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Celebrating the Life of Lynda Obst, Hollywood Super-Producer Behind Interstellar, Flashdance

The Lavin Agency is sorry to hear of the death of Lynda Obst, the trailblazing Hollywood producer behind Sleepless in Seattle, Flashdance, and more. Lynda was a Lavin speaker and a long-time friend of our founder and CEO, David Lavin, who considers her bestselling memoir Hello, He Lied to be the best business book he’s ever read.

“25 years ago I used to give out copies of Hello, He Lied, telling people it was the most practical business book I’d read (and still is!),” David says. “Someone suggested I get in touch with the author. I knew that there was no way one of the most successful producers in Hollywood history would sign up with a small agency in Toronto, but it only cost me a stamp so I sent along a letter. She called me. We talked. She signed with us.

“Simply put—Lynda was delightful! We were friends and colleagues for years. Just a few months ago she got on a Zoom call with the entire office to talk movies, life, business. Why did Interstellar take eleven years to get made? How did The Fisher King get made at all?

“The world sees her as a great producer. I see her as a remarkably generous person who will be missed by all who knew her.”

One of the most successful female producers in Hollywood history, Lynda was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. Her hit films include Sleepless in Seattle, Contact, Interstellar, and many more. Along with producer Debra Hill, she co-founded one of the first all-female production companies, Hill/Obst Prods, where they made Adventures in Babysitting and The Fisher King, which won Mercedes Ruehl an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Lynda was also the bestselling author of two books: Hello, He Lied and Sleepless in Hollywood.

CAA’s CEO Bryan Lourd told The Hollywood Reporter that Lynda’s “special sauce is this crazy intuitive intelligence and taste. She loved the audience as much as she loved the filmmakers and understood that the ultimate win was when you could tick both boxes in making something great with great people and creating an experience for the audience that was not only satisfying and entertaining but moving.”

Glen Powell (known for Top Gun: Maverick and Anyone But You) paid tribute to Lynda on social media, saying, “I interned for Lynda when I first moved to LA. A true trailblazer who never missed an opportunity to help me learn. I’d often get to drive her home from the office and witnessed someone who took in everything. To her, the entire world was a great story ripe for the making.”

"25 years ago I used to give out copies of Hello, He Lied, telling people it was the most practical business book I'd read (and still is!)," David says. "Someone suggested I get in touch with the author. I knew that there was no way one of the most successful producers in Hollywood history would sign up with a small agency in Toronto, but it only cost me a stamp so I sent along a letter. She called me. We talked. She signed with us. "Simply put—Lynda was delightful! We were friends and colleagues for years. Just a few months ago she got on a Zoom call with the entire office to talk movies, life, business. Why did Interstellar take eleven years to get made? How did The Fisher King get made at all? "The world sees her as a great producer. I see her as a remarkably generous person who will be missed by all who knew her." One of the most successful female producers in Hollywood history, Lynda was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. Her hit films include Sleepless in Seattle, Contact, Interstellar, and many more. Along with producer Debra Hill, she co-founded one of the first all-female production companies, Hill/Obst Prods, where they made Adventures in Babysitting and The Fisher King, which won Mercedes Ruehl an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Lynda was also the bestselling author of two books: Hello, He Lied and Sleepless in Hollywood. CAA's CEO Bryan Lourd told The Hollywood Reporter that Lynda's "special sauce is this crazy intuitive intelligence and taste. She loved the audience as much as she loved the filmmakers and understood that the ultimate win was when you could tick both boxes in making something great with great people and creating an experience for the audience that was not only satisfying and entertaining but moving." Glen Powell (known for Top Gun: Maverick and Anyone But You) paid tribute to Lynda on social media, saying, "I interned for Lynda when I first moved to LA. A true trailblazer who never missed an opportunity to help me learn. I’d often get to drive her home from the office and witnessed someone who took in everything. To her, the entire world was a great story ripe for the making."

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