Today we’d like to introduce you to Oz Ziko.
Hi Oz, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Ever since I was young, I was into American Culture. Growing up in the middle east (Israel), I was the first kid in my neighborhood who listened to R&B and Rap music. By the time I was a teenager, I was already working on my first official album – Hip Hop in Hebrew. After a surgery to remove a tumor in his head, my dad fell into a coma and later, sadly, passed away. We had to sell the house in order to pay the hospital costs and I was forced to live on my own at the age of 20. Those were the hardest years of my life as I was struggling mentally and financially, and at some point even slept in my car.
Despite the challenges, I managed to finish my Bachelor’s degree in communications and cinema, and shortly after, I fulfilled one of my dad’s last wishes – Coming to America.
In the US, I started using all of my knowledge and talent in different platforms: I opened a YouTube channel (Today has about 2M views) creating music videos, sketches and web shows. In addition, I have been making commercials and marketing videos for local companies, acting in different projects and recently just finished shooting my first short film which I wrote/directed/produced.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This is LA, obviously people are coming here from all around the country, and then there’s people like myself, who’re coming from a whole different country, with an accent and a noncommon look. Therefore I have to constantly work harder and prove myself. But I love the challenge.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have one purpose in life, and the reason why I do what I do: Ever since I can remember myself, I was always “the entertainer”. At school, I gathered all the kids in the yard and made all these different shows for them. A few years later, someone told me: “School wasn’t easy for me man, but you’re the reason I enjoyed going there. You made my childhood a bit better. Thank you.” It touched me deeply.
To this day, if one video/song I made can help someone get through the day, make him feel better and improve his life in any way, I did my part in this world.
How do you think about happiness?
I love people. We are all connected. That’s the energy I carry with me every day. I love exploring new cultures and traditions, I believe that earth is a book, and we should try to read as many pages as we can in order to understand the full story better.
Contact Info:
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/OzZikoOfficial
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/OzZikoOfficial/
Image Credits
Bar Stefansky
