Short Synopsis
Variety reporter Nicole LaPorte reveals the glamorous and gritty truth of what happened when the entertainment empire known as DreamWorks was created.

Full Synopsis
For sixty years, since the birth of United Artists, the studio landscape was unchanged.Then came Hollywood's Circus Maximus—created by director Steven Spielberg, billionaire David Geffen, and Jeffrey Katzenberg, who gave the world The Lion King—an entertainment empire called DreamWorks. Now Nicole LaPorte, who covered the company for Variety, goes behind the hype to reveal for the first time the delicious truth of what happened.

Audiences will feel they are part of the creative calamities of moviemaking as LaPorte's fly-on-the-wall detail shows us Hollywood's bizarre rules of business. We see the clashes between the often otherworldly Spielberg's troops and Katzenberg's warriors, the debacles and disasters, but also the Oscar-winning triumphs, including Saving Private Ryan. We watch as the studio burns through billions, its rich owners get richer, and everybody else suffers. We see Geffen seducing investors like Microsoft's Paul Allen, showing his steel against CAA's Michael Ovitz, and staging fireworks during negotiations with Paramount and Disney. Here is Hollywood, up close, glamorous, and gritty.

"Narrator Stephen Hoye makes listeners feel like they're part of the creative calamities of movie-making as LaPorte's fly-on-the-wall reporting reveals the clashes between Spielberg's and Katzenberg's employees---their disasters and debacles, as well as their Oscar-winning triumphs." ---AudioFile

"This rise and fall and clash of the titans account can be a thrilling ride." ---The Boston Globe

"A riveting and honest portrayal of three of the most powerful men in the entertainment industry." ---William D. Cohan, author of the New York Times bestseller House of Cards

"The book reads like a novel and the reporting is impeccable. If you pick up one book about Hollywood, make it this one." ---Buzz Bissinger, author of Friday Night Lights

"This book has all the right elements: deep-dish research, attitude to burn,...and a great subject." ---Peter Biskind, author of the New York Times bestseller Star