Despite extensive research, questions underlying the nature and nurture of talent remain both numerous and diverse. In the current paper, we present an account that addresses 2 of the primary questions inspired by this debate: (a) the very existence of innate talents and (b) how exceptional abilities are developed. The development of exceptional performance is addressed through a synthesis of recent models that invoke multiplier effects to explain how differences in initial conditions (e.g., different levels of innate abilities), coupled with gene-environment interactions, determine ranges of phenotypic outcomes. (Contains 2 figures.)