To Pixar and Beyond: My Unlikely Journey with Steve Jobs to Make Entertainment History

Levy, a former Silicon Valley attorney, recounts becoming a confidant of the late Steve Jobs in this engaging memoir. When Levy arrived at Pixar (where Jobs served as chairman) as chief financial officer in February 1995, it was a small but brilliant firm on the edge of failure, not for lack of talent—this was the creative team that had developed the cutting-edge animation behind the still-unreleased Toy Story—but from a lack of business savvy and a deep distrust of Jobs. By believing in Pixar’s future and its people, Levy explains, he and Jobs turned the tide for the struggling company, despite its deeply disadvantageous deal with Disney. The solution, Jobs and Levy realized, was an IPO to garner Pixar more capital. After Pixar’s value skyrocketed to $1.46 billion on its first day of trading and Toy Story became an unexpected success, Pixar could finally renegotiate its deal with Disney, acquiring more creative control and a larger share of the profits. A wildly successful slate of films followed, ultimately leading to the 2006 sale of Pixar to Disney for $7.6 billion. Levy has written a fascinating look at one of the most innovative companies of the early 21st century. Agent: David McCormick, McCormick Literary. (Nov.)