Zach King is a renowned American Vine star, filmmaker, and YouTube personality residing in Los Angeles. He is widely recognized for his captivating "magic vines," which are six-second videos digitally edited to convincingly appear as if he is performing magic. King refers to his videos as "digital sleight of hand." He began posting content on YouTube in 2008 and started sharing videos on Vine in 2013.
Zach King's impressive achievements include winning the Hewlett-Packard commercial contest in 2010, which earned him a trip to the red carpet at the London Film Festival. In 2013, he won YouTube's NextUp Creators contest, receiving $35,000 and a trip to New York City for a four-day YouTube Creator Camp.
King and his wife, Rachel Holm, participated in the 28th season of the American reality game show The Amazing Race. Although they were eliminated during the ninth leg of the competition, they finished sixth overall.
Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, King's ancestry is diverse, with half Chinese heritage from his paternal side, and one quarter Austrian and one quarter Nicaraguan heritage from his maternal side. He developed an interest in filmmaking at a young age, making his first film at seven using a home video camera. By the time he was 14, he had already invested in video equipment, including a Mac computer, cameras, and a tripod, allowing him to produce and edit his own content.
King graduated from Biola University with a major in Cinema and Media Arts in December 2012. Prior to his college graduation, he started his website, FinalCutKing, in 2008, which focused on providing training and tips for using the editing software Final Cut Pro. As he struggled to find reliable tutorials online, he created his own resources, eventually selling training seminars and using the revenue to fund his college education.
King's YouTube channel, also known as FinalCutKing, has become a popular platform for him to share his expertise in visual effects using various software. One of his most popular videos, titled "Jedi Kittens," produced in collaboration with a college friend, features two cats engaging in a lightsaber duel. The video garnered over a million views within three days and eventually reached 14 million views.
A sequel to the video, "Jedi Kittens Strike Back," was released in 2012, and a third installment, "Jedi Kittens with Force," was posted in 2014. King's official YouTube channel has become a hub for his creative work, including his "magic vines" and other visual effects tutorials.
YouTube recognized King as one of the 25 most promising young filmmakers in America in May 2013. As part of the Next Up Creators contest, he was awarded the aforementioned $35,000 and trip to New York City. His submission to the contest, titled "Contest Entry Gone Wrong," showcased his impressive editing skills as he appeared to dodge airstrikes and ground fire while pleading his case to be selected for the YouTube award.
