Daily Inspiration: Meet Allen Zhang

Today we’d like to introduce you to Allen Zhang.

Hi Allen, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Chicago as the child of Chinese immigrants. We moved to the suburbs early on in my childhood, and my parents separated shortly after. From then on, it was just my mother and I. I was also an only child in a new town without a real Asian-American community, and had difficulties making friends. All this combined with the fact that my mother had to work long hours to support us meant that I ended up with a lot of alone time.

To combat the loneliness, cartoons and anime became my go-to source of escapism. I began to draw and invent my own worlds as well. Then, when it came time to decide on a career path in high school, I stumbled upon a manga that would change my life: Bakuman.

Bakuman is a manga about two high schoolers with big dreams to become manga artists and drop everything to pursue that path. Despite always loving animation and comics, as well as drawing and writing, I never really considered that it could be a real career. Bakuman changed that.

I realized how important storytelling was to me, and I wanted to help other struggling people feel seen in the same way the stories I grew up with did for me. I also wanted to meet likeminded people with the same passion for storytelling that I had. Thus, I decided to pursue animation as a career.

After some lengthy discussions with my parents, they fortunately decided to support me in this pursuit. I ended up attending Ringling College of Art and Design’s Computer Animation program. After graduating in 2018, I was lucky enough to land a job as a story intern at Laika.

For the next 7 years I would work as a storyboard artist and revisionist, as well as a writer, for a bunch of animation projects like Nimona, Oni: Thunder God’s Tale, The Patrick Star Show, Centaurworld, and more. I felt very fortunate, but still had an itch to scratch. I had always identified with anime more than western animation in terms of storytelling. So in 2025, I made a leap to work in the anime industry at a studio called Qzil.la. Now I work as a chief director at Qzil.la and couldn’t be happier.

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?
To be honest, I think I’ve been relatively fortunate in my life and career, but there have definitely been bumps on the road. My childhood was kind of rough due to the isolation, but I’m happy to say that I’ve since found community since moving to LA and working in animation.

Work-wise, I’ve struggled with finding a place for myself in the industry. I’ve always been the jack-of-all trades type of artist, and would adapt my style to fit whatever the production needed. That worked well for me for a while as I could flexibly work on any kind of show, but as jobs are getting more scarce it’s been hard to stand out among artists who heavily committed to one particular style or genre.

When my last job at Netflix ended, I found myself feeling lost professionally. People would ask me what kind of storyboard artist I am in order to place me as a candidate and I honestly struggled to answer. That’s when I thought I had to be honest with myself. What I really liked was anime and manga. I began re-working my portfolio accordingly, and pitching graphic novels in a manga style.

I had always been scared to just follow my heart, but as I did so things began to fall in place on its own. My literary agent, Matt Belford, agreed to represent me. And I even started working for an actual anime studio! I’m still a little nervous for the future, but I feel more like I’m wearing the right shoes now if that makes sense.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m primarily an animation artist, director, and writer. Currently, I work for an anime studio called Qzil.la as a chief director. Some other places I’ve worked for include Netflix, Glen Keane Productions, Annapurna Animation, Tonko House, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network Studios, Nexus Studios, Atomic Cartoons, and more.

Aside from animation, I’m currently trying to pitch a graphic novel with my agent Matt Belford. I also teach storyboarding classes at Brainstorm School.

Honestly, what I’m most proud of is the community I’ve built here in LA. Growing up mostly a solitary kid, it’s incredible getting to be surrounded by friends who are also into the same stuff I am. It’s an awesome feeling, and I work everyday to try to make sure this community thrives.

I think what sets me apart from others is that I actually enjoy the collaboration part of animation more than the drawing part haha. Don’t get me wrong, I love to draw. But drawing in a vacuum just takes me back to that sad space I was in as a kid. It’s the act of showing my drawings or other creations to others, getting their reactions and feedback, and being able to see and help out on whatever they’re working on that really fulfills me.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
If you’re someone currently trying to break into the animation industry, or really any creative industry, I want to acknowledge that it’s really rough out there. Jobs are scarce, things are unstable, and it feels like the entire world wants to devalue artistic pursuits right now.

But I want to say that I believe the need for storytelling, in any form, will always exist as long as we’re still human. People strive for human connection, and one of the best ways to get that feeling is through sharing our stories with each other.

The actual medium or distribution method might change. But this need isn’t. So, I want to share a word of encouragement to folks. If you have a story you want to tell, please don’t give up on it just because you aren’t getting word back from studios, publishers, or other companies.

I have so many friends who are finding other ways to get there work out there and making a living doing so. Some are posting comics online, some are making YouTube and TikTok videos, some are tabling at conventions, some are selling products on Etsy, some are working in indie animation or video games. Or even a combination of the above. It’s going to be hard, but there’s always a way as long as people have that craving for stories and human connection.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.allenzhangportfolio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allenzhangart/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allen-zhang-58900494/
• Twitter: https://x.com/AllenZhangArt