We were lucky to catch up with Zack Binder recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Zack , thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I often wish I had started performing publicly sooner, but that would negate my journey and the path that led me where I am today. Though I have been practicing ventriloquism for over a decade, it took a few stepping stones to gain the confidence to put it out into the world. Those stepping stones were: Drag > Acting > Ventriloquism. I don’t know if I would have had the confidence to pursue acting or ventriloquism professionally had it not been for drag. I don’t know if I would be as good of a comedian/ventriloquist had it not been for my training as an actor. So while I do wish I had started pursuing ventriloquism professionally sooner, I do believe that everything happens in its own time and when it is meant to.

Zack , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Though I’ve always loved performing and public speaking, I shied away from it as a teen and young adult. I realize now it’s because I was trans and didn’t have the language to express that. Once I started embracing masculinity in my every day life, I let myself fall back into love with acting. I also felt more comfortable performing on stage as a ventriloquist. Now you can catch me on screen in Netflix and Hulu shows and performing in comedy and variety shows all around LA. With ventriloquism being such a niche, it’s fun knowing I bring something a little different to the typical stand up comedy lineup. I also offer ventriloquist shows for children ages 4-9. Whether it’s schools, birthday parties, libraries or religious institutions, I provide an interactive, no-screen, warm and fun alternative when it comes to children’s entertainment. Not to mention, LGBTQ friendly.

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

The most rewarding aspect of what I do is making both adults and children believe in magic. It gives me great joy knowing that I can give people the feeling I had as a kid, where intellectually, you know that what you’re seeing is puppetry, but on some level, you believe that the puppet has a life of its own, independent of the puppeteer.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think it’s so important for people who are not performers themselves to share events and information about performance artists. One of the biggest struggles for an artist is self-promotion and marketing. You can only post so much and your friends only have so much bandwidth to support you in person. The more you can share and recommend local performers to friends, family, your company looking for entertainment, the more you can help the artists in your life!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bindersworld.com
• Instagram: @zack_binder
• Youtube: Zack Binder

Image Credits
Al Bahmani Alec Richker David Muller