Meet Chase Mack | Story Artist/Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chase Mack and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chase, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I grew up on animation, specifically cartoons when I was younger. When I was around 8, I realized I wanted to direct an animated feature film when I grew up. The thought of potentially directing at Disney or Pixar kept me going to develop my own ideas and characters. It made me express who I am and the outlet made it capable for me to express what’s inside my head to the world.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m still young and developing my craft but what sets me apart from the rest is my voice. I like to base a lot of my stories off personal experiences to help them feel authentic. The project I’m currently proudest of is my capstone short Dear Destiny, in which I directed a small group of artists to make a short animated film. The film went on to be selected at multiple Oscar-qualifying festivals including one that led me to win a Remi Award at Worldfest Houston which discovered the likes of Steven Spielberg, Ang Lee and more. To speak more on where I am now, it wasn’t an easy process. I realized late into college that I wanted to pursue storyboarding. For a majority of my college years, I wanted to be an animator and at the time there weren’t many classes at my school that focused on story. I learned from a mentor at Disney that I should take time out of day to study the craft and to pursue it if I loved filmmaking. I spent the majority of last = year revamping my portfolio to pursue an internship in storyboarding. I had to figure out my style, what stories I wanted to tell and who my audiences would be, This eventually led me to get an internship at Pixar this summer and meet a large group of passionate individuals for make the heartwarming films we enjoy today. If there’s a main lesson I learned from all of this, It would be to always have fun and live every moment. Passion and fun are a good mix for a career, and for one to grow and be inspired its essential.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’ve been so many places where I live right now its gonna be tough. First I would take them to The Museum of Fine Arts Houston and explore the area. Houston is known for amazing food so i imagine we would spend a day to try some Tex-Mex, Ramen, Fried Chicken or something new. There’s so much to do in the day so I’d definitely say exploring the River Oaks area. Later into the night I would have to take them to this place called AxelRad. They have cool events and bands there every night and it feels like a hidden joint which makes it more enjoyable.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this to my Mom and Dad, Granny and TTa, Grandaddy and Mama Mack, the HOMIES, Sweet Fireflies, my friends at Meteor Theater and the Technocool Kids but mostly anyone who has supported me in my journey to get where I am today

Website: https://chasemack5.wixsite.com/chasestudio

Instagram: chasemdraws

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chase-mack-ba4b18a8/

Twitter: chasemdraws