Today we’d like to introduce you to Zach Bellissimo.
Hi Zach, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
For the animation industry I’m a storyboard artist and director. For myself I’m a creator, illustrator, animator, and maestro of whatever silly things come to my mind. I like wearing many different hats, and my forehead is definitely big enough for it.
I’m originally from Long Island, New York. When I tell most people I’m from NY they automatically think the city, but nah, Long Island was a very quiet and suburban harbor town. I just grew up being mesmerized by animation and drawing. My parents were very supportive of me and signed me up for art classes and such. Fast forward to college time, I attend the School of Visual Arts for their 2D animation program. NY doesn’t have a huge animation scene but I was lucky to get my foot in the door at the NY Titmouse branch. It was a great first job in the industry and I worked with a bunch of my friends from school, but I knew I needed to move up so I made the move out to LA.
Talking about many different hats, I feel like I’ve had quite an eclectic set of roles while working in the industry. I feel like most artists stay in one lane but I’ve always been merging into oncoming traffic. Starting off doing rough and clean animation for Titmouse, first job in LA was character designs for the first season of Rick & Morty, then getting bit by the storyboard bug, working on Teen Titans Go! For Victor & Valentino I was not only storyboarding but writing dialogue as well, which led me to move up to a Director position.
All of these hats would pay off when I would create an independent pilot called “Long Gone Gulch” with my long time partner, Tara Billinger. Like most animators we wanted to pitch a show, and when no studio gave us a green light we gave it to ourselves. We created a Kickstarter campaign to fund a pilot episode for a wacky and weird Western Fantasy. We poured our heart and soul into it and it stands today as the purest form of our artistic expression. No executive hands, no studio notes, just 100% us.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Never a smooth road, and don’t expect it to be. I’ve always had trouble with time management and motivation. I can equate a lot of my past mistakes to that. Just last year I was diagnosed with ADHD which was scary at first but woke me up a bit. I’ve learned to not blame everything on that and need to take accountability for it. I’ve been learning ways to manage it which is a struggle in and of itself but also makes me feel in control. At this point I’m still learning but also for the first time in my life feel like I know myself so much better than before.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I hate boasting about myself, haha. I have a knee jerk reaction when I say anything I perceive to be “pretentious”, but I’ve learned selling yourself in this industry is important. So I hope this doesn’t sound too narcissistic…
Basically I’m a storyboard artist, director, illustrator, animator and designer.
I think I specialize in giving character to characters. I love thinking about the inner workings and how that comes out. A favorite quote of mine comes from layout artist Maurice Noble, he said when designing to be “specific and not generic”. I believe this applies to every aspect of producing animation. I love thinking about a design in the sense of “what haven’t I seen before?” I watch a lot of animation so I notice trends or when something doesn’t feel very memorable. The most memorable shows are the ones that are unique and different, in every facet, and I strive for that in my own work. I love pushing an expression to its limits, finding a look for a certain emotion that can be crazy and hilarious, but I also love finding subtleties. Its amazing how just a small bend of the lip or nudge of the eyebrow can communicate something so big.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Post your work online. Consistently. Not everyone has the same resources. Some people don’t live in California and can’t hit up the local art show, convention or animation meet up. The internet is the best way to connect us, if we use it wisely.
If you are able to meet people in person, I am aware how anxiety inducing it can be. Just remember that these artists you look up to are just people who do what you do. You have more in common than you think. Be friendly and mindful of their time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://zachbellissimo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zach_bellissimo/
- Twitter: https://x.com/CountZachulaaa
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnU_dtPmm1qPJ9Ww2HKD-NA
