Alvy Ray Smith
Smith and Catmull co-founded Pixar in 1986 with financing from Steve Jobs. After the spinout from Lucasfilm of Pixar, he served on the board of directors and was executive vice president. According to the Steve Jobs biography "iCon" by Jeffrey S. Young and William L. Simon, Alvy Ray quit Pixar after a heated argument with Jobs over use of a whiteboard. It was an unwritten rule that none other than Jobs was allowed to use it, a rule Smith decided to break in front of everyone after Jobs went "total street bully" on him and they ended up screaming into each other's face "in full bull rage". Despite being the co-founder of Pixar, Young and Simon claim that the company has largely overlooked his part in company history since his departure. For example, there is no mention of Smith on the Pixar website.
Pixar Canada
Pixar Canada was founded in 2009 and officially opened on April 20, 2010 in Gastown area of Vancouver, British Columbia. The location was chosen for tax incentive reasons, for Vancouver's computer-generated animation talent pool and for time zone compatibility with the Hollywood studio. Studio's initial three-year plan was to produce animated short films based on established Pixar film characters, to be shown in all of Disney-related businesses, including television, DVD compilations, internet, theme park attractions, and theatrical presentations. Post-production and stereoscopic 3D work remained in the hands of the Pixar's main studio in California.
Disney was attracted to Vancouver's location because of tax incentives, and this closure comes in the wake of British Columbia incentives falling behind those offered by Ontario and Quebec. Pixar Canada produced a number of short films, including "Air Mater", "Small Fry" and "Partysaurus Rex" since 2010. Pixar’s shorts have been a proving ground for new directors and concepts for the studio.