Best known as the co-director of 2011’s Cars 2, Brad Lewis certainly has one of the odder career trajectories of anyone in Hollywood. Though he’s made a name for himself through his work with both DreamWorks Animation and Pixar, Brad is also known as a well-liked and respected politician.

California Dreamin’

Growing up in San Mateo, California, Brad Lewis always assumed that he’d eventually pursue a career as an actor.

He spent his childhood dreaming of a life spent entertaining audiences, and by the time he graduated high school, Brad had decided to enrol in Fresno State University’s acting program. (He eventually received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre.)

Brad Joins PDI

It wasn’t long before Brad had landed a job at a company called Pacific Data Images, which was founded in 1980 and was attempting to establish itself as an up-and-coming animation house. Brad quickly worked his way up the ladder at the company and eventually became the Vice President of Productions. Brad’s primary role was to act as a liaison between movie studios and PDI, which had, by that point, become one of Hollywood’s most in-demand special effects companies.

Brad Learns the Ropes

One of Brad’s first gigs for PDI was as an executive producer on a Hanna-Barbera television special called The Last Halloween, which actually earned him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Special Visual Effects. From there, Brad worked behind-the-scenes on such notable Hollywood films as 1996’s Broken Arrow and 1997’s The Peacemaker.

Brad even made a splash in the world of commercials, and his work eventually landed him a pair of Clio Awards.

Brad Works on Antz

In 1995, PDI signed a deal with DreamWorks to produce an animated film using computer-generated technology. The result was 1998’s smash hit Antz, which Brad worked on in his capacity as a producer. The film was so successful, in fact, that Brad was tapped to co-direct the studio’s next effort, although the movie, Tusker, was eventually cancelled by higher ups within the company. It was around that time that Brad made the decision to leave DreamWorks for Pixar.

Brad Joins Pixar

In 2001, Brad arrived at Pixar and immediately began working within the studio in a behind-the-scenes capacity. His first major credit at Pixar was as a producer on 2007’s Ratatouille, which eventually netted him a Producer of the Year Award for Animated Motion Picture from the Producers Guild of America. Brad’s esteem within Pixar eventually led to an offer to co-direct 2011’s Cars 2 alongside John Lasseter, which allowed the up-and-coming filmmaker the opportunity to work side by side with folks like Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, and Michael Caine.

Brad the Mayor

Though he had long since carved out a career for himself in the entertainment world, Brad had always longed to make a difference in his community on a more down-to-earth level. In the late 1990s, Brad signed up for a stint on the Parks & Recreation Commission in his hometown of San Carlos. From there, Brad was elected to the city’s council in 2005, with his growing profile eventually leading to a quick term as the city’s mayor in 2008. His duties with Cars 2 kept him away from politics for a little while, but in June of 2011, Brad found himself asked to temporarily return to his former position in San Carlos following the sudden death of the city’s Mayor.