My team did so much good work that at the end of each day, my mouth would hurt from smiling. It was super fascinating to be there, to be part of this huge American cultural thing–not all of which I agreed with.

I ended up staying there for almost nine years. She was head of Creative Resources at Disney Consumer Products. RVC: And you found your way into working for Disney.ĪP: I got a 3‑day gig at Disney working for a creative director I’d known from my advertising days. Then I had a baby and did a lot of freelance work in advertising. Over the years, I was an advertising art director, making print advertising and TV commercials. I started working in the commercial realm as a graphic designer so I could make a living and still be creative. I was also a video performance artist, but guess what? There’s wasn’t a career in that waiting for me. I was terrified of writing after a freshman poetry class, so I veered toward visual art instead and got a BFA at the UCLA School of Fine Arts. RVC: Along the way, you went to art school, too.ĪP: Right. It took me much, much longer to hold up my end of the deal. It took her 5 years before she presented me with one that she’d written in pencil on lined paper. Website: Facebook: Twitter: Goodreads: RVC: When did your interest in writing first show up?ĪP: When I was in sixth grade, my best friend and I vowed that we were going to each write and illustrate a book. We cover her bio pretty well in the Q &A below, so let’s close out this intro by sharing two of her books that I totally dig. Anyone who can get away with using words like “Froodle” and “Frints” in picture book titles is awesome. Antoinette Portis is the subject of this month’s author interview, and I have to confess–I’ve been looking forward to this one for some time.

Portis books