Andy J.

Pizza

Bestselling Author-Illustrator

Podcast Host & Neurodivergence Advocate

Travels from: Columbus, OH

“Pizza and Miller aim to help readers “SEE THE INVISIBLE” in a picture book that doubles as a body-scan meditation… In energetic, meandering prose, the pages explore internal and external feelings and moods.” — Publishers Weekly

Andy J. Pizza is a New York Times Bestselling author-illustrator of many books for children and adults such as Invisible Things and A Pizza with Everything On It. Pizza is also the creator of the popular podcast “Creative Pep Talk” which Vanity Fair says “is every bit as bright and effervescent as its title would lead you to believe”. For the past 15 years, Pizza has worked as a commercial illustrator for a wide variety of top tier clients like Apple, X-Box and The New York Times.

Pizza is very public about his ADHD and has become a vocal advocate for embracing neurodivergence. He lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife, 3 kids and 2 dogs.

Andy J.'s Featured Titles

Why Doing Work You Love Starts with Loving Yourself

All work is a type of self expression. That means that you will never love your work if you hate what it’s an expression of (yourself!). We all long to do work we can authentically pour ourselves into, but what if what’s stopping you from showing up as your full self isn’t the work in front of you, but the reservations you have about yourself?

In this talk, Andy shares how an adult ADHD diagnosis and embrace of his neurodivergence opened up his creativity and unlocked his potential. Andy shares the deeply personal story of how this shift from a negative view of self to a positive one practically impacted his work and brought healing to the relationships, including with an estranged mother.

Why Hard and Bad are Not The Same Thing

The desire to avoid hard things is natural, however learning to embrace challenge is essential. New York Times Best Selling picture book author / illustrator and storyteller Andy J. Pizza had to learn to love the hard things… well… the hard way. In this talk, Pizza shares how storytelling taught him that hard isn’t just “not bad” but the essential ingredient to not only storytelling but to a creative growth mindset as well.

Andy takes you on a transformational journey from totally blowing what seemed like a once in a life time dream opportunity, to a steady climb and full on career redemption. Citing fascinating research on the “questing” story mindset, this talk is designed to refresh your outlook and how you and your team views pesky problems and uninspiring challenges.

See the Invisible

All ages talk on my New York Times Bestselling book Invisible Things on how to “see the invisible”. In school, my art teachers all told me I should be drawing the things that I love, the only problem? Everything that interests me is INVISIBLE! This is the story of how I learned to draw things you can’t see and how with the right colors, shapes and symbols, you can too!

“Andy was incredible! His journey and story really inspired our entire community…not only is he entertaining and funny in the way he tells his story, but his message is one of authenticity and vulnerability. We are all truly impacted by his message of learning from failures and the importance of our own mindsets during challenging times. He was the perfect energy to close out our event!” — Kristi Heeney-Janiak, Sr. Director Employee Experience at Hallmark

“Andy was a joy to work with! From the prep sessions to his message on the day of our event, he was responsive, open to our thoughts, and really took into consideration where we stand as a creative company. Andy was the perfect way to end our event on a high note, and we continue to hear how inspired our community was by his authentic and personal message.” — Allie Statler, Talent Development Consultant at Hallmark

“Thank you Andy….those awful failures we all have but how to survive….often with more hard work and humor, just so real. He was my favorite.” — Hallmark Employee

“Andy J. Pizza did a great job of sharing the challenges of the creative journey in an engaging way that felt fresh and fun, much appreciated at the end of the day.” — Hallmark Employee

“Andy was my favorite presentation, mostly because he was so engaging and also felt very authentic in how he presented. Like a conversation with the audience rather than a presentation.” — Hallmark Employee

“Andy J. Pizza could have talked the entire time and I would have been blown away by the entire day. Very funny, very relatable and inspirational to boot. 10/10would recommended Andy J. Pizza for all speaking engagements.” — Hallmark Employee

“[A Pizza with Everything on It is] catnip for pizza’s many fans, and something more: a joyful tribute to a parent and child who are two peas in a pod within a wide universe of families and pizzas.” — Publishers Weekly

“The book is lighthearted in tone, while expertly depicting the bond between father and child. The bulbous, cartoony illustrations complement the zany plot. . . . Vast spreads and deep, saturated hues strike a vibrant contrast in the fantastical outer space scenes. Deliciously absurd, serve this tale to readers looking for fun and hilarity.” — School Library Journal

“[A] delightful collaboration. . . [T]he sheer joy of Pizza’s illustrations becomes palpable in a savory series of tomato-saucy full-bleed spreads that capture the majesty and scope of a new universe made of pizza. . . . Scheele’s hilarious concept and Pizza’s endearing pencil-and gouache art. . . capture some real heart in the father-son relationship. And what is pizza, really, but the great connector? Its power is on full display here, and a brilliant case cover mimicking a pizza box hidden underneath the book jacket is the cherry on top of this savory screwball romp. Delicious.” — Booklist, starred review

Andy’s Speaking Link

Andy’s Speaking Info PDF

Honors, Awards & Recognition

New York Times Bestseller for picture book Invisible Things
Creative Pep Talk is globally ranked in the top .1% of all podcasts
Speaking clients: Mailchimp, Sesame Street, Starbucks, Warby Parker, Boston Consulting Group, Hallmark
Illustration Clients: Apple, X-Box, Target, The New York Times, YouTube The Washington Post, Nickelodeon, Meta, Pinterest

Media clips

The New York Times | Mac Barnett Has ‘Nothing’ to Talk About

Mother Magazine | In The Studio With Andy J. Pizza and Sophie Miller

The Great Creators | Andy J. Pizza: This Author-Illustrator Wants to Give You a Creative Pep Talk

Media Kit

By clicking the link below you will be directed to a Google Docs Folder
where you can download author photos and cover images.

Pizza

Why Doing Work You Love Starts with Loving Yourself

Why Hard and Bad are Not The Same Thing

See the Invisible

Honors, Awards & Recognition

Media clips

Media Kit

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