Insights & Interviews
Interviews, press features, essays, and dispatches from the intersection of licensed product design, independent brand building, and the kind of creative thinking that doesn't fit neatly into a job description.
Video · Interview · Part 1 of 2
Part one of a two-part interview with the Oatley Academy of Visual Storytelling. Zach tells the story of challenging his family's expectations to pursue an artistic career, the struggle of art school, and what happens when you walk into a Disney Animation interview completely unprepared.
Oatley Academy · Art Cast Podcast
Video · Interview · Part 2 of 2
Part two — how Zach finally broke into Disney Consumer Products, why all the struggle was worth it, and the design philosophy behind the work: "We don't sell products. We sell time machines."
Oatley Academy · Art Cast Podcast
Press
Official Disney Feature · 2022
Disney's own editorial platform on Zach's work developing the Coco merchandise line and what it means to bring cultural heritage into licensed product design.
"It really felt like Disney was coming into my own home."
Zach Gracia · Life at Disney, 2022
Editorial Feature · 2021
A conversation about risk, creative career navigation, and why failure is the only thing that makes an artist worth talking to.
Editorial Feature
A profile of Zach's work at Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media — featuring concept and character design process work.
Editorial Feature
On building a creative life between a major entertainment company and independent ventures — and why both are necessary.
Education
Wake Forest University · Short Film
On almost not applying to grad school — and why the moment you feel least ready is often the moment you most need to begin.
Wake Forest University · Short Film
On pursuing a full-time Master's while leading product design at Disney — and how a marketing lens changes the way you build things at scale.
Wake Forest University · Short Film
Real-world application, faculty expertise, global community, and a support system that treats you as a person first. Six months into the program.
Wake Forest University · Short Film
You don't have to quit your job. Online degrees carry the same weight. The value isn't just for career changers. Four common myths, addressed directly.