Have you ever turned down an opportunity because you thought it was too risky? What would you do if you got a second chance?

On today’s episode, we talk with Jim Murphy, who has had an over two decade career at Pixar - even though he originally turned them down.

That’s right. As a budding animator, he was offered the chance to work for Pixar, but it was only a 6 month contract with no guarantees. He decided that was too risky and so he said no…... and then something incredible happened: Toy Story.

Jim spent the next week watching the movie every day and realizing he needed to work at Pixar. Eventually, he got a second chance and has been involved in Pixar's tremendous success ever since: working on films such as The Incredibles, Monsters Inc, Ratatouille, and then even directing his own hit short film Lava.

But this episode isn’t about filmmaking: it’s a lesson in creativity, culture, and making the most out of the opportunities that present themselves:

As Jim described the early days at Pixar:

“The art form was new, we were just a ragtag bunch of artists from all different mediums. And we all had something to prove. That’s the lightning in the bottle — nobody really believes you can do it and you have this surprise for the world”

You can follow the podcast and host Chuck Swoboda on Twitter for further exploration and discussion on innovation.

The episode is also available wherever else you listen to podcasts. Enjoy!

Passion, Problem-solving, & Pixar w/ Jim Murphy