The extremely talented, Zach Settewongse, from North Carolina, recently reached out to The ToolFreak Team, to let us know that he purchased a pair of ToolFreak Safety Glasses.

We love hearing from our customers, so we were super excited to receive a message from Zach, letting us know that he was going to be wearing ToolFreak Safety Glasses while constructing his cool and quirky creations!

Zach wears ToolFreak Clear Lens Rip Out Safety Glasses, shop here!

We have decided to kickstart this series of blog posts by getting acquainted with Zach, so please enjoy this Q&A style blog post, where we strive to find out more about the US based creative, the industry he works in and his use of Safety Glasses in the workshop! Enjoy!

 Hey there Zach, thank you so much for taking the time out to speak to the ToolFreak Team! We would like to kickstart this piece by finding out what industry it is you work in? 

“ I am an Artist, Maker and Content Creator. I am also the Former Creative Director for JOBY and Lowepro and freelance content creator for different brands. Now, I am a full-time dad and YouTube content creator.

Awesome, how long have you spent working within this industry?

“ I worked freelance creating content for worldwide brands for the last 12+ years. Honda, JOBY, Lowepro, Lilibaby, PBS NY, BIography Channel, Speed Channel, United Health Care Pro Cycling Team, and several Casinos. I also worked as the Creative Director for JOBY (makers of GorillaPod) and Lowepro. It’s only been since the beginning of 2021 that I’ve decided to work full time at my YouTube channel”.

Wow, it sounds like you have been extremely busy! What made you choose this specific career path? 

“I’ve had several jobs and a few careers in my life. Here are a few: Website designer, police officer, stunt coordinator, lead actor in a casino stunt show (I was an elf with explosives), and owner of a telecommunications company. Then when I was about 35 I decided I wanted to do something that didn’t feel like work. I bought a camera and began a career shooting print ads, commercials, and short films for brands. I got really lucky because it all came naturally to me.

In 2019 my wife and I moved from the California Bay Area to Charlotte, North Carolina. In California the cost of housing is insane. In Charlotte we were able to get several acres of land and a nice house for ¼ the cost in California.  After moving we adopted an 8-year-old girl; and then Covid hit. I then became a full-time stay at home dad and home-school teacher. I needed to do something that was flexible so I decided that I’d start a YouTube Channel focused on the Maker Community”.

That’s so interesting! How did you manage to break into this insanely cool industry?

“I never even owned a camera before I decided to start a career creating content. I just thought that it seemed artistic and fun so I bought my first camera. I then created a fake Nike ad the first week after purchasing the camera. I put it online and the rest just fell into place. I started getting calls to shoot and film adverts for brands. I also then developed relationships with JOBY and Lowepro that lead to me working as the Creative Director for both. Here is what I would say to anyone out there: “You alone create the path that unfolds before you. If you want to be something then just go do it no matter what the obstacles are”.

Wow, that is inspiring, you really went after your goals! Do you love what you do?

“80% of my career has been some sort of business I started. In my early life I made career choices based on what I thought would make the most money. This was a huge mistake and a waste of time. Yes I made money but I was miserable. Ever since I decided to follow a career path that allowed me to be an artist I’ve been happy. Sometimes when starting a new artistic venture I’ve made no money at all but then it all seems to work out”.

Happiness is key! What is your career highlight?

“I think my career highlight is yet to come. YouTube channel wise: I think my Rocket Launcher is my highlight so far. In regards to my Filmmaking career: I would have to say the short film I made for Honda “Chasing 300 - The World's Fastest Motorcycle; and in my early 20’s being an Elf performing rope stunts 100ft above a Casino floor with explosives going off everywhere, all while little kids were cheering, was pretty cool”!

That sounds insane! What is your craziest and coolest creation to date?

“Definitely The Division 2 Rocket Launcher because it actually works”! 

The Rocket Launcher looks incredible! What type of products do you tend to make, is it a huge variety of cool products?

“I have over 50+ items on my build list. They are a mix of movie replica/ inspired props and odd items for my cats”.

Do you do commission pieces? If yes, what is the coolest or maybe the craziest thing you have been asked to create?

“I haven’t created any commissioned works yet. I have already been asked to build several items by fans of my channel. My goal for 2021 is to create several pieces that can be displayed in a museum and at maker/ Comicon type shows. I definitely am open to doing commissioned work”.

What type of roles do you like the most while working?

“I really like figuring out solutions to creative problems, coming up with ideas and implementing them”.

Where do you find your inspiration? What motivates you?

I get a lot of inspiration from watching films and playing video games. I’ll see something or just think something up and then become fixated on it. Once I start thinking about a project I can’t stop thinking of ideas. The whole creative process is enjoyable and when I finally see the finished piece I usually can’t believe I made it.

That’s interesting, what would you say is the most taxing part of your current job role?

“Editing my videos is definitely the worst part. After 5-10 days of filming a build I then have to spend another week editing the footage. I’ll end up with hours of footage that needs to be condensed down to 10-30min. Also the financial aspect of working 40-60 hours a week on my YouTube channel knowing that it’ll take on average 2 years for me to begin to make a living at it is stressful”.

We have every faith in you Zach, your work is insanely cool and high-quality. Keep up the hard work and we can’t wait to see your future creations! Thanks for speaking to us, we can’t work to work with you on future posts!

If you would like to take a look at Zach's work, check out his links below, you will be amazed, seriously!

Instagram: Instagram.com/settewongse

YouTube: YouTube.com/ZachSettewongse

Stay tuned for more blog posts coming soon!

Have a good one!

The ToolFreak Team!