We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Zachary Hoaglund a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Zachary, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project that I have worked on was a film series called, The Voice Inside. I played an autistic character who struggled throughout high school to get a diploma that would lead to higher education. This struggle stemmed from the fact that he was misguided by the education system that was meant to give him the best possible outcomes. However, as we see in the film, that is not at all what happened. The character was left with nothing more than a meaningless “certificate” and no hope for his future. To battle this broken outcome, he signed up for adult school to pursue a GED. He, like myself, has autism, which means that we have to not only work harder than most students, but also have to overcome unseen barriers in order to achieve our potential. My opinion is that having autistic actors playing autistic roles is much more accurate and authentic. You normally don’t see that in movies or television that depict a character who has autism (e.g. Rain Man, The Good Doctor). Throughout my education, I faced many hardships and had it not been for a strong support system, I have no doubt that I would have found myself in the very same situation, as do countless numbers of students with autism today.

Even though the role was tough in the beginning, it got easier later on and I was proud of the final result.

Zachary, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have always loved books. Even before I could speak, my mom would often find me in a big pile of books, skimming their pages and moving on to the next one. A trip to the library or bookstore was a huge treat for me. I also loved tinkering around with cameras. In elementary school, being in class shows was what really got me interested in being on stage. The more active role I got to take, the better. In 7th grade, I was given the opportunity to join the middle school news crew. That is where I started working behind and in front of the camera. The Exceptional Theater Company is a drama program for young people with disabilities. I joined that and benefited greatly from the instruction of the director, Debbie Lombard, who still influences me today. At about that same time, I started to read books and graphic novels aloud, utilizing my voice talent as I worked to bring the characters to life. I took a film production class in high school, as well as drama and joined the drama club, where I performed onstage.

After high school, in pursuit of a degree in film production, I attended Broward and Miami-Dade Colleges, where I obtained my Associates Degree. During this same time, I worked as an intern at WPBT, Channel 2 Miami where I edited archived video tapes, ran the teleprompter and shot programs from the field. Then I went to the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and the Miami International University of Art & Design where I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Film & Video Production.

Since obtaining my college degree, I’ve created a podcast called, Pageturner Adventures with Zack, where I read children’s books and add in music and sound effects. These are uploaded on podcast channels, as well as Youtube.
I have created PSAs and commercials for organizations such as the Autism Society of Florida, Different Brains, Dan Marino Foundation, Six Tables Restaurant and Artists with Autism. I have had 2 of my own films featured in international film festivals. One of these films was a documentary on lionfish, which attracted the attention of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. In addition, I was the cinematographer of a short horror film that earned recognition at both Miami and New York Film Festivals.

Photography is another area of interest for me. I spent some time as a site photographer at Flamingo Gardens in Davie, Florida. This was a pretty simple task, as I had already become a pretty avid birder, spending weekends taking photos of birds in their natural habitats. Being part of the photography and film crew at Potential Church, one of the largest churches in South Florida, is another way that I have developed as a photographer. It gives me the chance to hone my low-light photography skills, which is a challenge for many photographers. Most recently, I have taken up shooting head-shots and hope to further build those skills.

My desire is to help organizations convey the message of who they are through media, whether that is photography, video or podcasting. I bring a unique set of talents in that I have an extreme eye for detail (shots, angles and lighting) and keen sense of timing when it comes to the editing process.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

More than anything, I love taking a script and bringing the character to life. I do this by digging deep into what motivates, frightens and encourages them to respond to the setting in which they find themselves. This is true for both my stage and film acting, as well as my narration of children’s books. When I sit in a theater that is featuring one of my films and I hear the audience cry, laugh or gasp, I am rewarded by how they connect with my portrayal of the characters I seek to emulate. When children listen to my podcast until the end, I know that they enjoyed what they heard so much that they couldn’t pull themselves away. I can’t imagine a more rewarding aspect of being an actor and filmmaker than that.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I’m not just a creative; I’m a creative who happens to have autism. Even though there are more and more autistic people each year, I still find that the vast majority of society does not understand that we have talents and gifts to share, even when we might not exhibit them on the outside. One of the most important things that we need is an opportunity. Far too often, we are judged based on what is seen during job interviews or from standardized testing, which both ask us to change who we are in order to “fit” into what society seems to expect. In autism, it’s best to expect the unexpected. We are a thoughtful community of individuals – actually, we probably think about things more than the general public. It is my hope that nonautistic people will become more open to asking us to show what we can do rather than making assumptions that the task is beyond our capability. We are actors, filmmakers, painters, photographers, dressmakers, animators and editors. We can do great things, when we have the opportunity and the support to thrive.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.zacharyhoaglund.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZackHoaglund
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-hoaglund-22979118b/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@zacharyhoaglund6680
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/zacharyhoaglund
• Other: Apple Podcast – Pageturner Adventures with Zack
  

Image Credits

All photos taken by me.