ZAE
Multidisciplinary Artist • Actor • Production Professional
Contact
• Email: Zaedoingitbig@gmail.com
• Phone: 619-852-0868
• Website: www.zaeart.com
Professional Overview
ZAE (b. 1968, Pasadena, California) is a third-generation multidisciplinary artist, actor, and veteran production professional whose career spans over four decades across fine art, film, television, live broadcast, music, and large-scale event production. Raised inside professional studios and creative environments, ZAE developed a rare fluency both in front of and behind the camera. His body of work includes national television, feature films, major streaming series, international art collections, institutional exhibitions, live global broadcast events, and collaborations with notable cultural figures.
ZAE’s fine art practice — particularly large, playful, painterly abstractions — is central to his identity, forming what he calls his “personal legacy.” For ZAE, art is about freedom, emotion, and exploration, not formal boundaries, which is reflected in the philosophy: “Free is art!”
Fine Art Career
Artistic Identity & Philosophy
• Best known for large, expressive abstract paintings evoking transcendental feeling and emotional resonance.
• Art reflects a lifelong commitment to abstraction and creative freedom, shaped from childhood training and self-directed evolution.
Professional Highlights
• Internationally collected by private and corporate collectors.
• Artwork preserved in corporate and institutional collections worldwide.
• Fine art placements and sales through publications and exhibitions, including exposure via O at Home Magazine.
• Featured in numerous exhibitions across major galleries and institutions in California, New York, Georgia, and internationally.
• Accolades from respected curators such as Lanier Graham (former MoMA curator) and Johnny Sampson (Catalina Island Museum).
• Co-author of The Color of Light with Lanier Graham, exploring important pieces of his art.
Studio & Practice
• ZAE’s studio in Southern California is his creative sanctuary and production base for fine art and large-scale installations.
• Works across diverse media, maintaining artistic integrity while tailoring projects to collectors, curators, and institutional partners.
Acting & On-Camera Work
Early Beginnings
• Interviewed KISS on national television at age 11 (Kids World).
• Performed live on TV with Coretta Scott King in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• Early broadcast work included live commercial segues for WTBS Channel 17.
Selected Film & TV Credits
(Recent / notable roles)
• Wonder Man (Marvel/Disney, 2023) — LA Tourist
• Grey’s Anatomy (2024) — Protestor
• Dexter (2024) — Club Bouncer
• It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2024) — Shady Guy
• Paradise City (Seasons 1 & 2) — Billionaire / Graceland Tourist
• The Pitt (2025, Warner Bros.) — Expert Driver
• St. Denis Medical (2024) — Doctor
• All American (2024) — Atlanta Falcons Coach
• Numerous commercials, industrials, and indie productions.
(This list reflects a representative sample of recent credits.)
Production, Direction & Technical Expertise
Training & Skills
• Classically trained in videography under George Gentry (National Geographic).
• Proficient across production disciplines including camera operation, directing, lighting, audio, editing, graphics, and design.
Professional Experience
• Camera operator and director for live broadcast, film, television, and corporate productions.
• Worked on Showtime specials featuring Jeff Foxworthy and Sinbad (credited).
• Collaborated professionally with Alan Alda (camera work).
• National television spot production with Scott Miller (Los Angeles).
• Built and launched television stations and academic broadcast programs.
Corporate, Institutional & Government Clients
• Long-term production for Colonial Pipeline.
• American Cancer Society.
• Mercer University; Reinhardt College broadcast builds.
• Kroger House; Camp Sunshine.
• Six Flags productions (including work with Buford Buzzard).
• Honda dealership aviation documentation.
• Camera operator for political figures including President Jimmy Carter, Newt Gingrich, and Senator Max Cleland.
Sports, Music & Cultural Projects
• Camera operator for major sports figures: Herschel Walker, John Smoltz, Deion Sanders, Bill Elliott (NASCAR).
• Production involvement with events like the Atlanta Olympics and Super Bowl festivities.
• Music industry projects including backstage interviews (Avenged Sevenfold), work with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Santana, Pink Floyd, and extensive Jazz Festival production coverage.
• Professionally trained guitarist and early musical collaborations.
Religion & Cultural Work
• Attended a private session with the Dalai Lama.
• Rare multi-bishop production as camera operator for three Catholic bishops.
Education & Licenses
• Tower Talent Studio, San Diego — ongoing training (2022–present).
• Lifelong on-set and broadcast production training.
• Licensed General Contractor (California).
• Licensed Real Estate Agent (California).
Artistic Philosophy & Legacy
ZAE views all his disciplines — visual art, performance, production, music, design, construction, and broadcast — as interwoven expressions of a singular creative voice. His career reflects continuity across generations, industries, and cultural institutions, anchored by a belief that art should inspire exploration, freedom, and emotional growth.
