American author Harriet Jackson Brown Jr. once said, “Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you.” And English novelist Terry Pratchett wrote, “It’s still magic even if you know how it’s done.”
Whether you’re a parent or not, I think we can all use a daily reminder about who or what we are living for. So many people go through life without asking themselves these questions: “Why am I pursuing my career? What gets me out of bed in the morning? What is my purpose?”
If we’re living life solely for ourselves, then we won’t be happy. Why? Because that’s a lonely existence.
When we have a purpose that supports our passion, career, and actions, we live much happier and fulfilled lives. That purpose could be many things: supporting a family, building a heart-centered business, or creating content that impacts people’s lives for the better. What is your purpose? Why are you in the career that you’re in? Who do you care about?
When we live out our lives with purpose, we leave a legacy behind that people can follow in — that’s where the magic truly happens.
“It’s not about these surface-level achievements. It’s about being a person who’s putting good into the world.” – Zach King
My guest today knows all about magic — in fact, he’s famous for creating mind-blowing illusions — but more importantly, he’s focused on giving his family the time and care they deserve.
Who Is Zach King?
My guest today knows what it takes to share the joy of magic and illusions through a digital medium. Zach King began his magical journey at age seven when his parents first handed him a video camera. From that moment on, Zach began creating videos for his most enthusiastic audience — his family. But all that changed when Zach was a freshman in college.
One of his most ambitious videos, “Jedi Kittens,” was viewed over a million times in less than 24 hours. With this sudden viral success, Zach saw the opportunity to tell his unique stories to a wider audience.
Many of you will know Zach King from his days on YouTube, sharing advanced tutorials on filmmaking techniques and mastering visual effects. Or you might know him from Vine, using the six-second format to inspire wonder and awe in millions of people with his sharp editing skills and visual gags. Or more recently, you may have seen his viral TikTok videos where he takes practical effects to the next level to create mind-blowing illusions!
Zach King is a filmmaker with over 8 million subscribers on YouTube, 50 million followers on TikTok, and hundreds of millions of views across all his platforms. He’s also a father and has a passion for foster care and adoption!
In this interview, Zach and I talk about a variety of topics, including navigating fame as a father, finding your creative niche, and becoming a foster parent.
Zach King is the perfect example of a creator who’s doing it all from his heart, and I’m so excited to share this interview with you all! Without further ado, let’s get started.
The Pressure of Being a Viral Content Creator
It’s no secret that Zach King has reached massive fame on the internet, and his numbers on TikTok are steadily rising. With his incredible editing skills, creative thinking, and intricate sets, Zach takes filmmaking to a whole new level, and people are loving it.
But with this much fame — over 80 million followers across all platforms — there has to be intense pressure. I asked Zach what is his greatest fear as a creative, and this was his answer:
“My fears come out in the comments, and I know what’s a real fear when it pings me. I don’t spend a lot of time in the comments anymore. … [I’d] read a comment and it says, ‘This guy’s not relevant anymore.”… What if I can’t go a full hour and a half [in my videos], which has been my dream? … For many years I put [that] on me like I need to fulfill that and succeed in that.” – Zach King
Many creatives struggle with the fear of failure and put enormous pressure on themselves to keep creating content that’s better than anything they’ve ever done before. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with pushing yourself to be better, that impulse can become toxic when it’s motivated by what others may think. As a content creator myself, I also used to spend a lot of time in the comments of my videos, and when I read something negative, it was like the world was ending. But like Zach, I came to realize that the creative process isn’t just about the reception — it’s about what you’re creating:
“There is a satisfaction with the work when we post. … It’s not as difficult as a birth that I saw my wife go through, but it’s a similar process where you created something from kind of nothing — just an idea. … When we hit publish, it feels good to be at peace. … If this literally gets 10,000 views, it’s okay. I’m proud of what we’re putting out there because I learned so much in the process of making that. It’s not even about seeing the response to it.” – Zach King
If you’re a content creator, I want to encourage you to not spend time obsessing about the reception of your work. Some people are going to love it. Others are not. But at the end of the day, you will have inspired someone, and that’s what matters. Some people criticize Zach, saying that he’s not a magician, but he’s creating wonder in his videos and inspiring millions.
The Comment That Launched Zach King’s YouTube Career
While Zach no longer spends too much time in the comments, there was one comment many years ago that shaped his career for the better. Zach had originally made tutorial videos for video editing on his YouTube channel — a learning resource for anyone interested in film. But then a fan suggested something more:
“It was really nerdy. I was screen recording … and putting it out on YouTube. And the comment that changed my whole career was, ‘Hey, you should show us a short film — a demo. So if you’re teaching [about] lightsabers, show us that. Make a two-minute short film with lightsabers and then like break it down.’… And I was like, ‘Oh I could totally do that.’” – Zach King
Out of this comment, Zach’s first viral video, “Jedi Kittens,” was born. His friend had just adopted some kittens, and Zach filmed them playing. He then went in and added little lightsabers that the kittens were “holding.” The video was only 45 seconds long, but little did he know that this would jumpstart his YouTube career:
“My parents called me, and I had been asleep because I stayed up all night to edit that video. And I just posted it, skipped my classes, and went to sleep. My parents were like, ‘You were on Good Morning America. They just played your video.’… So I was just thrown into that whole world.” – Zach King
At that time, Zach was among the first wave of YouTube creators who amassed a large following for their content. Zach shifted his focus from education to entertainment, and every short film he posted received more and more views. It came to the point where Zach realized that he needed a team to make this business sustainable. Shortly after he hired some people, Vine took off, and he gained two million followers in less than a year.
“It was a different level of exposure. … There’d be like one person a week who’d come up to me in the store … but once Vine happened, it was like everybody in the room. … That was a weird experience.” – Zach King
With fame, there comes the pressure to perform but also adoration from fans. I was curious to hear if Zach ever let that get to his head, but with the rise and fall of Vine, the attention eventually leveled out. Zach learned that to keep his business running, he had to diversify across several platforms, including TikTok, to reach a wider audience.
As a content creator, Zach is dedicated to his work and adding wonder to the world, and he’s continuing to amass more and more fame. But he has another job he considers even more important.
