Last year I flew in to play SF Sketchfest and I was going to stay with some friends in Berkeley. The night before I flew out I looked at the Bart map to figure out how I was going to get from the airport out to Berkeley when I saw that Emeryville was smack dab in the middle of the two. I called Pixar and they told me that they don't offer open tours. I sighed and reluctantly accepted my fate.
After I told them about my disappointment my friends took me to a diner (owned by Mike Dirnt of Green Day) which was right across the street from the Pixar HQ. Seeing the gate was pretty cool and you could see the ball and the lamp but the coolest thing was the giant seagulls perched around the building. Seeing those seagulls made me change my plans and wake up early the next day because if nothing else I'd get a sweet shot of them.
I had heard about the store that was only open to employees and had shirts that weren't available for sale anywhere else. On the Bart I formulated a plan to go to the security gate and ask the guard if he knew of any employees who might be cool enough to do me the favor of buying any shirt from the store for me. I sprung my plan into action and the security guard very nicely told me that since it was a little after 10 am, most of the cool people had already come in and anyone coming in now would most likely be an executive who may or may not have security on autodial. I stood by the gate peeking into the next few cars that came up and I felt like an infamous NYC street window washer waiting to pounce on someone who didn't want to be bothered. So I quickly gave up and convinced myself that the trip was still worth it since I'd get better pictures of all the cool stuff in the daylight.
I was a little disappointed as I walked around the campus since I was expecting more cool, easter eggs around the building but the seagulls seemed to be it. I got a little past half way around the campus when I passed two guys smoking. After about 10 steps past them something clicked. People don't stand and smoke outside of buildings unless they work there. I stopped on a dime and pulled a 180. I started the conversation by saying, "Hey guys can I ask you a weird question?" They said, "sure." "If I give you money will go into the company store and buy me a shirt?" They started asking me where I was from and why I was in the Bay area. It turned out that one of the guys had taught right by where I live and lived not too far from where I grew up and went to high school. They very politely said that they'd do it but they'd like to finish their cigarettes. I said absolutely, please take your time and handed them a $20 and a business card, hoping that the card would humanize me a bit more, and continued to walk the rest of the campus.
After an excruciating 10 minutes of walking and waiting I doubled back to the smoking spot feeling a little disappointed by the lack of more easter eggs. My heart sank as I saw the two guys who looked like they hadn't budged an inch since I left. Not wanting to feel like I was hurrying them along since they were doing me a massive favor I slowed down my pace until I made out something in one of the guy's hands. I picked up the pace and was greeted with the sentence, "Oh hey man, bad news, the company store doesn't open until 11." It was about 10:30. "But you can have my shirt that they gave everyone who worked on the sets for Brave, there are only 12 or 13 in the world." There are a handful of times at best that I've been speechless in my life. "Oh and here's your money too." I ineffectively tried to convince them to keep the $20 and to use it for lunch but they insisted. "it took Bravery (the capital B is an editor's choice) for you to go up to strangers and ask for something." That day even further cemented my unbridled love of Pixar.
Here are some pictures, http://i.imgur.com/36UsA63
After I told them about my disappointment my friends took me to a diner (owned by Mike Dirnt of Green Day) which was right across the street from the Pixar HQ. Seeing the gate was pretty cool and you could see the ball and the lamp but the coolest thing was the giant seagulls perched around the building. Seeing those seagulls made me change my plans and wake up early the next day because if nothing else I'd get a sweet shot of them.
I had heard about the store that was only open to employees and had shirts that weren't available for sale anywhere else. On the Bart I formulated a plan to go to the security gate and ask the guard if he knew of any employees who might be cool enough to do me the favor of buying any shirt from the store for me. I sprung my plan into action and the security guard very nicely told me that since it was a little after 10 am, most of the cool people had already come in and anyone coming in now would most likely be an executive who may or may not have security on autodial. I stood by the gate peeking into the next few cars that came up and I felt like an infamous NYC street window washer waiting to pounce on someone who didn't want to be bothered. So I quickly gave up and convinced myself that the trip was still worth it since I'd get better pictures of all the cool stuff in the daylight.
I was a little disappointed as I walked around the campus since I was expecting more cool, easter eggs around the building but the seagulls seemed to be it. I got a little past half way around the campus when I passed two guys smoking. After about 10 steps past them something clicked. People don't stand and smoke outside of buildings unless they work there. I stopped on a dime and pulled a 180. I started the conversation by saying, "Hey guys can I ask you a weird question?" They said, "sure." "If I give you money will go into the company store and buy me a shirt?" They started asking me where I was from and why I was in the Bay area. It turned out that one of the guys had taught right by where I live and lived not too far from where I grew up and went to high school. They very politely said that they'd do it but they'd like to finish their cigarettes. I said absolutely, please take your time and handed them a $20 and a business card, hoping that the card would humanize me a bit more, and continued to walk the rest of the campus.
After an excruciating 10 minutes of walking and waiting I doubled back to the smoking spot feeling a little disappointed by the lack of more easter eggs. My heart sank as I saw the two guys who looked like they hadn't budged an inch since I left. Not wanting to feel like I was hurrying them along since they were doing me a massive favor I slowed down my pace until I made out something in one of the guy's hands. I picked up the pace and was greeted with the sentence, "Oh hey man, bad news, the company store doesn't open until 11." It was about 10:30. "But you can have my shirt that they gave everyone who worked on the sets for Brave, there are only 12 or 13 in the world." There are a handful of times at best that I've been speechless in my life. "Oh and here's your money too." I ineffectively tried to convince them to keep the $20 and to use it for lunch but they insisted. "it took Bravery (the capital B is an editor's choice) for you to go up to strangers and ask for something." That day even further cemented my unbridled love of Pixar.
Here are some pictures, http://i.imgur.com/36UsA63
