Publisher Description

An asset to entertainment executives or anyone aiming to create the next big hit, this book offers guidelines for developing concepts and marketing blockbusters. Whether it is a best-selling novel, a video game, or a high-tech toy, blockbusters play a big part in American society. Despite teh prominence of these breakthrough hits, most entertainment ventures do not survive in today's competitive market. This guide identifies the key principles that will ensure lasting success.

Back Cover

"A compelling story that dispels the age-old notion that creativity in Hollywood cannot be studied with scientific rigor. At once insightful, educational, scientific, and interesting, Gene outlines clear, succinct principles backed by tons of research and great storytelling about the science and art of creating blockbuster, franchise-type movies for kids of all ages." -Danny Kaye, executive vice president of research and technology strategy, 20th Century Fox "Filled with tons of examples and useful information, Gene Del Vecchio's book is a must read for anyone who has wondered why some entertainment achieves blockbuster status while others fall short. This fun-to-read, practical, consumer-driven guide challenges conventional wisdom and cracks the code on how to create and market hit entertainment." -Sandy Wax, president, PBS KIDS Sprout "Creating Blockbusters! is a blockbuster in itself in terms of its scope and its sweep. In clear, cogent language, Gene Del Vecchio provides information that is useful to creators not only of films, books, games, and toys, but of any story, of any size, in any format. What emerges ultimately is no mere formula for attracting massive audiences, but substantial, fresh insight into the nature of narrative and its place at the cornerstone of all worthy creative expression." -Richard Walter, professor and screenwriting chairman, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television "With astonishing detail and cross-referenced metrics, Creating Blockbusters! synthesizes the commonalities of breakout success among the very top tier of entertainment properties for the last two generations. With the stakes never higher in developing interactive media as well as linear storytelling, an unveiling of the basic needs and core emotional drivers for resonance as assembled in this coherent study has never been more valuable." -Ken Goldstein, CEO emeritus, SHOP.COM; former executive vice president/managing director, Disney Online; and former executive publisher, Briderbund Software

Flap

From best-selling novels to the movies that flood the box office, blockbusters play a big part in American society. But most entertainment options never achieve blockbuster status so they fail or fade into history. An immense asset to entertainment executives, screenwriters, and novelists, this book outlines the essential principles for crafting massive blockbusters. Award-winning entertainment researcher and consultant Gene Del Vecchio offers an insider's look at the entertainment industry and delivers proven methods, based on insights from experts across the nation and in-depth research about what audiences crave. Research conducted exclusively for this book identifies the emotional needs that audiences want satisfied through storytelling, the types of characters they wish to see most, and the problems audiences have with today's entertainment. This guide provides practical tools to help you generate great ideas, develop them, and market them in ways that have the potential to lead to multicategory business franchises that dominate pop culture and attain "ever-cool" status. Author Gene Del Vecchio is an entertainment researcher, consultant, novelist, and founder of his own consulting firm in Valencia, California. He has helped entertainment giants create, develop, and market blockbuster entertainment for more than thirty years. He has researched and consulted on well over a hundred TV shows, films, and franchise-based product lines. Del Vecchio is also the author of Pelican's The Blockbuster Toy! How to Invent the Next BIG Thing and Creating Ever-Cool: A Marketer's Guide to a Kid's Heart. He also wrote The Pearl of Anton and The Sword of Anton, which received a Young Adults' Choices Award from the International Reading Association. Clients over the years have included The Walt Disney Company, Paramount Pictures, Starz, PBS Kids Sprout, Mattel, and MGA Entertainment.

Author Biography

Author Gene Del Vecchio is the president of his own consulting firm in Valencia, California. He is the former senior partner, director of planning research in the Los Angeles office of Ogilvy Mather Worldwide, the world's sixth-largest agency network. While there, he developed products targeted toward children for companies including Baskin-Robbins, Disney, Good Humor-Breyers, Hershey, Kraft Foods, and Mattel.

Long Description

"At once insightful, educational, scientific, and interesting, Gene outlines clear, succinct principles backed by tons of research and great storytelling about the science and art of creating blockbuster, franchise-type movies for kids of all ages." -Danny Kaye, executive vice president of research and technology strategy at 20th Century Fox "Creating Blockbusters! is a blockbuster in itself in terms of its scope and its sweep . . . substantial, fresh insight into the nature of narrative and its place at the cornerstone of all worthy creative expression." -Richard Walter, professor and screenwriting chairman, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television From bestselling novels and video games, to movies that flood the box office, blockbusters come in many forms. But despite their prominence, most do not last in today's competitive market. This guide provides the principles that enable anyone, from executives to novices, to develop innovative concepts and promote blockbusters. Chapters instruct readers how to create relatable, aspiring, memorable characters; add broad audience appeal; and build in elements that make it a franchise; and launch an idea quest. Sections also discuss the Ever-Cool Formula, which satisfies the emotional needs of the audience through pop culture trends and ultimately leads to a successful blockbuster. Through implementable tips, along with fresh research and concrete facts on what audiences want, this book provides the solution for producing the next big hit.

Review Text

"At once insightful, educational, scientific, and interesting, Gene outlines clear, succinct principles backed by tons of research and great storytelling about the science and art of creating blockbuster, franchise-type movies for kids of all ages." -Danny Kaye, executive vice president of research and technology strategy at 20th Century Fox " Creating Blockbusters! is a blockbuster in itself in terms of its scope and its sweep . . . substantial, fresh insight into the nature of narrative and its place at the cornerstone of all worthy creative expression." -Richard Walter, professor and screenwriting chairman, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television

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