◆ THE TIMELINE
Forty years of making things
A life in keyframes: from a kid taking things apart, through seventeen years of agency motion design, sixteen years building ArtResin, one exit — and back to the craft.
A kid who builds things
Born an artist. Childhood spent drawing, tinkering, taking things apart and making new things out of the pieces. The pattern for everything that follows is set early: see a thing, wonder how it works, build a version of it.
Art school — York University
Formal training in visual art at York University in Toronto. Learns the fundamentals — drawing, composition, colour — that will quietly power thirty years of commercial work.
The agency years
Motion design and animation through agencies including Publicis, Organic, Rocket Marketing, StoryStream, VMG and Archmill House — for Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Samsung, BlackBerry, NASCAR, Ford, FedEx, Starbucks, major banks and more. Hand-drawn animation becomes a signature when the industry goes template.
ArtResin is founded
Frustrated with toxic, yellowing resin ruining his artwork (and giving him headaches), David partners with Texas chemists to develop an epoxy resin made specifically for artists. Roughly three years of R&D take the formula from idea to market.
Going global
ArtResin scales across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia — global trademarks, compliance in every new territory, 3PL warehouses on multiple continents, shelf space at major art retailers, and a Shopify store ranked among Canada's top shops. A YouTube-first education engine drives the brand. Companion product lines launch along the way: private-label torches, accessories, and a full two-part silicone product.
The exit
Sixteen years after founding it, David exits ArtResin through a partner buyout, leaving the brand's promise to artists in hands that know it.
Back to the craft
A new demo reel, and a return to what started it all: high-end motion design, brand storytelling and creative direction for agencies and direct brand clients — plus a strange and wonderful niche in LiDAR scanning for fast food chains, and browser games built with his son.
The living archive
Current work lives at davidzak.com. This site is the record — new stories from the whole journey are added regularly.