New York-born Denise Di Novi was a rare breed in Hollywood-she had become a high-powered and highly successful movie producer within a small elite "boy's club" coterie while raising two sons and having a fulfilling family life. Despite the fact that 50-year-old Di Novi had reached the pinnacle in her field, the road had not always been easy. Raising two sons while being on movie sets for marathon 13+ hour days, as well as nurturing a fruitful 19-year marriage with a husband also in the business, required an incredible amount of juggling. How she managed that hectic lifestyle was partly due to her choice not to "go out at night" or frequent the ubiquitous and swanky Hollywood parties or movie premiers unless the movie was made by a close friend. Di Novi's down-to-earth way of thinking and lifestyle has not only made her an anomaly within the high-flying tabloid-rich movie industry, but also has helped her to survive the cuts and bruises inherent to a job where a series of movie flops would get her "dropped" by a studio in a second.