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'''Peter Zachary "Zack" Gonzalez''' (Born June 15, 1993) is an American comedian, writer, and activist. He is best known 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 two autism-related books. He is also the host of |
'''Peter Zachary "Zack" Gonzalez''' (Born June 15, 1993) is an American comedian, writer, and activist. He is best known 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 two autism-related books. He is also the host of a webseries, "it's on with Zack."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zackgonzalez.com/Zack-s-Bio.html|title=Biography}}</ref> He was even named one of 2009's Teens that Inspire by Examiner.com. |
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Gonzalez is of a German and Spanish decent. <ref>{{cite web|title=Surname Database|url=http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Gonzalez}}</ref> |
Gonzalez is of a German and Spanish decent. <ref>{{cite web|title=Surname Database|url=http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Gonzalez}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 06:14, 5 October 2011
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guideline for biographies. (October 2011) |
Zack Gonzalez | |
|---|---|
 Zack after performing at the Laugh Factory in July 2011. | |
| Born | Peter Zachary Gonzalez June 15, 1993 |
| Occupation(s) | Comedian, Writer/Author, Activist |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Website | www.ZackGonzalez.com |
Peter Zachary "Zack" Gonzalez (Born June 15, 1993) is an American comedian, writer, and activist. He is best known 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 two autism-related books. He is also the host of a webseries, "it's on with Zack."[2] He was even named one of 2009's Teens that Inspire by Examiner.com.
Gonzalez is of a German and Spanish decent. [3]
Gonzalez was also featured in The Parents' Guide to Raising CEO Kids by Sarah Cook.[4]
Early Life
Gonzalez grew up in Los Angeles, CA. His mother is Nancy Quesada, who was a contestant on the Sci-Fi reality show Estate of Panic. 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 Peter Gonzalez, a paralegal. He has a total of six siblings. Two from his mother (Elijah Joeb and Ethan) and four from his father (Shawn, Isaiah, Breanne, and Joshua).[5]
Gonzalez 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, Gonzalez left Cathedral to attend Kaplan Academy of California (an online high school), where he graduated.[6]
Career
2009: Play Now for Autism, "it's on with Zack", Saving Deets!
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."[7]
In July 2009, Zack started his own BlogTalkRadio show titled, "it's on with Zack." The show covered autism-related news stories and hosted discussions and debates on all topics pertaining to autism. The first season ended in December 2009. Deborah Noonan was the co-host.[8][9]
In October 2009, Zack's first book, Saving Deets!: A Family's Journey with Autism, was published by Trafford Publishing. The book is a sibling's perspective of autism. It was later re-released in both Paperback and Hardcover format through Lulu Publishing.[10][11]
2010: AUTISM AWARENESS by Zack
In June 2010, Zack released an autism awareness t-shirt line, titled AUTISM AWARENESS by Zack. The line featured a controversial slogan, "Make Our Vaccines Green," which was promoting removing toxic chemicals from U.S. vaccinations. The line was pulled from sale and placed on hiatus in Summer 2011.[12]
In May 2010, "it's on with Zack" returned for a second season with new co-host Nicci Bates, who is the founder of GFCF Done Easy. The show ended its radio broadcast in December 2010.[13]
In November 2010, Saving Deets! was officially re-released.
2011: Comedy and Further Activism
In June 2011, Zack's second book Charity Bites!: The Untold Stories of the Dog-Eat-Dog World of Autism Activism was released. The comedic memoir is based on Zack's life as an activist and his many outrageous encounters in the charity world. He received much criticism pre-release, but claims that the book is not intended to bash anyone, but is instead intended to poke fun at how crazy the world of activism can really be, as stated in the book's disclaimer.[14]
On June 18, 2011, "it's on with Zack" released it's first filmed episode for the season three premier. Both hosts, Noonan and Bates, returned for the third season. Season three has a comedic twist and was released weekly via YouTube.
In July 2011, Zack began his first stand-up comedy tour. He has performed at famous Hollywood venues including The Comedy Store and the Laugh Factory, both along the Sunset strip.[15]
On July 20, 2011, the first Laugh Now for Autism event was held at the Hollywood Laugh Factory, where Zack shared the stage with Sarah Colonna, Heather McDonald, Fortune Feimster, Jen Kirkman and Ben Begley as they all performed to raise money for Jenny McCarthy's organization for autism, Generation Rescue. Laugh Now for Autism shows occur nationwide, multiple times a year.
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.[16]
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.
Comedy Style
Zack's uses more of a sarcastic, dry-wit style of humor in his performances and books. He has even been compared to the hugely popular Chelsea Handler, to which he states is a "huge honor."
His stand-up routine includes material about pop culture, growing up fat, his forgetful mother, being raised Catholic, and more.
Zack says that the reason he decided to transition from inspirational activist to comedian was to be more true to himself. In interviews he states that it did not feel natural to try to be inspirational as a public speaker and that it made more sense to use his sense of humor because that is what people gravitated towards. He also states that he was tired of being "defined" by autism. He understands that autism will always be a part of his life, but he wanted to merge into something that really fit his lifestyle that he also enjoyed and could see himself doing in the future. He makes a clear point that he will always be a part of the autism community and that he will never stop fighting for the cause.
Personal Life
Zack speaks candidly about his family issues regarding beliefs pertaining to autism, including debates over the gluten-free, casein-free diet. He has also briefly discussed growing up with his step-father who was an alcoholic and how it affected his life, but to this day, stands by his step-father and presents accolades for his life transformation and recent success.
Zack jokes about dating autism activist and author of All I Can Handle: I'm No Mother Teresa, Kim Stagliano, but Stagliano is married and lives on the other side of the country. Zack has even joked about dating himself, claiming that it is the best way to know his lover will never cheat on him.[17]
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)
Filmography
Web series
| Title | Dates | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| it's on with Zack | June 2011-November 2011 | Host | Gonzalez hosted, wrote, and produced the show. |
References
- ^ "Biography".
- ^ "Biography".
- ^ "Surname Database".
- ^ Cook, Sarah (2011). The Parents' Guide to Raising CEO Kids. ISBN 978-0983688037.
- ^ "Biography".
- ^ "Biography".
- ^ "Biography".
- ^ "its-on-with-Zack".
- ^ "BlogTalkRadio".
- ^ Gonzalez, Zack (2009). Saving Deets!: A Family's Journey with Autism. Trafford.
- ^ Gonzalez, Zack (2010). Saving Deets!: A Family's Journey with Autism, Second Editon. Lulu Publishing / A Zack Gonzalez Book. ISBN 978-0-557-73643-0.
- ^ "Biography".
- ^ "BlogTalkRadio".
- ^ Gonzalez, Zack (2011). Charity Bites!. Lulu Publishing / A Zack G. Comedy Production. ISBN 978-1-257-09050-1.
- ^ "Biography".
- ^ Gonzalez, Zack (2011). Charity Bites!. Lulu Publishing / A Zack G. Comedy Production. ISBN 978-1-257-09050-1.
- ^ "Biography".