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

By Lawrence Levy

A Sunday Times Best Book of the Year 2017

One day in November 1994, Lawrence Levy received a phone call out of the blue from Steve Jobs, whom he’d never met, offering him a job running Pixar, a little-known company that had already lost Jobs $50 million. With Pixar’s prospects looking bleak, it was with some trepidation that Levy accepted the position. After a few weeks he discovered that the situation was even worse than he’d imagined.

Pixar’s advertising division just about broke even, its graphics software had few customers, its short films didn’t make any money and, on top of all that, Jobs was pushing to take the company public. Everything was riding on the studio’s first feature film, codenamed Toy Story, and even then it would have to be one of the most successful animated features of all time…

Full of wisdom on bringing business and creativity together, and recounting the touching story of Levy’s enduring friendship with Jobs, To Pixar and Beyond is a fascinating insider’s account of one of Hollywood’s greatest success stories.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Release date: Mar 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9781786070821

Lawrence Levy

LAWRENCE LEVY is a former Silicon Valley attorney and business executive who was personally recruited by Steve Jobs in 1994 as CFO and member of the Office of the President of Pixar Animation Studios. Levy was responsible for Pixar’s business strategy and IPO and guided Pixar’s transformation from a money-losing graphics company into a multibillion-dollar entertainment studio. He later joined Pixar’s board of directors. Levy left corporate life to study Eastern philosophy and meditation and their relevance to modern life. He now writes and teaches on this topic and cofounded Juniper Foundation to pursue this work. Originally from London, Levy earned degrees from Indiana University and Harvard Law School. He lives with his wife, Hillary, in Palo Alto, California.  

Reviews for To Pixar and Beyond

[drsrit123 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A very insightful book about Pixar's History. A great read.

[waldhaus1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The outcome of Steve Jobs involvement with Pixar outs likely well known to any potential reader of To Pixar and Beyond. The authors tale ends with boys on exploration of the middle way of Buddhism. The Middle Way being a blending of ones creative needs and self exploration with the need to deal with the often demanding details of everyday life. The book does provide insights into the personality of Jobs and the challenges involved in getting Pixar off the ground. But as the author points out the balancing of creativity and the details of Pixar‘a daily management is indeed an exploration of the middle way as I understand it. I am no authority but I enjoyed the journey he takes the reader through.

[renbedell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An autobiography of the Chief Financial Officer at Pixar. This book details this persons journey with the company and how they became such a big and influential company it is today. It is written really well, with very interesting stories on how Pixar got its feet off the ground. For a non-fiction book, it was a pleasure to read, as it doesn't jump around or repeat the same story over and over again. The author keeps it succinct and entertaining. It also ends with a morale to the story too. I would recommend it, not just for the history, but also as an influential story you might take away something from.