Creative Producing: A Pitch-to-Picture Guide to Movie Development

This is sheer gold for anyone trying to break into the field of producing films, from finding material and pitching it to studio executives to follow-up marketing when the film is finally completed. Baum (writing this book with the help of her husband, seasoned screenwriter Tom Baum) is a creative producer who tackles each project from its inception, often selling the original idea to studios. The former copresident of Dolly Parton’s production company, Baum has produced 34 movies, including Buffy the Vampire Killer, the remake of Father of the Bride, and the Oscar–winning documentary Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt. Baum pulls no punches discussing bad bosses she’s worked for, including film producer Jon Peters, whom she calls “a man without a work ethic or a moral center.” There are also fascinating tales of dealing with strong-minded talents, such as Barbra Streisand and Robert De Niro. Baum and her husband know what they’re talking about and express it succinctly in this scintillating primer on producing films.