"Fighting With Autism": Jorge Gutierrez Comes to Spec Labs!

UPDATES:

Check out the highlight reel below to get a better look at the fun and wisdom shared between Jorge and our students!

Gutierrez also lent us his amazing artistic talent working on the merch for our Halloween show, "The Nightmare Before Spec-O-Ween", which took place this past October 30th. Signed posters and wickedly cool t-shirts were available for purchase at the event as a way to commemorate a spooktastic night of music and comedy!

Thank you to Jorge and everyone who supported the show! We hope to continue to collaborate with such a caring, talented creative who consistently inspires our artists to pursue their passions!

ORIGINAL:

Last month, on Thursday, September 26th, Spec Labs held a special workshop event featuring writer, animator, and director, Jorge Gutierrez!

The “Fighting with Autism” workshop was held at the Victory Theatre in Burbank and included a 450-slide (yes, that many!) presentation detailing Gutierrez’s journey from his upbringing in Mexico City to his illustrious career in the animation industry. Gutierrez is well-known for his animated works, including the popular film, The Book of Life, as well as his series, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, and Maya and the Three. Gutierrez has worked with a number of well-known studios and faces throughout his career, from Disney to Nickelodeon to Netflix, learning something new from each success and failure he found along the way.

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Gutierrez dazzled the crowd with his charm and humor, sharing funny stories and emotional moments that greatly impacted his personal and career trajectory. One standout moment was a particularly disastrous (but hilarious) pitch meeting for The Book of Life with renowned filmmaker, Guillermo Del Toro. Excessive heat, loud gardeners, and a 5-minute time limit put Jorge through the wringer–but it was all worth it in the end when Del Toro signed on to produce the film. His presentation also highlighted his adult autism diagnosis, and the influence his autism had on his creative instincts and abilities, even before he knew it was a part of him.

Jorge Gutierrez discusses The Book of Life and his autism diagnosis.

Gutierrez’s stories connected with our autistic and neurodivergent artists, who cheered him on and threw thumbs up in the air with each passing slide. The workshop was inspiring to our artists–right in front of them was someone who understood their own experiences and struggles and had used them as a superpower for his success!

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At the end of his presentation, Gutierrez was joined on-stage by a cluster of Spec Labs students and staff for a group photo to commemorate this special occasion. Complimentary Maya and the Three t-shirts were passed around the room as a final parting gift from Gutierrez to his rapt audience.

Animation Magazine also published a piece covering this amazing collaboration between Spec Labs and Gutierrez. You can read all about it at this link, or by clicking the image below!

We are so grateful and honored that Jorge took the time to come speak to and inspire our autistic and neurodivergent artists to pursue their creative interests and embrace their individuality! A big thank you to everyone who attended, and, of course, to Jorge, for sharing your lifetime of knowledge with us!