Clymer: Hodinkee founder on watch design and creating a compelling content brand
Natsai Audrey Chieza: Designing with biology
Pablo Stanley: A creative force of nature on the importance persistence and hustle
Tasha Golden: Avoiding burnout while pursuing creativity with passion
Jonathan Adler: Famed potter and designer on bringing creativity into all aspects of life
Making Design Better—better—with weekly episodes, an enhanced newsletter, and more
Brian Tyler, composer for Yellowstone, Crazy Rich Asians, Mario Brothers, and more, on his creative process
Bonus: Eric Snowden, Head of Adobe Design, on AI + Design
Kate Aronowitz: Shaping the story of design in business
Ellen Lupton: Thinking With Type
Jonathan Hoefler: Typography legend on type history, philosophy, and entrepreneurship
Bonus: Hamish Smyth of Standards
Bonus: Hiroki Asai, Global Head of Marketing at Airbnb
Vanessa Gennarelli: Surviving Change at Work
Scott Rice: Creative lessons learned teaching film with Matthew McConaughey
Autumn Durald Arkapaw: Cinematographer for Wakanda Forever and Loki on the overlap between design and photography
Rewind: Midcentury modern design principles and Heath Ceramics
Barry Katz: The history and philosophy of design in Silicon Valley and beyond
Bonus Episode: Dorrian Porter, CEO of Vestaboard
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