Zack Peter
| Zack Peter | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Peter Zachary Gonzalez Los Angeles, California, U.S.[1] |
| Occupation | Comedian, Writer/Author, Activist |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Website | Just Plain Zack |
Zack Peter (Born Peter Zachary Gonzalez) is an American comedian, writer, and activist. He first received recognition for his advocacy work for autism awareness as the creator of the Play Now for Autism and Laugh Now for Autism event-chains. He has written a total of four books and currently hosts the weekly podcast, #NoFilter with Zack Peter.
In 2009, He was even named one of 2009's Teens that Inspire by Examiner.com.
Zack was also featured in The Parents' Guide to Raising CEO Kids by Sarah Cook.[2]
In November 2011, Zack was awarded the Outstanding Youth Volunteer award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.[3]
He is also featured in the upcoming documentary, Sibling Warrior: Healing My Brother's Autism, featuring his family's journey with his brother with autism, which is set to debut in 2015.
Early life
Peter grew up in Los Angeles, CA. His mother's name is Nancy. She was a contestant on the Sci-Fi reality show Estate of Panic and was even pranked by Zack on Lifetime's Prank My Mom. She is also an autism advocate and is currently married to Chef William "Jay" Quesada, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Los Angeles. His father is a paralegal. He has a total of six siblings. Two from his mother (Elijah Joeb and Ethan) and four from his father.[4]
Peter was raised Catholic attending all Catholic schools growing up, including Little Flower Missionary House, Sacred Heart Elementary School, and Cathedral High School. After his third year of high school, Peter left Cathedral to attend Kaplan Academy of California (an online high school), where he graduated.[5]
Career
Activism
In March 2009, Zack organized and hosted the first Play Now for Autism event. The fundraiser was a sporting event for children with autism. The event raised over $2,000 which was donated to help autism research. Play Now for Autism eventually became an annual event. Zack says that he started Play Now for Autism in honor of his younger brother with autism, Ethan, also known as "Deets."[6]
Following Play Now for Autism, he then began hosting his internet talk-radio show, "it's on with Zack." The show started in July 2009 and ended in December 2011. On the show, Zack interviewed guests active in the autism community, covered recent news, and hosted debates.[7]
In October 2009, his first book, Saving Deets!: A Family's Journey with Autism was released.
In 2011, he launched an awareness-promoting t-shirt line titled AUTISM AWARENESS by Zack. The line was later placed on hiatus and officially closed production by 2012.[8]
Also in 2011, Zack branched off Play Now for Autism, creating Laugh Now for Autism: a brand of fundraising comedy shows around the United States.
He continues to promote autism awareness and fundraising for the cause, speaking at autism conferences around the nation.
Comedy
In 2011, Zack announced that he would be focusing more on his career in entertainment as a comedian. He has hosted and headlines for different shows on the Laugh Now for Autism comedy tour and has performed nationwide at popular comedy clubs, including the world famous Laugh Factory and The Comedy Store. He has even performed with comedians from Chelsea Handler's hit late-night talk show on E!, Chelsea Lately.
Also in 2011, he started his own comedy production company originally named Zack G. Comedy Productions. In 2012, the company was renamed Just Plain Funny Productions, following the launch of his 'Just Plain Zack' brand.
He has written two comedy books, Charity Bites! and When Life Hands You Lemons. . . Throw Them At People!. He has also produced and written a variety of comedy shorts and comedic commercials.
He hosted the short-lived YouTube series Just Plain Ridiculous with Zack and Ry from 2012 to 2013.
In April 2015, he began hosting #NoFilter with Zack Peter, a weekly entertainment podcast.
Literary
Zack has authored and self-published three books: Saving Deets!: A Family's Journey with Autism, Charity Bites!: The Untold Stories of the Dog-Eat-Dog World of Autism Activism, and When Life Hands You Lemons. . . Throw Them At People: A Book About Growing Up, Screwing Up, and Moving Up, with Just an Ounce of Maturity. His first book was published when he was sixteen, and his third when he was nineteen.
In interviews, he states that his third book will be his last book for a while.
He has also been a featured blogger for many sites. Mainly autism-based.
He was the head writer for his show, "it's on with Zack," and currently works as a writer for "Just Plain Ridiculous with Zack and Ry."
His fourth book, A Shot Of Hope, will be released in Fall 2014.
Criticism
Zack speaks candidly in his book Charity Bites! about the criticism he constantly faces regarding his activism. He has been confronted publicly through his social media sites about using autism to gain notoriety and wealth, to which he has constantly denied in numerous interviews. He claims to be in "disgust" at the fact that people would even accuse him of "using" his brother.[9]
He also receives much criticism over his beliefs towards vaccinations and autism recovery. He claims to "not" be anti-vaccine, but to simply be promoting a healthier and safer vaccine list of ingredients and schedule. As far as autism recovery goes, he states in his books that he knows autism is not yet curable, but that there are many therapies and treatments that can help stabilize symptoms of autism.
Published Works
- Saving Deets!: A Family's Journey with Autism (2009)
- Saving Deets!: A Family's Journey with Autism, Second Edition (2010)
- Charity Bites!: The Untold Stories of the Dog-Eat-Dog World of Autism Activism (2011)
- When Life Hands You Lemons. . . Throw Them At People! (2012)
- A Shot of Hope: Real Wisdom From a Real Sibling Warrior Providing Real Hope for Autism (2014)
Filmography
Television
| Title | Dates | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prank My Mom | 2012 | Participant | Zack and his mother were participants on the hidden camera show. Prank: "Match dot Mom" |
Web series
| Title | Dates | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| it's on with Zack | June 2011-November 2011 | Host | Peter hosted, wrote, and produced the show. (8 Episodes) |
| Just Plain Ridiculous with Zack and Ry | October 2012-October 2013 | Host | Peter hosted, wrote, and produced the show with musician Ry Matthews. |
Radio
| Title | Dates | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| it's on with Zack | July 2009-December 2010 | Host | Peter hosted and produced the radio broadcast. (18 Episodes) |
| #NoFilter with Zack Peter | April 2015- | Host | Peter hosts and produces the weekly podcast. |
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | MSAAFinc. Award | Young Hero's Literary Work of the Year | Won | Won for Saving Deets! |
| 2009 | Examiner.com Recognition | 2009's Teens That Inspire | Won | Recognition (not official award) |
| 2011 | Association of Fundraising Professionals Award | Outstanding Youth Volunteer | Won | Nominated by Generation Rescue. Zack accepted the award in Los Angeles on November 16, 2011. |
| 2013 | WEGO Health Activist Award | Hilarious Health Activist | Nominated | Announced by WEGO Health on October 10, 2013; results pending.[10] |
References
- ↑ "Biography".
- ↑ Cook, Sarah (2011). The Parents' Guide to Raising CEO Kids. ISBN 978-0-9836880-3-7.
- ↑ Rescue, Generation. "Congratulations to Zack Gonzalez". Generation Rescue. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
- ↑ "Biography".
- ↑ "Biography".
- ↑ "Biography".
- ↑ "Biography".
- ↑ "Biography".
- ↑ Gonzalez, Zack (2011). Charity Bites!. Lulu Publishing / A Zack G. Comedy Production. ISBN 978-1-257-09050-1.
- ↑ "Zack - WEGO Health Activist Awards Nominee". awards.wegohealth.com. 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2014.