Spotlights, flashbulbs, and a steady thrum of industry gossip set the tone on the red carpet at the Book Launch Celebration for Kevin Goetz and Bob Levin’s new volume, “How to Score in Hollywood: Secrets to Success in the Movie Business.”
The evening unfolded as a kind of live masterclass, with Hollywood heavy hitters—from actors and producers to distributors—pausing between photos to talk about what it really takes for a movie to survive the journey from rough cut to box office.
Conversations on the carpet kept circling back to Goetz himself, long regarded as one of Hollywood’s go-to voices on audience behavior and film research. Interviewing the guests felt less like gathering sound bites and more like eavesdropping on a private summit: stories of test screenings, anxious opening weekends, and the delicate art of turning risk into return. The celebration doubled as a reunion of filmmakers who have relied on Goetz’s read of the room to shape some of the films that define contemporary studio and independent cinema.
Inside “How to Score in Hollywood”
The new book positions itself as a pragmatic companion for anyone trying to navigate an industry where gut instinct now shares equal billing with data. Goetz and Levin outline how to build a “big idea,” define the audience early, and calibrate both production and marketing spends so that, in theory, every film is engineered to make money at the right scale. Drawing on decades of test screenings and market research, the authors argue that audience insight is not the enemy of creativity but the tool that allows a filmmaker to protect the work all the way from development through release.
Beyond the page: a podcast as masterclass
For those who prefer their conversation lessons, Goetz’s podcast, “Don’t Kill the Messenger,” extends the book’s thesis into long-form interviews. The series dives into the careers of studio chiefs, filmmakers, and strategists, with episodes that often feel like closed-door note sessions—candid, granular, and surprisingly personal. Guests unpack everything from test-screening disasters to unexpected hits, sketching a portrait of an industry where the audience is both the final arbiter and the silent collaborator in the creative process.
Where to find the work
“How to Score in Hollywood” is available in print and as an audiobook, including through major online retailers such as Amazon and Audible. “Don’t Kill the Messenger” can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast platforms, positioning Goetz’s ecosystem of books and audio as a kind of rolling syllabus for anyone serious about understanding how movies are shaped, sold, and ultimately judged—one screening at a time.
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