Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marco Bongiorno. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Marco thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
I’m thankful that I have a regular job that is creative adjacent and that I have the time to focus on the creative endeavors as side projects. My definition of creative adjacent is not being the main focus of the. creative project and instead being the person who gathers the materials and sandbox for creativity to thrive.
I’ve joked with friends before about how I don’t think I could work a regular job as a banker for example. I feel like I would have to doodle in the margins of the invoices to keep my mind from wandering.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
The Pizza Planet Truck project started as a concept for a quick prank video. We thought we would put the truck together record a quick video of us picking up a pizza or working with a pizzeria to delivery pizzas and call it a day. The idea had been bounced around for a few months and when our group saw Toy Story 3 we thought, “Alright, we have to do this now”. From there the concept grew into a documentary idea, then a road trip to Pixar Animation Studios. Since then the truck has been used as a photo backdrop/rolling art piece at various events across the country.
What sets us apart from others is our story, we’ve been on the road for over a decade now, and people will come up at events and mention that they saw a “similar truck” in a video or at a specific event and most of the time it is our truck that they’ve seen before.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Taking something that was a note or doodle and bringing that into reality is so satisfying. That alone can convince the right people what you’re doing is worth noticing. Meeting other creative people who think within a similar lane. Having that one idea that sticks with you for a bit until you MUST make it. Sometimes those ideas sit for a bit but when you can’t stop thinking about the ways it could go right – then you have to do it.
Seeing people enjoy what you’ve worked is fun as well. A few years ago we did a small run of license plate frames and it’s such a rush to see one in the world and go “Oh, I don’t know whose car this is”.
Also meeting people who have been following the project for a decade and have been rooting for us since the beginning. They stumbled on our earlier posts and they saw something that convinced them to follow us for a while.
People talk about how creative people feel more and I don’t think that’s the case. I think creative people are able to rearrange the familiar into something everyone can relate to and understand.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
When it comes the truck itself the crew has talked about a cross country road trip. If this journey has an “ending” I think that’s it. Either that or some kind of Pizza Planet Truck road side attraction display.
For my own personal journey, I’m not sure where I’ll end up. I think my main goal is to keep pushing for little endeavors wherever I go. Here’s an idea, let’s try it!
I’d like to collaborate more. Especially with people who I used to work on projects with years ago. What kind of ideas could we conjure up after a few years apart?
Contact Info:
- Website: PizzaPlanetTruck.com
- Instagram: @PizzaPlanetTruck
- Facebook: PizzaPlanetTruck
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/MarcoBongiorno
- Twitter: @PizzaPlaneTruck
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/pizzaplanettruck
Image Credits
LXVII Photography – Cory Mader