Welcome to my existential crisis.
If you've built your entire career around your creativity, you may be asking the same question I am: Is there a future for us “creatives,” Or is it game over?
I can't promise that I know what the future brings, but I do promise few are more dedicated to helping you find the answers than I am. (After all, obsessive problem-solving is just one of the many superpowers of ADHD. 😉)
I believe that as artificial intelligence becomes exponentially more abundant, human connection will become infinitely more scarce (and thus more valuable). Which means that our future as creatives depends on our ability to tell meaningful stories about the human condition that ultimately make people feel something.
Hi, I'm Zack! (aka “The Introvert Whisperer”)
I'm an award-winning Hollywood storyteller turned writer, podcaster, and career coach who specializes in helping gifted, introverted creatives like you make a sustainable living doing work you absolutely love...without burning out (or selling your creative soul).
The purpose of my work is to help you find meaning and purpose in yours.
You're in the right place if:
You live to create. Your work isn't just a job but an expression of who you are.
You create to live. Your livelihood depends on your creativity.
You love making cool shit (preferably left alone in small, dark rooms).
Whether you identify as introverted or neurodivergent (or both, like me)...
No matter if you're a misfit, a rebel, an outlier, or troublemaker...
If you've been called weird, nerdy, dorky, quirky, or awkward...
Or if you’re an over-thinker, procrastinator, or perfectionist…
You are welcome here. 😊
"People go where they are welcome...and stay where they are well-treated."
- Walter Wriston
What to Expect When You Subscribe
Expect weekly newsletters every Monday to help you build a creative career you absolutely love. Once you welcome me to your inbox, expect to be incredibly well-treated as I intend to earn a special place there.
Weekly topics may include (but are not limited to):
Navigating significant career (or life) transitions
Confessions from the messy mind of someone with ADHD
Strategies to help introverts connect with fellow creatives and build meaningful relationships
Tactics and tools to help you deal with overwhelm and better manage your time, energy, and attention
Deep thoughts (but not by Jack Handey) about what it means to be human in the face of artificial intelligence
Unfiltered, raw stories about the darker side of being a creative, including anxiety, depression, and burnout
Soap box rants about the endless stupidity we’re bombarded with 24/7
But wait…there’s more!
If you enjoy my writing, I invite you to also subscribe to The Zack Arnold Podcast where I have conducted hundreds of interviews with world-class experts, NYT-bestselling authors, and Oscar & Emmy winning creatives...not to mention inspirational stories of everyday people achieving extraordinary things.
» Subscribe to The Zack Arnold Podcast via Apple Podcasts | Spotify
And now the boring stuff...
In my 20+ year career as an award-winning Hollywood film & TV editor, producer, and documentary director, I've navigated multiple crafts, mediums, and pivoted across several sectors of the industry.
Here's my “Zack of All Trades” story:
I landed my first assistant editor job in Hollywood six days after college graduation, then talked the owner of that company into promoting me to trailer editor five months later...and I won a Golden Trailer Award (the Oscars of trailers) for the first trailer I ever edited, Northfork
I edited the #1 trailer on the internet (at the time) for The Passion of the Christ
Two years later I pivoted to editing features. The first indie feature I ever edited, Phat Girlz, was acquired by Fox Searchlight for $4.75 million dollars
I edited the first studio-backed web series, The Bannen Way for Sony Pictures, that swept all the major awards (including Best Editing) at the 1st Annual Streamy Awards (the Oscars for the Internet)
I edited 4 seasons of the #1 show on cable television, Burn Notice
I edited 2 seasons of the #1 show on network television, Empire
I edited 5 seasons of the #1 show on Netflix, Cobra Kai
My directorial debut documentary feature, GO FAR: The Christopher Rush Story, won multiple festival awards (and was narrated by Mark Hamill)
At the age of 38 I decided I wanted to become an American Ninja Warrior, trained for 3 years with P90X creator Tony Horton and ANW legend Jessie Graff, and got the call to compete...twice (Spoiler alert: I suck at ninja warrior and haven't made it on the show...yet.)
7 years ago I began the pivot from Hollywood filmmaking to building an online education business that now has a community of hundreds of creatives across six continents (I’m still trying to land my first student from Antarctica)
My work as a filmmaker, writer, podcaster, and career coach has been featured in The Washington Post, Forbes, NPR, The Telegraph, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, and The Huffington Post, among many others.
But to be honest, I don't give a shit about any of that.
What I actually care about is doing meaningful work that has a positive impact on the lives of others while still having the time and energy left over to be present for my wife, my two teenagers, and my best friend in the whole world, Addy. 🐶
