Spielberg was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to a Jewish family. After working for her brother's production company, Amblin Entertainment, she and her neighbor Gary Ross co-wrote the movie Big in 1988, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. She was also a co-producer on the film, along with noted television and film Producer James L. Brooks. Spielberg was an uncredited cowriter of the film Small Soldiers.