Following an education at Middlebury College and receiving an Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University School of General Studies, Zea became a costume designer for Alan Parker’s Fame (1980) and Shoot the Moon (1982) and James L. Brooks’ Academy Award Winner Terms of Endearment (1983).
Zea also produced James L. Brooks’ As Good As It Gets (1997) and has directed the Ace Award Nominated “Domestic Dilemma” for the HBO Series Women and Men 2 (1990) starring Ray Liotta and Andy McDowell.
Zea was nominated for an OSCAR and a BAFTA for her production design work on Revolutionary Road. In 2009, she completed the independent film The Joneses starring Demi Moore and David Duchovny as both producer and production designer. Most recently, Zea productions designed Oliver Stone’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, and Tower Heist directed by Brett Ratner, featuring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy.
He has written and directed the plays «Yahari Tuhari» (for Hari’s Sake) and «Pesta se Mena» (Tell me) in collaboration with «Epitheseos» Τheatre Company. He has also written and directed “The Good Dragon of Hong Kong”, based on the work of the Greek poet Nikos Kavvadias for the Limassol based ‘Company of Theatrical Development’ (ETHAL). All three plays were selected for the online catalogue of the European Theatre Convention. His latest work as a director/ dramaturgist is the play “The lies which always tell the truth” for the Cyprus Theatre Organisation. He has also directed more than ten other plays from the Greek and International repertoire.
He has worked as a TV director, writer and producer and currently teaches screenplay at the Screenplay Workshop. He was a member of the artistic committee of Cyprus Film Days and is currently a member of the board of directors of the RIALTO theatre.