High Concept: Don Simpson and the Hollywood Cultures of Excess

Using the life and career of Don Simpson as a point of departure, "High Concept" takes readers on a riveting journey inside the Hollywood of the 1980s and '90s. Throughout this period, Simpson and his partner, Jerry Bruckheimer, were the most successful independent producers in the history of moviemaking, responsible for the hit films Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun, Days of Thunder, Crimson Tide, Bad Boys, and The Rock. Widely credited with the genesis of the "tentpole" or "event" business strategy, which could make a studio's year in a single shot, Simpson had an uncanny ability to boil down a movie into an easily sellable product. His films generated billions of dollars at the box office, and today his business philosophy continues to drive the fortunes of the major studios, where $100-million blockbusters are now the norm.But at the same time that his vision was driving the Hollywood bottom line, Simpson's lifestyle epitomized the pervasive dark side of the industry's power base. Through intensive research and interviews with sources throughout the film industry, Charles Fleming chronicles how Simpson made his mark as a young Paramount executive, gradually gained entry into a very small circle of friends, and gratified himself beyond recognition. His legendary consumption knew no bounds. And, as long as he continued to crank out box-office gold, his every desire was conspicuously indulged -- an unrestrained excess that killed him and sent a warning cry throughout the entire industry.