Spielberg is a leader because he is enthusiastic about life and eager to live it to the max. He has proven to be independent, and truth-seeking in an effort to establish his creative and moral purpose. Throughout his movies, you can sense that Spielberg's emotions are deep, intense and confusingly complex. He's passionate and determined, and he wants to be in control.
In addition, Spielberg is a family man and eager to develop and maintain his relationships (he and wife Kate Capshaw have a slew of kids, and E.T. starlet Drew Barrymore is Spielberg's goddaughter). “I don't work weekends. Weekends are for my kids. And I have dinner at home every night when I'm not physically directing a movie - I get home by six. I put the kids to bed and tell them stories and take them to school the next morning. I work basically from 9.30 to 5.30 and I'm strict about that” (McBride, 1997). The director appears to be nurturing, traditional and very much in touch with his history, his present and his future. I admire him for those qualities.
The renowned director is a principled thinker who's very well read about the things that interest him most, and wishes to share his knowledge through his movies. In addition, Spielberg is a hard-working professional who is driven and determined, and he does not quit. Instead of fearing mistakes he expects them. He has shown me that risks are for learning, and not to be feared.
The fact that Spielberg’s combined films have grossed well over one billion dollars attests to his power in connecting to his mass audience, and his ability to cultivate change through his vision. If nothing else, Spielberg’s films have becomee landmarks in special effects, both in their visual and aural aspects, and they have the knack for eliciting audience response. Spielberg's successes have allowed him to pursue numerous philanthropic and cultural projects like no other filmmaker of his generation.
Reference:
McBride, J. (1997). Steven Spielberg: A biography. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Qualities of Leadership - Spielberg
There are many attributes that make Steven Spielberg the leader that he is. For years, Steven Spielberg was Hollywood's boy wonder. Boy wonder because everything he touched turned to gold, undoubtedly, but also for the irrepressible innocence of his outlook on the world, which revolved around childhood hopes and fears,and the boyish sense of adventure found in his films. “I dream for a living” (McBride, 2007).
Steven learned how to dream big at an early age. Steven Spielberg made his first movie at age 12, although he wasn't noticed by Hollywood until he directed a TV movie, the cult classic Duel, in 1972. Greater things followed for the director, on his own (E.T., Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind) as well as in collaboration with good pal George Lucas (the Indiana Jones trilogy).
Finally gaining the acceptance of serious moviegoers, (as well as a couple of Academy Awards) with the Holocaust saga Schindler's List, Spielberg once again visited the Second World War in the multi-Oscar-nominated war story Saving Private Ryan (Hunter, 2007).
An awkward and lonely child growing up, Spielberg took solace in movies. Schindler's List (1993) marked the crucial turning point in Spielberg's career, the moment when he simultaneously embraced seriousness and culture within in his work. Spielberg had attempted straightforward drama before, in The Color Purple (1985) and the underrated Empire of the Sun (1987), but Schindler's List was the first of his dramas to assume responsibility for the past, and for Jewish history (Tolson, 2008).
“Failure is inevitable. Success is elusive.” Steven Spielberg
When Spielberg’s parents divorced in 1965, an incident which deeply affected the sensitive youngster , he moved to Saratoga, CA and attended Saratoga High School. After graduation, Spielberg applied to U.S.C. film school, but was rejected three separate times. Spielberg opted to attend Long Beach State instead, but ended up dropping out before he got his degree. In 1968, the 22-year-old got a job at Universal Studios as an intern, thus marking the beginnings of one of Hollywood’s greatest careers. It was at Universal, that he made his first short film. The 24-minute film sufficiently impressed executives at the television unit of Universal enough that Spielberg was offered a job as a TV director.
Following a rare misstep, 1979’s big-budget bomb 1941, Steven Spielberg definitively established himself as the most beloved filmmaker of his generation thanks to the one-two punch of 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark and 1982’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Steven Spielberg spent the remainder of the 1980s cranking out a mix of crowd-pleasing blockbusters and low-key dramas, although, by the time the decade came to a close, he found that his ability in drawing audiences was beginning to wane.
I believe that we tend to live in an avoidance society, where failure is often overlooked or ignored and we only focus on successes. That’s a mistake. As Steven Spielberg proved to us over the years, leadership comes from learning lessons taught by failure. People rebound from failure because they choose to learn from their mistakes.
References:
Hunter, S. (2007). Steven Spielberg: On both sides of the camera. Retrieved February 22, 2009 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp%20dyn/content/article/2007/07/08/AR2007070801208.html.
McBride, J. (1997). Steven Spielberg: A biography. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster
Tolson, J (2008). America’s best leaders: Steven Spielberg, filmmaker. Retrieved February 12, 2009 from http://usnewscom/articles/news/best-leaders/2008/11/19/americas-best%20leaders.html
Steven learned how to dream big at an early age. Steven Spielberg made his first movie at age 12, although he wasn't noticed by Hollywood until he directed a TV movie, the cult classic Duel, in 1972. Greater things followed for the director, on his own (E.T., Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind) as well as in collaboration with good pal George Lucas (the Indiana Jones trilogy).
Finally gaining the acceptance of serious moviegoers, (as well as a couple of Academy Awards) with the Holocaust saga Schindler's List, Spielberg once again visited the Second World War in the multi-Oscar-nominated war story Saving Private Ryan (Hunter, 2007).
An awkward and lonely child growing up, Spielberg took solace in movies. Schindler's List (1993) marked the crucial turning point in Spielberg's career, the moment when he simultaneously embraced seriousness and culture within in his work. Spielberg had attempted straightforward drama before, in The Color Purple (1985) and the underrated Empire of the Sun (1987), but Schindler's List was the first of his dramas to assume responsibility for the past, and for Jewish history (Tolson, 2008).
“Failure is inevitable. Success is elusive.” Steven Spielberg
When Spielberg’s parents divorced in 1965, an incident which deeply affected the sensitive youngster , he moved to Saratoga, CA and attended Saratoga High School. After graduation, Spielberg applied to U.S.C. film school, but was rejected three separate times. Spielberg opted to attend Long Beach State instead, but ended up dropping out before he got his degree. In 1968, the 22-year-old got a job at Universal Studios as an intern, thus marking the beginnings of one of Hollywood’s greatest careers. It was at Universal, that he made his first short film. The 24-minute film sufficiently impressed executives at the television unit of Universal enough that Spielberg was offered a job as a TV director.
Following a rare misstep, 1979’s big-budget bomb 1941, Steven Spielberg definitively established himself as the most beloved filmmaker of his generation thanks to the one-two punch of 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark and 1982’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Steven Spielberg spent the remainder of the 1980s cranking out a mix of crowd-pleasing blockbusters and low-key dramas, although, by the time the decade came to a close, he found that his ability in drawing audiences was beginning to wane.
I believe that we tend to live in an avoidance society, where failure is often overlooked or ignored and we only focus on successes. That’s a mistake. As Steven Spielberg proved to us over the years, leadership comes from learning lessons taught by failure. People rebound from failure because they choose to learn from their mistakes.
References:
Hunter, S. (2007). Steven Spielberg: On both sides of the camera. Retrieved February 22, 2009 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp%20dyn/content/article/2007/07/08/AR2007070801208.html.
McBride, J. (1997). Steven Spielberg: A biography. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster
Tolson, J (2008). America’s best leaders: Steven Spielberg, filmmaker. Retrieved February 12, 2009 from http://usnewscom/articles/news/best-leaders/2008/11/19/americas-best%20leaders.html
Monday, February 16, 2009
Overview of Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg has been able to touch the lives of million of people through his films. He is a world class film maker and truly passionate about his work. Over the past 20 years he has given us many extraordinary films from Jaws, to E.T., to The Color Purple to Schindler’s List. Shooting adventure and war films as a schoolboy, he has created his own communities through the collective enterprise of moviemaking. He marries entertainment with moral purpose.
Steven Spielberg was born on December 18, 1946, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The son of a pianist and a computer engineer, Steven Spielberg discovered his passion for filmmaking in his early teens and he subsequently began shooting short films with the various roles filled by his family and friends. Steven Spielberg’s relentless drive to make movies led him to conceive and shoot a 40-minute war epic at the tender age of 13, and he followed that up at 16 with a two-hour-and-twenty-minute sci-fi effort that actually played at a local movie theater.
After his parents divorced during his teen years, Steven Spielberg moved to California with his father and, following his disastrous high school stint, began applying for a spot within the University of Southern California’s School of Theater, Film and Television. His fruitless efforts finally forced him to look elsewhere for an entry into the world of filmmaking, and he eventually landed a gig at Universal Studios as an unpaid intern (McBride, 1997).
Since then, he has essentially assured his place as one of the most well-known and revered directors in film history. In addition, he has brought his generosity and his unique gift for creative leadership to the organizations that he helped found, including the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation and the Shoah Foundation, which archives the testimonies of Holocaust survivors (Tolson, 2008). Steven Spielberg has given us and will continue to give us films that encourage and inspire the dreamer in all of us.
References:
McBride, J. (1997). Steven Spielberg: A biography. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster
Tolson, J (2008). America’s Best Leaders: Steven Spielberg, Filmmaker. Retrieved February 12, 2009 from http://usnewscom/articles/news/best-leaders/2008/11/19/americas-best%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20leaders.html
Steven Spielberg was born on December 18, 1946, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The son of a pianist and a computer engineer, Steven Spielberg discovered his passion for filmmaking in his early teens and he subsequently began shooting short films with the various roles filled by his family and friends. Steven Spielberg’s relentless drive to make movies led him to conceive and shoot a 40-minute war epic at the tender age of 13, and he followed that up at 16 with a two-hour-and-twenty-minute sci-fi effort that actually played at a local movie theater.
After his parents divorced during his teen years, Steven Spielberg moved to California with his father and, following his disastrous high school stint, began applying for a spot within the University of Southern California’s School of Theater, Film and Television. His fruitless efforts finally forced him to look elsewhere for an entry into the world of filmmaking, and he eventually landed a gig at Universal Studios as an unpaid intern (McBride, 1997).
Since then, he has essentially assured his place as one of the most well-known and revered directors in film history. In addition, he has brought his generosity and his unique gift for creative leadership to the organizations that he helped found, including the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation and the Shoah Foundation, which archives the testimonies of Holocaust survivors (Tolson, 2008). Steven Spielberg has given us and will continue to give us films that encourage and inspire the dreamer in all of us.
References:
McBride, J. (1997). Steven Spielberg: A biography. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster
Tolson, J (2008). America’s Best Leaders: Steven Spielberg, Filmmaker. Retrieved February 12, 2009 from http://usnewscom/articles/news/best-leaders/2008/11/19/americas-best%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20leaders.html
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