User:RyanCGregg/sandbox/Jose Zelaya

Jose Zelaya is a graphic and digital artist who is employed by Walt Disney Television Studios and Mercury Filmworks production companies. He has gained notoriety through his efforts a character designer on many television series including Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero (2014), Phineas and Ferb (2011), and Jake and the Never Land Pirates (2011). Presently, he is contributing to The Lion Guard (2016) television series and The Simpsons.

He has also acted in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.

Biography
He grew up in El Salvador, Central America during the Civil War. Zelaya was born in San Miguel, El Salvador in 1975; he moved to the capitol shortly after. While he drew graphic images of gunfights in the street or buildings burning, he also contrasted his art with animals he found in the forest. He remembers exploring forests and streams in search of colorful fish and lizards, which found their way into his drawings.

In 1989, Zelaya, his parents, his brother and his sister moved to Los Angeles. In high school, Zelaya resorted to creating timelines and visual projects in place of essays and written tests.

At just 20 years old, Zelaya got his first major role animating for one of Disney’s staple Saturday morning cartoons, Recess. He designed the character Spinelli, whom he based off his friend “Mara” from middle school.