A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who is involved in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, I was excited to read this book. I thought it was a fun, quick read. Thanks for letting me check it out!

An enjoyable read. It was interesting to read about the author's life and experiences and how she dealt with certain issues. I take my hat off to her over her commute distances and times. Some of those would drive me mad. I look forward to reading some more of her work.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this book.

FASCINATING! I really powered through this amazing memoir that details Alison’s dreams of working in TV/Film to eventually working for Disney and then beyond, the up’s, down’s and in between’s all told with humour and non boring detail that meant I had to read it in one sitting.
I loved reading about the 80’s and The Big Breakfast and of course Disney and what working for such a mega company is like,I used the word as my opener but I can’t put it any better than Fascinating, every adventure be it in New Zealand,L.A,London or Manchester is told so well and written like the author is having a chat to the reader the pages flew by as I wanted to know more and more about her career and life
I make the bold statement that I can’t see any reader not enjoying this book,I really loved every word of it

10/10
5 Stars

Great book!

This book was a lot of fun. Wow, this lady has done loads! Easy to read, quick, concise, unpredictable, a very readable account. A very interesting, and entertaining book.

A fun and fast-moving memoir. Follows her childhood, education, and through her search for various jobs. Rubbing shoulders with some big names. Now she's found all she wants to do in life for a career. Will it measure up to her expectations? Will it be what she thought?

Alison's story sweeps from Malaysia to New Zealand, Sydney, London, France, Spain etc. Besides having an interesting life, an author has got to be able to put it into words. To be able to tell it in an interesting and engaging way. This she does brilliantly, and I was gripped from start to finish.

Excellent book. A bit different.

Alison Ripley Cubitt Misadventures in the Screen Trade How Not to Make It In The Media BooksGoSocial Feb 2022

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review.

This book lacks the liveliness that might be expected from a story of a strong, opinionated woman, who dared to take her own way through the intricacies of the world of media. Alison Ripley Cubitt’s story of her misadventures in the screen trade follows her path from her home in Malaysia, and then New Zealand, to her travel, work that is sometimes freelance, often on short contracts, eventually to a permanent home with Disney in London, and its aftermath. From her recall of seeing the German version of snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with her father in Malaysia the story leaps to London, 1996.

In 1996 Cubitt is now Producer, Television Specials at Buena Vista Productions, Walt Disney. Snow White was Disney’s first full length feature film, but not the first adaptation of the book. This was a silent version made in 1917, seen by Disney and his enthusiasm for his film made in 1937 stemmed from that. The connection between Cubitt’s eventually acquiring a permanent job, with pension plan, paid holidays and travel with invitations to film previews and West End shows, and the way in which she became engrossed with the idea of this world through this initial Disney vision is a strong and fascinating link.

The Disney world in which Cubitt introduces her working self is well described. This sets the theme for the remainder of the book which returns to her study, her initial introduction to writing, and then to television and film. Her own independent work is mentioned, and this provides another layer to her story. Cubitt’s meeting her husband to be, and their relationship is dealt with so well – the meeting makes an interesting story, and the way in which Cubitt works around commuting, independent homes, and new job options is a delightful insight into a marriage that works well for two independent career-oriented people. The personal does not take over the professional - the professional is the core of this book so it is to that one must look for an enticing story.

This is where I found the information about Cubitt’s various jobs, work relationships and career moves informative, and at times, engrossing. The courage she shows in taking jobs that she believes will be creatively fulfilling, but offering little security is inspiring. I admired this part of the story telling.

However, to return to my introductory comment, the impact of the events she relates would have been enhanced by a commitment to making them as interesting as possible. I felt at times the book was a litany of grievances rather than what is abundantly clear from her actions, a litany of courage and fortitude – a commitment to moving forward, to create, to rise above the pettiness she found in the screen trade. As the title suggests her experiences were full of misadventures - a light-hearted way of describing events. I wish that the writing fulfilled this promise. More sparkle in composing her story would have enhanced an account that otherwise makes good reading.

In some ways, the title is misleading. Although Alison Ripley Cubitt has spent much of her career working in numerous behind the scenes roles at Disney and elsewhere much of the narrative is wholly unrelated to this. The title suggests a link to Adventures in the Screen Trade, the classic memoir by the great American screenwriter, William Goldman. Just to be clear; this certainly isn't that book.
However, it is a perfectly enjoyable romp through Cubitt's personal history and perfectly enjoyable for all that.