1976
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1976.
Brian Thomas Anthony Prince is born on July 10, in Los Angeles, California, to a 15-year old mother of Irish Catholic descent and 17-year old father of European descent, both unknown.
He is the second of two children adopted by Thomas Samuel Prince (born, Pasadena, California, 1945) and Adele Marie Prince (born, Rochester, New York, 1945). An older sister, Jennifer, was born in 1973 and adopted shortly thereafter. Brian is raised in a cul-de-sac of a suburban community 28 miles southeast of Los Angeles —Diamond Bar, California.
1981.
In his early childhood days, Brian was known for lining up his Hotwheels and making order in everything. But also smashing Hotwheels with a hammer and spray-painting the tires of his bike. He spent many hours kicking a soccer ball against the 2-car, plywood garage door. Most of his elementary after-school time was spent at the Diamond Bar YMCA making forts and playing detective while doing his best to fit in.
1989.
He enjoyed Track, Photography and Art at Chaparral Intermediate School, but had his whole heart in Club Soccer and Club Tennis, traveling the Western United States. He was deeply rooted in J.J. Fad, Young MC and Special Ed.
1991.
Prince entered Diamond Bar High School staying occupied with Interact Club, Auto Shop, Varsity Soccer, Tennis and the 25¢ warm chocolate chip cookies sold in the lunch area.
1992.
Spent the school year doing community and international service in Baja, Mexico through the Interact Club, the high school outreach of the local Rotary Club.
Turns his annual Summer Camp trips into a Summer Job, becoming resident staff for Camp Ta Ta Pochon, Angeles Oaks (right outside Big Bear), immersed in activites such as dishwashing, poolboy, hike leader, canoe, archery and b.b. gun instructor.
1993.
Continues his service in Mexico working with Habitat for Humanity, and other service-related programs that helped orphanages, misfortunate families and supported tree-planting environmental projects.
Spent another summer at Camp Ta Ta Pochon, leading a cabin of 5th-graders and heading mulitple 2-day hikes to the top of southern California's highest peak, San Gorgonio (Greyback) at 11,500 feet.
Sister gets married and moves to West Valley, Utah. Brian takes his first ever plane trip to visit her and begins a newfound love for snowboarding at the famous Park City and Brighton ski resorts.
1994.
As a senior in high school, he obtains permission to attend three classes at Mount San Antonio College, Walnut, California. Business Law, Strength Training and Advertising Design.
Graduates Diamond Bar High School as Scholar Athlete, receiving 2nd team All-State Soccer and Academic Excellence honors.
Is accepted to California State University, Fullerton and attends in the Fall preceeding high school graduation. Throws his Advertising Design work out the window and declares a Business Major.
1995.
Fails most Business classes. Economics in particular. Retakes Math courses at Mount San Antonio College.
Enjoys the custom truck scene. Spends many hours wrenching on his 1986 4x4 Chevy Blazer which was totaled in a car accident.
Works as a sales associate for Nordstrom Brea, California.
1996.
Changes major to Communications with an emphasis in Advertising. Takes formal studio art courses. Drawing and Painting. Typography. 2-dimensional Design. Attends Art Center College of Design at Night in Pasadena, California to get a taste for their Advertising program. He studies under Mikio Osaki for 2 years.
In August, his 1990 Chevy Silverado Sportside is featured on the cover of Truckin' Magazine. It is sponsored by multiple companies and was demanded at shows nation wide and also featured in many other publications shortly after, including the international car magazine Daytona.
1997.
Sells his award-winning show truck to a collector in Japan. Takes the money and spends 6 months studying at American Interconinnental University, London, England. Rents his first apartment just off Pall Mall near Picadilly Circus. Is introduced to an Apple Macintosh and the fundamentals of Graphic Design.
1998.
Returning to California, Prince and a close friend, Chad Fox, are evicted from their apartment in Placentia after 3 months and move in with more non-student friends in Fullerton, California.
Continues to work for Nordstrom behind the scenes, in the stock room.
Takes an Internhip with McMullen Argus Publishing (Primedia) and works under the Art Director for Super Chevy Magazine.
Graduates California State University, Fullerton with Bachelor of Arts in Communications and a minor in Art. Immediately gets a job with an all-automotive advertising agency, Stewart Media in Huntington Beach, California. The small shop allowed him to create his own title, Junior Creative Director, even though he was the grunt with the accepted nickname, "Grommet." He worked on clients JET Performance and California Custom.
1999.
Brian moves to Irvine, California with 4 new roommates in the Woodbridge area. His room was the dining room.
He quit Stewart Media and went back to Europe to visit the place he found graphic design. He took an old high school friend, now wife, Kristy Ruiz and college mate, Ryan Williams. Once these friends went back to the States, he extended his trip one month to be alone in his travels including a 2-week retreat on a farm in the Lake District (Keswick) of northern England. He started twisting and knotting his hair to form dreadlocks. He returns and starts dating Kristy Ruiz and enrolls in California State University, Fullerton for a second Bachelors. This time in Art.
He registers for a business license with the City of Fullerton. primate design is born December, 1999. he prefers to state that is was "established in 2000."
2000.
Rents a 3-bedroom townhouse in downtown Fullerton, California. Becomes a father to Noah Imri Prince, his first son with Kristy. He works on campus at Graphic Services as a graphic artist. Designed the identity and bus route for the TitanShuttle, the campus' transportation service.
Attends Art Center College of Design at Night in Pasadena, California where his classes were held at DDB Needham and worked under Philip Nicholas on the EPSON account.
2001.
Drops out of school, quits his job and gets hired at PacifiCare Dental & Vision, a health insurance subsidary. Lives a comfortable life in corporate America with cushy health benefits, tight dreadlocks and their nice townhouse in Fullerton, California.
Attends Art Center College of Design at Night in Pasadena, California for the 4th time. Spent one night a week at TBWA/Chiat Day for a semester's course, Inside the Agency.
Brian and Kristy get married in Lake Arrowhead, California on March 23rd. Accepts Jesus Christ into his heart and attends church regularly at the First Evangelical Free Church in Fullerton, California.
Completely loses his passion for custom cars. Drives a 1977 brown VW Bus.
2002.
Quits the health insurance business and makes primate design a little more real as the company is soley sustained by his freelance clientele. He rents an office in the Anderson Building in Fullerton, California.
Attends a series of Printing seminars given by Inland Litho, Anaheim, California.
Joins the Foundation to save the historic Fox Theatre in downtown Fullerton.
He spontaneously buys a 1975 Open Road cab-over motorhome.
2003.
Is baptized. Becomes a father to Ezra Aiden Prince with Kristy, rounding-off his little family of four.
2004.
After a year of self-employment, he brings Dan Bendt, a part-time employee, aboard. Together they work on identity systems, marketing collateral and Web sites for various companies such as Cordelia Knott Center for Wellness, Billet Superstore, and other local businesses.
He cuts his dreadlocks when they hit the small of his back, 5 years later.
He sells the Open Road.
The family bought their first home in the hills of Carbon Canyon, Chino Hills, California. After rennovating the 1925 3-bedroom bungalow, they sold it due to high costs of living, and moved back to their townhouse in downtown Fullerton 9 months later.
Simultaneously lets go of his office and aquires a job with Campbell Mithun, a mid-sized advertising agency in Irvine, California, working on the Verizon Wireless account. All awhile handling his freelance clients at night.
2006.
Attends a Bob Savard seminar, "Selling Creative."
2007.
Campbell Mithun loses the Verizon Wireless account and picks up Walmart's circular business. After numerous trips to Walmart's headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, Brian quits.
2008.
Brian applies to the Masters of Fine Arts program at Cal State Fullerton and is 1 of 3 accepted. 1 of 2 who remained in the program. He studies under Theron Moore and Chen Wang.
Attends an Edward Tufte Course, "Presenting Data and Information."
Church life runs stale. He and his family go on a hiatus from EV Free Fullerton.
He tastes creativity again after conforming to a corporate structure for so long. With permission from his wife, Kristy, he swaps his studio (100 sq ft) with their master bedroom (400 sq ft). Creative juices are flowing.
Obtains The GRAMMY Museum as a client and helps launch the Museum in December.
2009.
First solo exhibit in January. "one word is worth at least a thousand images" takes place in the Center Gallery of the TSU at Cal State Fullerton. The show focuses on his poetry with accompanying graphic work as well as experiments with Cut Up poetry and his replication of the Dreamachine.
Decides to take the artist name, "brianprince" (no space).
Brian and his family find a church community in Downtown Fullerton committed to the city, justice, and healing. Epic Church becomes home for them.
Brian slowly fades from the M.F.A. program in the Spring of 2009. 1 year goes by and he doesn't hear from the program, nor his committee. He assumes he's done.
Takes a 1-month road trip with his family up the West Coast of the United States, turning around in Seattle, Washington. All awhile taking care of his clients via MacBook in his tent. And his contractor/friends Dan Bendt and Kon Kositzsky back home.
In October, he opens PÄS | project art school, which was intended to be an art supply store. Due to high overhead costs, the space in Downtown Fullerton is used for a variety of art workshops and as PÄS Gallery, featuring new works from artists of all mediums every month.
2010.
The Gallery consumes most of Brian's time. He develops loads of relationships within the art community in Fullerton.
PAS Gallery is part of the founding partners in the Downtown Fullerton Art Walk.
Starts Hands Across Harbor in May, provoking a movement for citizens to remember humanity by coming out on the streets at a given time to hold hands with strangers.
primate design, his design company, hits it's tenth year in business. The GRAMMY Museum keeps it a healthy, thriving business as their partnership becomes exclusive.
Featured in Hibbleton Gallery's "The T-Shirt Show" with 2 t-shirt designs.
PAS Gallery moves into a warehouse with Hibbleton Gallery nextdoor to Violethour Studio in downtown Fullerton.
Brian is the solo Juror for Cal State Fullerton's 2010 Student Art Show.
Brian is a speaker for the Graphic Design Alumni Panel at Cal State Fullerton.
2011.
JOYA Scholars approaches Brian to sit on the Board of Directors. Has an article published in the Fullerton Observer about the success of the year's fundraiser which was held at PAS Gallery.
Brian is a speaker for the Graphic Design Alumni Panel at Cal State Fullerton.
2012.
Brian writes article published about the 2-year anniversary of the Downtown Fullerton Art Walk on the Fullerton Observer cover page.
Remains a Board Member for JOYA Scholars.
The Prince Family buys a house 3 blocks out of downtown Fullerton, making their roots to the community more permanent.
Panel speaker for a Creative Professionals in Visual Arts Networking Mixer at Cal State Fullerton for Arts Week 2012.
In partnership with Jeff Steinwand, web programmer, primate design aquires a new client in Santa Barbara, California, InTouch Health.
Interviewed with Michael Magoski for Hibbleton Independent, Curators of a New Renaissance.
Hosts the widely acclaimed Kelly Thomas art exhibit curated by Stephan Baxter and John M. Sollom at PAS Gallery for the month of July.
2013.
Brian applies for Advertising/Graphic Design Instructor position at Fullerton College and does not get it.
Is 1 of 4 jurors in the student art exhibition at the Norwalk Cultural Arts Center.