Today we’d like to introduce you to Zach Gracia.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started taking art seriously during my senior year of high school. I was an athlete throughout my whole life and had always expected my life to be involved somehow in athletics. However, during my junior year, it became apparent that sports weren’t going to be for me; and I had to quickly transition to a new career before graduation. I had drawn a little bit growing up but never anything serious and so the summer before my senior year my parents bought me a General’s Art Kit, and I became immersed in it.
I spent the whole summer drawing portraits of friends and family, landscapes, and sports figures from my favorite teams. It seemingly provided a sense of therapy for me. I was able to move forward from what I thought my dreams were and transition into a new direction; filled with promise. I remained in Art classes for the rest of my high school career and my last semester earned a spot in our AP Art department.
After high school, life became less clear. I went to UC Davis right out of high school and loved it but I didn’t love the Art department. I felt like their approach was too abstract for me and I wanted more illustration. At home, I found myself studying works of artists like Michelangelo, Raphael, Diego Rivera, JC Leyendecker, and Norman Rockwell. I loved how they were able to capture form and figure but also infuse their own stylistic choices and emphatically stamp their own name on their piece.
I left UC Davis for an internship with Walt Disney World, and immediately was reminded about my passion for Disney and all things they did as a company. I worked on a food cart selling different foods around the Hollywood Studios park. In between sales, I often had downtime, and I would sketch different guests and characters on receipt paper as they enjoyed the park. I knew Disney had a ton of different opportunities for Artists and so I asked every one of my managers and instructors how I could start a career in the field. I came up empty but I still left the internship determined to find answers and continue moving forward.
After my internship, I bounced around a couple different schools and encountered a lot of failures. Looking back now, this may have been the most important stage of my life because it taught me so much about humility, work ethic and being resilient. These are ultimately the tools that I think make me the artist and the professional I am today.
I ended up attending the Academy of Art University in San Francisco for a couple years on campus and finished my degree online. While on campus our studio art classes ran for 8 hours, which was all time to draw, and study figure. I loved being on campus and being surrounded by great artists and instructors who were really at the top of their industry; being a classically trained artist is one of the accomplishments I’m most proud of today.
Throughout the rest of my time at the Academy of Art, I remained a student online, attending class full-time, while working a full-time job and another part-time job. I took weekends to improve my portfolio for prospective employers and clients, produced work for multiple art galleries and took as much time as possible to work on personal projects. I grinded, knowing that my time and money was limited and I had to take advantage of every opportunity that presented itself.
January 2015, I was once again accepted for another internship with Disney, but this time with the Disneyland Resort. At this point, I had a pretty stable income, was picking up a regular client base for freelance projects and was making a name for myself in my community, but Disney was still the dream. I decided to accept the internship and take a severe pay cut in order to give the dream, what I thought to be, one last chance. I began to network and meet professionals from the fields I wanted to be in. I worked 40+ hours a week and used any day off I had to either finish homework, improve my portfolio or meet a new professional for coffee.
In April 2015, I earned a meet and greet with a Senior Manager from the Pixar Toy Design team; I was ecstatic. He showed me around the Grand Central Creative Campus and showed me all of the different products he had worked on for films like Toy Story, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. He then asked if I would be interested in applying for an open position with his team and I, as calmly as possible said, “yes.”
Two months later, I received an email saying, “Congratulations, you’re now a Disney artist…”
I don’t think I would be where I’m at today without all of the adversity I’ve encountered in my journey. I think I’m stronger because of everything that stood in my way and I think my resiliency is one of my most valuable qualities. I’ve had so many people there to support me when I needed it most, my parents, grandparents, friends and others that really motivated me to keep moving forward; even when it seemed like life was at its darkest. Any success I’ve had, is only possible because of the support system I’ve had in place and by everyone around me rallying around me when I needed them the most.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has not been smooth. I’ve had to learn balance along the way and understand how to properly manage my time and calendar. Nothing in this industry is clear-cut or laid out neatly, but throughout my journey, I have learned how to find creative solutions to any problem I encounter and more importantly learned how to be more adaptable to every situation. I feel that, as long as I have a clear goal in front of me, I can adapt to any situation and navigate through to success.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media – what should we know?
I work for the Walt Disney Company in their Consumer Products division. I specialize in designing toys, collectibles, and even developing new concepts we may use in the future. In my current role, I think I’m best known for my stylizations and ability to reimagine iconic characters in a new and fun style, that feels unified and refreshes the brand. I’ve been an integral part of teams that developed products like Toy Story Minis, Cars 3 mini-figures, and the whole upcoming line for Pixar’s new film Coco.
I believe what sets me apart from others is, vision. I try and approach every project differently and effectively create a unique visual identity that does justice for our iconic characters.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Everyone in my life deserves credit for all of the support I’ve received thus far. However, my parents have been pivotal in my success and have always been there to pick me back up after I fail. Whether it was sending more money, driving me back and forth between shows, or just being there for me to talk to; my parents have and continue to be my heroes.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.zachgracia.com
- Phone: 530-723-2783
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zach_gracia/
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