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Paul Stec
Founder & Creative Director
Made In Brooklyn. Born in Los Angeles. My parents met in NYC at Max’s Kansas in the summer of 1969. My dad, Sonny Balzano was an artist at The Factory and my mom, Mary Stec was Andy Warhol’s Terot card readed. I was suppose to be the “Factory’s Baby” but mom decided it would be best to move back to LA, so I grew up there instead and became an artist. Two weeks after my 18th birthday I was arrested for graffiti. While standing in front of the judge I found out that I was being put on the Gang File. Angered and scared I called The Los Angeles Times to suggest that they run a story on the differences between gang graffiti writers and street artists in hopes that other non violent vandals like myself would not be so misunderstood. The Los Angeles Times liked the idea and suggested they profile me for the story which ended up finding its way in front of the Production Designer of the T.V. series Bay Watch and he contacted me and offered a full-time job on the show as the staff Graffiti Artist. While painting a “giant burner” on the Culver Studio’s lot, I met Paul Rubins aka Peewee Herman who suggested I apply to CalArts to study Set Design. I got into CalArts as a sophomore and met Michael Leon, graduating 3 years later with a double major in Set Design and Cinematography. My first Job out of CalArts was at Digital Domain where I became the VFX Art Director on 5th Element and Titanic. After the amazing opportunity at DD I spent the next 3 years at Walt Disney Imagineering as Art Director for the Live Media department while moonlighting as a cinematographer shooting commercials, videos and features and court side NBA for the Lakers til the great and talented Dan Krall who was Art Directing “Samurai Jack” at Cartoon Network asked me if I would like to come design backgrounds on the show. I spent 5 years at Cartoon Network and went on to become Art Director of shows such as Dexter’s Lab, The Powerpuff Girls, and Ni Hao Kai-lan. Having been lucky enough to acquire a wide range of skills, I recently decided it was time to go independent and open the collective based design firm I have been dreaming of since Cal Arts called Group Picture.
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