About

Zach Hackman

I grew up in a farmhouse rooted in a small town in Northeastern Indiana that is filled with kind people and good times. I worked a few odd jobs here and there, but the one that stirs up the most conversation was working for a local cemetery as a gravedigger and groundskeeper for the greater half of a decade. Not your average job for a teen or young adult, but it was peaceful and quiet… mostly.

I had never been to a big city like Chicago before I declared my intent to attend college there. Originally, I moved there to major in comedy writing and performance at Columbia College. I enjoyed it, but felt I needed to take on something more challenging. I changed my major after a year and finished with an advertising degree that focused in copywriting (while also keeping a minor in comedy writing for a little extra flair).

Coming from a close-knit community where the water tower was the tallest landmark around, to being surrounded by skyscrapers was quite the transition—yet lacked intimidation. During my schooling in the Windy City, I became a published artist, discovered a love for painting, gave several presentations as a public speaker regarding my creative process at Columbia, and was hired as a freelance copywriter by my professors.

Once the pandemic hit, I was thrown into a “fresh prince” situation where my life, like many others, got flipped-turned upside down. The internships I had lined up were unfortunately cancelled and as companies tried to navigate the new world and it became difficult to find work in my profession as a green bean kid straight out of school. However, after moving back home I pulled myself up by the bootstraps and began taking any job opportunity that was thrown my way.

For a little over a year, I found myself in unique roles such as working as a parts hauler for a trucking company where I explored the backside of Northern Indiana, Western Ohio, and Southern Michigan. I got a job as a COVID monitor at an ice cream factory where I was made to wear a hazmat suit and check every employee for signs, symptoms, and temps before they entered the facility. I also went back to the cemetery during most days while bartending at a neat old watering hole in the evening. Anything to keep busy and life interesting.

As the world started to level out once more, I was given a great opportunity to take a gig within my degree and packed my bags to move to a new city in a new state—Dayton, Ohio. I was finally thrown into the hustle and bustle of an agency setting and worked as a project manager for a short while which eventually led to a full-time copywriter position for several years.

I’ve had a lot of exciting experiences during my time on this rock and while I continue to move forward, I am eager to take my creative ideas into any industry that’s ready to leave a lasting impression and rock the world.