I started working in Disney’s Strategic Planning group after graduation. I spent three years in that group, focusing mainly on the company’s broadcasting and filmed entertainment businesses. I always thought that I wanted to work in feature film production, but didn’t really know how to go about it. While in Strat Planning, I got to know people in the Motion Picture Group, and met Nina Jacobson, the president of the group, who was eventually willing to take a chance on me.

THC: What would be your advice to students interested in going into film on the production side? On the acting side?

JHS: Be willing to take risks. When most people are graduating, they’re seduced by the security, financial reward, and ease of seeking out jobs on Wall Street, or some type of grad school. Moving to LA with nothing but the hopes of landing an acting gig, or finding an entry level production job and hoping to work through the system, is scary. But for anyone passionate about a career in entertainment, it’s worth the risk. And the sooner they can get used the taking such chances, the better, because that’s what the entertainment business is all about.

THC: While attending Harvard did you have any idea you would become a studio exec? Is there anything you regret not having done that might have better prepared you for this?

JHS: I consider myself really lucky because what I do now has always been a dream job of mine. So I always hoped that I would end up working in the movie business one day. The one regret I have is not taking a more diverse slate of classes. I think the more “stuff” you know, the more effectively you can come up with fresh and interesting ideas.

THC: How do you deal with the pressures of remaking what some feel is a classic? Did you see the original series of films before starting? What did you think of the originals?

JHS: I loved the original movies and remember watching them as a young kid. We had a fantastic director who recognized the nostalgic appeal of the originals, but also the need to introduce Herbie to a modern audience. The original movies actually had some dark elements to them–Herbie tried to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge in one. But we made the choice early on to go with the ’69 VW bug, instead of a modern one. And I think that helped to keep a connection to the older movies. I also don’t think of this movie as a “remake.” Aside from the car, we conceived an entirely original story.

THC: Do you read the reviews? How do you deal with negative reviews?

JHS: Luckily with this movie, there weren’t very many negative reviews out there from serious critics. I was proud of the finished product long before any reviews came out. But the LA and NY Times both gave positive reviews to the film, which was just icing on the cake.

THC: What are you working on now?

JHS: I’m working on three movies that are in post-production: Annapolis, starring James Franco and Tyrese; Antarctica, starring Paul Walker; and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. I’m working on a variety of other projects in pre-production and development.

—Staff writer Scoop A. Wasserstein can be reached at wasserst@fas.harvard.edu.