Ryan first became a Pixar shareholder in 2004, two years before the Disney aquisition.
15-year-old Ryan Morgan is pursuing a dream. Ryan wants to become a computer animator for Pixar, the Emeryville, CA based computer animation studio famous for box office rock stars like Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. Ryan first got the bug when he saw Toy Story at just three-years-old. His mother Marilyn reports he’s been saying he’ll work for Pixar ever since.
In 2004, Ryan’s connection to Pixar grew a little bit more formalized. Marilyn saw an offer at MouseSavers.com, a site devoted to discounts on all things Disney, that she just couldn’t pass up. That Christmas, Ryan became an official Pixar shareholder with a framed stock certificate from OneShare.com.
As a shareholder, Ryan was invited to attend the stockholder meeting in which shareholders voted on the proposed Disney acquisition, and where Ryan’s one share of stock entitled him to one vote. At first wary of the acquisition, Ryan says the stockholder meeting quelled most of his concerns. “Ed Catmull explained what would happen with the creative talents and Pixar and that John Lasseter would take over at Disney’s Animation Department,” he said. “If there’s any change, it’s positive.” The highlight of the experience was an opportunity to personally talk with Ed Catmull about his career aspirations after the event.
For Ryan, the perks to being a shareholder don’t end there. Ryan reports “I like looking through the annual report and finding out what films and projects Disney/Pixar are working on. I usually know what’s happening next, before my friends do.” The fact that his single Pixar share has turned into 4 Disney shares isn’t too shabby either.
Marilyn wasn’t new to stock ownership when she first stumbled upon OneShare. As a child, she says that her parents owned stock in several companies. Now, in addition to mutual funds, Marilyn actually issues stock for the corporations she works with. “I’m a CPA/Controller for a real estate investor and property management company,” she relays. She encourages parents to choose a stock certificate in a company their child is interested in. “It’s a neat concept for children to understand that they actually own a small part of a company.”
Now, Ryan takes every opportunity he can to draw. He takes art classes in school, spends his summers at the local junior college, and he’s received numerous awards. This year, he upped his game, enrolling in animation, 3D modeling, and video gaming classes through a program at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Next year, he plans to continue to more advanced animation classes.
His advice to younger children who want to pursue animation? The same advice given to him by Ed Catmull at his first shareholder meeting: “Draw, draw, draw!”
Tags: disney, inspiration, my first stock, myfirststock, pixar, shareholders, stock certificates, stock for kids
Great story about Ryan, congratulations to him! I thought I had started investing in stocks at a young age and I was a teenager. Ryan sure has me beat. You could very well be the next ‘John Lasseter’.” The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”. Ryan, best of luck to you!