De Laurentiis began working on films by contributing to the props and set departments of her father's productions.

[5] In 1987, she left her role as president of production at De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG).

[6] While at DEG, she read the script for Prancer and eventually produced the film as her first theatrical venture under her Raffaella Productions banner.

[7] In 1989, she entered a long-term relationship with Universal Pictures wherein De Laurentiis would produce their projects for a two-year production agreement.

[8] Three years after her father's death in 2010, De Laurentiis began pursuing a TV miniseries and theatrical biography about him.