Check Out Zackery Nicolosi’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zackery Nicolosi.

Hi Zackery, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
First of all, thank you for asking.
I consider myself to be incredibly fortunate to be able to do a number of different things that I love as a way to support myself and my family. Music and photography are the two pursuits that keep pushing my ambitions to higher limits. I will be a lifelong student of both. I first would like to say, I wouldn’t be where I am today without God’s faithfulness and the support from friends and family over the years. There are too many people to thank here, but they believed in me when I told them about my impossible dreams. My entire career is built upon many failures and learning moments. I now understand that being defined by failure isn’t a bad thing, when those failures have helped you to grow.

My creative journey began humbly in a small town in Ohio.
Growing up in a single-parent household with younger siblings required me to use my imagination often. As it would later turn out, my imagination has been my single greatest asset in this life.

I knew nothing about music the first time I touched an instrument as a kid. I never had any formal training of any kind – what I did have, though, was an old upright piano that barely held a tune, and lots of time to myself. I recall being 4 or 5 and plunking out chords on the piano, thinking that they just sounded “right” (turns out I really liked the accidental minor chords).

Looking back, I remember hearing music in my head as I went about life, or imagining scenarios based on something I could hear. I remember sitting in the car with whatever music Mom was listening to, and recognizing that the music seemed to sync up with was happening outside. I remember making my action figures play out an imagined scenario in time with music. By the time I was 10, I had been given a portable CD-player, and could rarely be found without headphones on, long lost in a world of make-believe.
For as long as I can remember, everything in my life, even the dull, mundane moments, have always had a cinematic quality, and the music has always seemed to mirror the moment.

I would later come to understand that my love of stories, cinematic moments, and music all coalesce in the form of movies. I love movies, the freedom a good movie can bring you for a short while.
In 2011, as a 20-year-old I watched ‘Inception’ for the first time. The entire experience of that film changed my entire life. From that moment to present day, I’ve had an obsession with scores of all kinds, and began creating my own. Over the years I have done everything I’ve needed to do to continue to be able to pursue my dreams of writing music for the big screen. I’ve had many, many odd jobs over the years and began collecting all sorts of different skills. In 2021, I picked up a camera for the first time and found a second love. Music and photography share the concept of capturing a moment in time, and I’ve continued to be a student of both.

Today, I run ZN Media, a one-man mixed-media production company. As of now, the majority of my work comes as a composer with a number of projects big and small behind me (I worked on a Showtime documentary mini-series called ‘The Reagans’ in 2020, it was my “big break”), and I continue to set my sights on bigger projects year after year. I also earn a living as a real estate and commercial drone photographer. Additionally, I had a stint as an aerial photographer for a geospatial survey business (we took photos through a massive hole in the airplane floor!).

When I’m not doing music or photography, I’m a freelance video editor, and an audio engineer at my local church. I find tremendous fulfillment in wearing multiple hats and being able to use many skills in many areas.

In late 2026, my wife and I will welcome our first child into the world, and I’ll get to add one more hat to the collection.

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?
I wouldn’t say the road has been smooth, not at all, but I am actually very grateful for that. I’m pursuing my dreams – it’s supposed to be difficult! Imposter syndrome is always lurking.
The more I learn, the less I know, you know? I’ve made a ton of mistakes along the way, but I like to think that I have learned something from each of these mistakes over the years. I genuinely believe we learn more from failure than we do from success. I haven’t and never will fully arrive, but I am grateful for how far I’ve come. The road is long, still many miles ahead, and I’ll continue to need the immeasurable support and grace I have been shown along the way.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m known for different things to different people. I think if I had to guess what people associate me with, it’s cinematic storytelling in a variety of ways. Some people know of me only as a composer for movies and tv (which is one of my two specialties). Another group of people know of me exclusively as a real estate photographer/videographer (my other specialty). Occasionally people know of me as both! A third, smaller number of people simply know me as a friend, husband, and soon-to-be father (my best role yet).
At the moment, there’s lots I’m proud of, but I am always trying to improve and go beyond where I’ve been. Most recently, a cinematic piece of music I made was accepted to be aired during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
I’ve also recently had one of my real estate shoots be featured in a local real estate magazine, which isn’t something I was aiming for. You never know where appreciation will come from!
I think something that separates me from others is my willingness to fail. I think in all areas of my work, I have grown considerably in moments of failure, big and small.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I think I was a relatively normal kid, but pretty quirky. I liked Saturday morning cartoons, sugary foods, and video games. But, all I ever really wanted to do was listen to music and spend time in my own little world. I’m a bit older than my siblings, which meant I spent a good deal of time on my own. I had (and still have) a very rich inner-life due to the considerable amount of time to myself as a boy.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zackerynicolosi/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zack.nicolosi/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRVol0SDKh0A3pPsNDj20OQ
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/zackerynicolosi
• Other: https://play.reelcrafter.com/fZa78lr2SEOP6HjhqCjF_A