Zach King's 37th Birthday Countdown

Zach King Timeline

About Zach King

King got his start on Vine and YouTube with perfectly timed sleight-of-hand edits, and became one of the most-viewed creators on TikTok. His family-friendly illusions rack up billions of views, and he has written a children's book series on video magic.

Rejected from film school, accepted by the internet

King made his first movie at seven and applied to Biola University's film program as a teenager - and was rejected. So in 2008 he built FinalCutKing.com, teaching everyone Final Cut Pro and selling training seminars to pay tuition. In 2011 his 'Jedi Kittens' video - two cats duelling with lightsabers - hit a million views in three days. YouTube named him one of America's 25 most promising young filmmakers in 2013; that fall he moved to Vine, posting one impossible six-second trick a day.

The broomstick that flew past two billion

In December 2019, King glided down a suburban street on a flying broomstick in full Hogwarts uniform, captioned 'They rejected my application to Hogwarts but I still found a way to be a wizard.' The secret: a skateboard hidden behind a mirror, filmed in one afternoon with two friends. The clip became the most viewed video in TikTok history - a Guinness World Record verified at about 2.2 billion views - the perfect punchline for a kid once told no by film school.

Magic that gives back

King keeps his illusions strictly family-friendly, and he points that giant audience at good causes. He once pledged a penny to charity: water for every like on a TikTok over 24 hours, turning idle taps into clean-water funding, and in December 2024 he joined St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's GivingTuesday campaign, handing his channels over to spotlight St. Jude families. His book trilogy for kids carries the same message his career does: a 'no' is just the setup for the trick.

Quick facts

• Born February 4, 1990, in Portland, Oregon
• Launched FinalCutKing.com in 2008 to teach video editing after film school turned him down
• His 2011 'Jedi Kittens' video hit a million views in three days
• Named one of YouTube's 25 most promising young filmmakers in 2013
• Holds the Guinness World Record for the most viewed TikTok video - his 2019 flying-broomstick illusion, with about 2.2 billion views
• Author of the 'My Magical Life' children's book trilogy

Frequently works with

Books for young magicians

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