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Zach King

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For the baseball player, see Zach King (baseball).

Zach King
Zach King in 2013
Born
Zachary Michael King

(1990-02-04) February 4, 1990 (age 34)[1]
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Other namesFinal Cut King
Alma materBiola University
OccupationInternet personality
Years active2008–present
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
SpouseRachel Holm (m. 2014)
Children3
TikTok information
Followers82.2 million
Likes1.2 billion
Last updated: October 11, 2024
YouTube information
Subscribers40.5 million
Total views18.1 billion
Last updated: October 20, 2024
Websitezachkingmagic.com

Zachary Michael King (born February 4, 1990) is an American internet personality based in Los Angeles.[2][3] He is most known for his "magic vines," which are six-second videos digitally edited to look as if he is doing magic.[4] He calls his videos "digital sleight of hand."[5][6] He began posting videos on YouTube in 2008 and in 2013 he started posting videos to Vine. King posted his first video to TikTok (then known as musical.ly) in 2016, and has since attracted over 90 million followers, making him the sixth most-followed individual on the platform.[7][8]

King won the Hewlett-Packard commercial contest in 2010, and got a trip to the red carpet at the London Film Festival.[9] In 2013, he won YouTube's NextUp Creators contest.[10] In 2015, King and his wife Rachel Holm competed in the 28th season of the American reality game show The Amazing Race. They were eliminated during the ninth leg of the race being placed sixth in the overall standings.[11]

According to Insider, King was TikTok's 5th most followed content creator on August the 4th 2021.[12]

Early life

[edit]

King was born and raised in Portland, Oregon.[13] He is of half Chinese descent from his paternal side, one quarter Austrian and one quarter Nicaraguan descent from his maternal side.[14][15] He is also mixed-handed, mostly being right-handed. King's mother homeschooled him and his three sisters, including one adopted sister, while his father worked in their home office.[16] When he was seven, King made his first film using a home video camera.[17] When he was fourteen, he purchased video equipment including a Mac computer, cameras as well as a tripod and started making and editing videos.[9] He graduated from Biola University with a Cinema and Media Arts Major in December 2012.[18]

Career

[edit]

Early work and YouTube

[edit]

King started his website, FinalCutKing.com in 2008, to offer training and tips about using the editing software Final Cut Pro[19] as he was unable to find tutorials for the software on the Internet.[20] At the same time, he started using his YouTube channel to give tutorials for visual effects using the Software.[21] After gaining an audience for his website, he began selling training seminars and used the money to pay for his college.[9] He participated as a contestant on an episode of Viral Video Showdown that aired on Syfy in 2012.[22]

King receiving his Golden Poop Award

In 2011, he posted a video titled Jedi Kittens on YouTube that he produced with a college friend. The video showed two cats fighting with lightsabers.[23] The video gained over a million views in three days[18] and went on to have over 18 million views.[3] A sequel of the video titled Jedi Kittens Strike Back gained over 27 million views.[24] A third part of the video, Jedi Kittens – The Force Awakens was posted in 2013, which has gained over 28 million views. King's official YouTube channel is named Zach King.

He was named by YouTube as one of the 25 most promising young film-makers in America in May 2013. As part of its Next Up Creators contest, YouTube awarded King $35,000 as well as a trip to New York City for a four-day YouTube Creator Camp. His submission to the contest was titled Contest Entry Gone Wrong. In the video, he appeared to dodge an assault by airstrikes and ground fire as he pleaded his case to be selected for the YouTube award.[10] As of August 2024, he has 37 million subscribers and 669 videos with 15.17 billion views.[25]

King posted a short video as part of YouTube Shorts which gained over 1.2 billion views.[26] It is often referred to as "Zach King's graffiti video" on the internet by fans and netizens.[27] King says, "It's not easy. People watch a dance video and think, 'I can do it.' But there's a magic to it. A lot of it is in their eyes, and their connections, and also with their real-life story."[28]

On December 1, 2022 King broke a Guinness World Record for most viewed video on TikTok with 2.2 billion views. Titled "Zach Kings Magic Broomstick", the internet-famous video was posted on 9 December 2019. The viral magician then emerges on screen dressed in a Hogwarts uniform as he appears to fly through the streets on a broomstick before the illusion trick is revealed.[29]

Vine

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King made his account on Vine on September 9, 2013, when he saw that many of his friends had an account on the social media website. After creating an account on Vine, he decided to create one Vine each day for the next thirty days. After the success of his first few Vines, he decided to continue with creating and posting new Vines.[30]

He appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on January 29, 2014, and made several Vines with the crew of the show.[30] King formerly created Vine videos for a living and worked out of his garage.[31] In an interview with The Independent, he said that he would want to direct feature films, preferably action-adventure movies, in the future.[3]

King has been featured in multiple media outlets for his Vines.[32][33] Chez Pazienza wrote about King that "this guy's stuff is pure magic (or at least the work of some very clever editing.)"[34] Mashable's Laura Vitto wrote of his work, "Vine star and filmmaker Zach King may not perform magic in the traditional sense, but his expertly-edited six-second videos could put David Blaine to shame."[35]

Writing for Complex magazine, J. Duaine Hahn wrote that "While people have hit Vine stardom for skits, or splicing together commentary with popular YouTube videos, King has gone the extra mile to use his six seconds to create magic, or the closest thing you can get to it with on a smartphone."[36]

In an interview, Zach said that “producing a Vine usually takes upwards of 24 hours, with three to four hours of filming”.

TikTok

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King posted his first video to TikTok, formerly known as Musical.ly, on February 28, 2016, which was him escaping a jail cell. His video caption was "Need help posting bail, oh wait nevermind." As of November 2024, he has amassed a following of over 82.3 million followers on the popular app, making him the third most followed user on TikTok.[7][37]

Zach King also posted the most viewed TikTok on December 9, 2019. The video was of him flying while riding a broomstick, where he later shows it's a trick and he was actually using a mirror. The caption of the video was "They rejected my application to Hogwarts but I still found a way to be a wizard." The video received an estimate of 2 billion views.[7][38]

King shot most of his videos by himself throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. He has a 25-person team on staff that helps him write and produce his video content. His videos can take up to 2 weeks to make, and their goal is to make two videos a week.[39][26]

Content

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Zach King rose to fame with his content which he used his masterful editing skills to produce. He uses a sense of illusion and visual effects to create surprising and absorbable content. Most of his content contains everyday scenarios that take a "magical" turn, such as walking through walls or transforming objects into something else with a wave of his hand. Now King isn't actually magic, he uses his editing skills and effects to create this "magic", and give his viewers the appearance that it is all happening in real time.

King's content is family-friendly and appeals to people of all ages. He includes relatable content such as school, work, hobbies, yet puts a twist to make his videos relatable while also exciting. His videos are typically only a couple seconds to around a minute long, designed to be absorbed by anyone in this time of technology and short attention spans. Ultimately, his videos invite viewers to see the impossible and inspires imagination.[1]

Writing career

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Zach King has been a published author since 2016. King has two different children's book series that are popular in their respective fields. King wrote three books on the hit game Minecraft, and another three for a trilogy on his own life in a fantasy fiction style. King's first published book was "My Minecraft Escapades[40]", on January 21, 2016. The story is about a boy named Nathan who loved Minecraft, and is eventually sucked into the game, having to use his expertise and knowledge of the game to survive and get back home.

After gaining some traction, his second children's novel was published. It was called "Minecraft Mathematicians[41]" and it was published on March 19, 2016. Steve's best subject in school is math, and when he magically turns his life into a Minecraft world, he has to use his math skills and knowledge to survive the Minecraft world.

His third book on Minecraft was published on April 10 of 2016 and is called "A Minecraft Wish Granted[42]". A children's novel on a boy named Benjamin who has a Minecraft themed birthday party. During his cake and candles, Benjamin wishes his life would be a Minecraft universe. His wish comes true and he has to battle and survive.

King then after the popularity of his Minecraft series of books shifted his focus to writing about his own life. King released three books under his Magic Life Trilogy. It is a fantasy fiction series about his own life and events during his life that shaped the way he saw Magic. Each of the three books have a free downloadable app that is interactive with each book. The characters and story comes to life on your phone screen as you read along with the book and the app.

King's first children's book in the Magic Life Series was published on September 16, 2017 and was titled "Zach King: My Magical Life[43]". It is a fictional fantasy story about Zach's life where his family all has magic powers except Zach. The book explores his journey in finding his magical powers. The second book published was "Zach King: The Magical Mix-Up[44]" on May 1, 2018. Zach enters public middle school and tries to fit in with the normal kids. King wraps up his Magic Life Trilogy with the book "Zach King: Mirror Magic[45]". Zach finally recovers his magical powers in the end of The Magical Mix-Up. In this adaptation, Zach travels through a magic mirror and has to find his way back to real life.

Personal life

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When King was seven, his family converted to Christianity, which he states is one of the "greatest things" that has happened in his life.[16] He considers himself as a devout Christian, such as attempting to read parts of the Bible when he wakes up every morning.[46] He is also vocal with his faith,[47][48] even incorporating his lifestyle into his videos.[49] King attended Biola University, a non-denominational Christian University,[47] and had led youth groups at various Christian camps.[50]

King proposed to his girlfriend, Rachel Holm, while pretending to create a video advertisement for one of her brands.[46] They got married in 2014.[51] In 2016, they competed together on The Amazing Race 28 and placed 6th. As of 2017, they lived in Rossmoor, an unincorporated community in Orange County, California.[52] Both King and his wife have adopted siblings, which would later inspire her to work as a case manager for adoptive and foster-care.[48] The couple have fostered a few children, as well as having both an adopted son, Mason and a biological son, Liam.[53][54][55][56] In 2023, it was announced on YouTube that the couple had another baby, a girl named Emerson.[57]

[edit]

A former producer for Zach named Elizabeth Logan filed a lawsuit against King and his studio King Studio LLC on accounts of "wrongful termination, sexual harassment, gender discrimination, retaliation, wage discrimination, failure to prevent harassment discrimination or retaliation and various state Labor Code violations."[5] During the trial, the prosecution stated "Zach King belittled, verbally attacked and yelled at Ms. Logan for the slightest perceived misstep, while turning a blind eye to male co-workers' grave errors,'' the suit states. During a zoom call in May 2020, King fired Logan because "she complained too much." As part of Mr. King's continuous pattern of misogyny, Mr. King told her to 'think of it like a breakup,''' the suit states.[2] King has yet to release a public statement about the lawsuit.

Filmography

[edit]
Film roles
Year Title Director Role Notes
2016 Zootopia[58] No Muzzled Wolf Voice only
2018 Would You Fire Me For This? co-director Zach King Short film
Magic Duel: Jack Black vs Zach King Yes Zach King Short film featuring Jack Black
A Magician Home Alone[59] co-director Zach King Short film featuring Jamie Costa
2019 Viking Academy co-director Zach King Short film
Stranded on Treasure Island[60] No Zach King Short film
Zach King's the Magical Night Before Christmas co-director Zach King Short film
2020 Zach King's Day Off[61] co-director Zach King Short film featuring Brian Patrick Butler and Nicholas Downs
2021 The Time Traveling Sheriff[62] No Zach King Short film
2022 First to the Gate[63] co-director Zach King Short film
Stranded Part 2[60] No Zach King Short film
2023 How I Got Cast In Shazam! Fury Of The Gods No Zach King Short film
Stranded 3 No Zach King Short film
Television roles
Year Title Role Notes
2021 Nickelodeon's Unfiltered Himself Episode: "This DJ is Bananas!"
Dave Himself Episode: "Somebody Date me"

Awards and honors

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  • 2009 – First place Film Festival for HP advertisement[64]
  • 2009 – Critic's Choice Award at Bridgestone Tires's Safety Scholars Teen Driver Video Contest.[9]
  • 2010 – First place London Film Festival: Heartbrand Ad[65]
  • 2010 – Bridgestone Safety Scholar Winner[66]
  • 2012 – Vidcon Golden Poop Award[67]
  • 2013 – YouTube's NextUp Creators Contest
  • 2016 – Shorty Award for Best Vine Artist
  • 2023 – Streamy Award for Visual and Special Effects

References

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  1. ^ King, Zach [@zachking] (February 4, 2011). "Turned 21 today! Now what?" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2015 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b "Zach King Proves Again That He Is The Best". Gentside. November 12, 2019. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c James Vincent (January 15, 2014). "Zach King of Vine: 6-second tricks and illusions show the magic of 'digital sleight of hand'". The Independent. London, UK. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  4. ^ "Zach King, El Mago de Vine, Explica Sus Trucos kVirales". CNN Español. January 23, 2014. Archived from the original on January 30, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Zach King's Magic Vine Compilation: Surfer Stephen's Viral Video Of The Day". CBS Local. Archived from the original on February 12, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  6. ^ "Zach King of Vine: 6-second tricks and illusions show the magic of". The Independent. January 15, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "Zach King". Archived from the original on March 17, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  8. ^ "Unveiling the Magic; A Closer Look at Zach King's Net Worth". Market Realist. November 6, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d Brett McCracken (Fall 2011). "Student Filmmaker Wins YouTube Contest". Biola Magazine. Archived from the original on July 4, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  10. ^ a b Chmielewski, Dawn C. (May 1, 2011). "YouTube awards cash, schooling to budding videographers". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  11. ^ "Water challenge sinks McHenry woman, husband on 'The Amazing Race'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 2, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  12. ^ Haasch, Palmer. "Meet Zach King, TikTok's 5th-most-followed creator who racks up billions of views with movie-magic editing skills". Insider. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  13. ^ Harbarger, Molly (December 24, 2013). "West Linn man shows gingerbread men's appetite for destruction in slow motion Christmas video". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on July 4, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  14. ^ Zach King [@finalcutking] (November 15, 2013). "@MsShoot i'm 1/2 chinese, 1/4 austrian and 1/4 Nicaraguan" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 23, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "Draw My Life-Zach King". YouTube. April 23, 2013. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  16. ^ a b DRAW MY LIFE – Zach King, April 30, 2013, retrieved November 6, 2021
  17. ^ "La impresionante magia de los vídeos de Zach King". Teinteresa. Archived from the original on July 4, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  18. ^ a b Cassandra Gonzales (October 12, 2011). "Zach King becomes YouTube sensation with "Jedi Kittens" video". The Biola University Chimes. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  19. ^ "Zach King e creatorul de virale: îţi arată cum să tai un măr cu o carte de joc sau să scoţi o pisică dintr-un ecran". adevarul. January 20, 2014. Archived from the original on January 27, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  20. ^ "Vine Wizard: Watch This Amazing Mashup of Zach King's Craziest Vine Magic Tricks". Complex. Archived from the original on June 30, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  21. ^ "Zach King Brings Visual Effects To Vine". Social Daily News. November 18, 2013. Archived from the original on May 30, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  22. ^ "Final Cut King/Zach King". Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  23. ^ "YouTube Filmmakers stop in Oceanside". The Coast News. Archived from the original on February 8, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  24. ^ Trevor Mogg (January 20, 2014). "Vine Star Dazzles Users With Awesome Six-Second Video Tricks". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  25. ^ "Zach King – YouTube". www.socialblade.com. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  26. ^ a b Karakas, Fahri (July 21, 2023). "20 Mind-Blowing Life Lessons from Zach King's Genius: Ignite Your World with Pure Magic!". Journal of Curiosity, Imagination, and Inspiration. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  27. ^ "How Zach King's Graffiti video became the most viewed YouTube Short with over 1.2 billion views". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  28. ^ Ward, Tom. "Zach King Doesn't Follow The Trends". Forbes. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  29. ^ https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2022/11/internet-illusionist-zach-king-breaks-record-for-most-viewed-video-on-tiktok-724834. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  30. ^ a b "Top Viner Zach King". Ellen TV. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  31. ^ Lance Ulanoff (January 24, 2014). "Vine at One: A Creative Tool That's Changing Lives". Mashable. Archived from the original on March 9, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  32. ^ "Zach King's Magic Vines Will Blow Your Mind". CBC. January 15, 2014. Archived from the original on April 9, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  33. ^ Gray, Richard (January 20, 2014). "Is It Possible to Jump Through Walls?". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on March 2, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  34. ^ "WATCH: Zach King's Vines are Seven-and-a-Half Minutes of Magic". Daily Banter. January 14, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  35. ^ Laura Vitto (January 14, 2014). "Vine Magician Needs Only 6 Seconds to Melt Your Brain". Mashable. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  36. ^ Jason Duaine Hahn (January 15, 2014). "Vine Wizard: Watch This Amazing Mashup of Zach King's Craziest Vine Magic Tricks". Complex. Archived from the original on June 30, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  37. ^ "The 20 Most Followed Accounts on TikTok". Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  38. ^ "Magician flies with a broomstick like Harry Potter; Watch viral video". Orissa Post. December 15, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  39. ^ Haasch, Palmer. "Meet Zach King, TikTok's 5th-most-followed creator who racks up billions of views with movie-magic editing skills". Business Insider. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  40. ^ "My Minecraft Escapades". Goodreads. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  41. ^ "Minecraft Mathematician". Goodreads. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  42. ^ "A Minecraft Wish Granted". Goodreads. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  43. ^ "My Magical Life (Zach King's Magical Life Trilogy #1)". Goodreads. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  44. ^ "Zach King: The Magical Mix-Up". Goodreads. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  45. ^ "Mirror Magic (Zach King's Magical Life Trilogy #3)". Goodreads. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  46. ^ a b Fatherhood – How I Became A Dad, June 21, 2020, retrieved November 6, 2021
  47. ^ a b Vine Expert Zach King shares his Talents and his Faith, January 17, 2015, retrieved November 6, 2021
  48. ^ a b Welcome to the King Family – Our Adoption Story, July 8, 2019, retrieved November 6, 2021
  49. ^ Sleeping in Church – Zach King Magic, July 8, 2018, retrieved November 6, 2021
  50. ^ "Interview: Internet legend and devout Christian, Zach King!". Busted Halo. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  51. ^ "Zach King Biography, Net Worth, Wife, TikTok, and Magics". Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  52. ^ Larsen, Peter (April 27, 2017). "Most Influential 2016: Zach King's videos made him a star, and now he wants to take on Hollywood". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  53. ^ Zach King [@finalcutking] (January 15, 2018). "We are having a baby!!!! Excited to be a family of four!!!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2022 – via Twitter.
  54. ^ Magic Tricks to Impress your Dad on Fathers Day (Video). United States: YouTube. June 17, 2018. Event occurs at 1:40. Retrieved June 17, 2018. My wife and I are having a baby in three weeks.
  55. ^ "We are having a baby!! Can you guess the name and gender?". Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  56. ^ "Meet my second son! So proud of my wife @rachelmking for being the best momma in the world!". Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  57. ^ King, Zachary (May 18, 2023), i've been keeping a secret, retrieved May 19, 2023
  58. ^ Villarreal, Yvonne; Miller, Daniel (October 4, 2016). "Social media stars are helping Hollywood reach younger audiences, for a price". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 22, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  59. ^ "The Best Videos of Zach King - Social Nation". July 19, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  60. ^ a b "Zach King's 'Stranded 2' Shoots and Finishes with Blackmagic Design". Streaming Media Magazine. November 10, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  61. ^ Karlston, Marmaduke (April 4, 2020). "Down the Tubes: Zach King's Magical Day Off – A Ferris Bueller Parody". ScreenAge Wasteland. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  62. ^ "The Time Traveling Sheriff – Zach King Western Short Film". The New York Folk. October 2, 2021. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  63. ^ Uzoezie, Chidozie (February 10, 2022). "Turkish Airlines Launches New Short-Film with Zach King". the-afritraveller. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  64. ^ "Film Students Win Ad Contest Featuring HP Products". Biola News. October 19, 2009. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  65. ^ "London Film Festival 2010 : Video Contest". Mofilm. Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  66. ^ "Bridgestone Americas Launches Fifth Annual Safety Scholars Video Contest". Bridgestone. April 4, 2011. Archived from the original on February 24, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  67. ^ Zachary Pincus-Roth (July 3, 2012). "10 Bizarre Things We Saw at Vidcon, YouTube's Annual Convention". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
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