I love animated films. It helps that my sister and her family live in Orlando, Disney-ville, where I spend a good deal of my vacation days. My brother-in-law, Kyle, is a painter so we spend a lot of time talking about art, animation, and film. Wired Magazine ran a short piece on Pixar’s secret sauce. The only thing that’s better than Pixar’s product is its culture, something few companies can claim.
After reading the article I thought a lot about living a Pixar-inspired life and how that might take shape. Here are some of their main cultural tenants:
1.) Design your space for you. Everyone at Pixar has a personal workspace that they design, complete with just about an amenity they can think of, beer taps included. You spend a lot of time at work, working hard. Make sure you enjoy the view.
2.) Start the day with a good laugh with good friends, and then get to work. Pixar mornings start with wide smiles, bowls of Captain Crunch, and coffee, shared in a living room-type setting. Then they get into a series of serious discussions about the prior days work and how to move forward. Feedback is raw, honest, across the board, and practically unending. You spend a lot of time at work with a lot of people. Make sure you like them as people and respect them as colleagues with valuable opinions.
3.) Respect the process of steady progress. Toy Story 3, to be released June 18, took over 1,000 days to create. Some days, the artists only made seconds of progress with the film. Some days, they scrapped everything from the day before and started from scratch. That’s the creative process – build with passion and be prepared to let that passion go if it no longer serves the piece.
4.) Strive for greatness and know when to call it quits. “We don’t ever finish a film,” said Lee Unkrich, director of Toy Story 3. “I could keep on making it better. We’re just forced to release it.” We want to live up to our potential, and we also need to know when to let our greatness fly out into the world. Take it from Pixar: Perfection isn’t possible and should not be the pre-requisite for launching any creative product.
The photo above was taken by Bryce Duffy for Wired Magazine. It depicts Lee Unkrich, Bobby Podesta, Guido Quaroni, and Darla Anderson of Pixar.
Published by Christa Avampato
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
View all posts by Christa Avampato
I love animated films. It helps that my sister and her family live in Orlando, Disney-ville, where I spend a good deal of my vacation days. My brother-in-law, Kyle, is a painter so we spend a lot of time talking about art, animation, and film. Wired Magazine ran a short piece on Pixar’s secret sauce. The only thing that’s better than Pixar’s product is its culture, something few companies can claim. 
Helpful post beautifully expressed. Thank you my friend. You inspire me on a regular basis.
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Thanks, Lon! Right back at ya! I miss working with you everyday.
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