Meet Omar Zaki | Video Creator, Stuntman & Parkour Athlete

We had the good fortune of connecting with Omar Zaki and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Omar, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I doubt there was ever anyone in the history of this world that achieved something truly great without risk. Risk is a necessary part of survival, growth, and success. Now it all depends on what you want out of life. For me, I know that I am not here to live a mediocre life. I am not here to live a life of routine and predictability. That’s not what I want out of this experience. And if a person doesn’t actively work against a life a routine then that’s exactly what they will be given because that is the societal formula at the current moment. I have lived a little bit of that life of routine working as a Waiter in a restaurant and I knew from day 1 that it wasn’t for me and that I needed to work as hard as I could outside of “work” to create a pathway away from that as fast as I could.

I have a very interesting relationship with risk. Now when I say risk, I don’t mean stupid or dangerous risk, I mean risk in a way that is calculated and intelligent because that’s what allows you to make decisions based off of legitimate information that you can use to inform yourself as to what is possible for you and your life.

Risks are my “how”. Taking risks shows me concrete proof that I’m actively improving and working towards something more and something better. I never want to feel totally satisfied, I never want to feel completely comfortable because if I do, then it means I’m not working towards something. Whether it’s working towards building a business, building relationships with others, or simply working on building up yourself and your own habits. Continually pushing just outside of your comfort zone is what will keep you sharp and attentive as an individual. It doesn’t leave room for complacency or laziness. To risk is to reach for more. To risk is to believe that there’s something else possible for you and your life and to believe that it’s there and actually within your grasp but one has to take calculated and intelligent steps towards minimizing the amount of risk in any one given moment. I don’t believe I have ever taken a single big and risky “Leap of Faith”. Instead, I have taken millions of tiny calculated and intelligent steps that slowly but surely move me in the direction of the greater life than I am continually pursuing.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I do many things. I work as a Stuntman in Hollywood, I run my own Social Media/YouTube Channel that focuses on Action filmmaking and storytelling as well as I compete as a Professional Parkour athlete in the exploding sport, World Chase Tag. I think what sets me apart is my constant desire to learn more and to not wait for opportunities. I believe I have gotten success as a Stunt performer, YouTuber, and Parkour athlete because I was constantly training in some way and preparing myself towards future opportunities and asking for more. Whether that training was watching YouTube videos about how to use a camera, or how to edit a video or parkour training or stunt training. I am in a constant state of learning and that learning has given me a wealth of information that now makes me “valuable” to other people. I understand that opportunities are a direct result of the time and the work you put into making those opportunities possible. Nothing happens by accident. All of the success I’m achieving now is a direct result to the work, training, and practice I was putting in 5 years ago. And now because I am receiving all of these “fruits” from my labor, it’s only more encouraging to double down on the work, training, and practice that has led me to this place to begin with.

Another thing that I believe sets me apart is my commitment to my personality. I am unwilling to change myself and who I am to “fit in”. I used to do that and I absolutely hated who and what I became. Now that I have made a complete and total commitment to myself, I finally feel like I am just scratching the surface of what I’m capable of. And the more people that live a life of authenticity makes room for the next person to do so themselves. I know that inherently I am unique, as are all of you, so we are all already special and by committing to that, by committing to ourselves and who we are, we are allowing ourselves to shine in our entirety to inspire others, to help others, and to teach others.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well most of my best friends are movement/Stunt folk so we would definitely hit up a few of the famous gyms to train at first! 1) Tempest Freerunning Academy to get an awesome Parkour workout in

2) JAM (Joining All Movement) to get a great Stunt/martial arts workout in.

3) Universal Studios Hollywood, Six Flags, or Disney to get the Hollywood theme Park appeal.

4) Santa Monica/Venice Beach – Biking, One-wheeling, or skateboarding down the boardwalk on the beach, getting ice cream and playing some beach volleyball sounds like a pretty good day to me.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family: For their constant love and support (I don’t know how I got so lucky)

Ryan Glass: For taking insane chances on me and agreeing to all my crazy ideas all those years ago.

Adam Trapp: For being crazy enough to start Parkour with me all those years ago and becoming my ultimate training partner that got me to this point.

Max Linder, Philip Duffy, Griffin Wilson, Amanda Harvey, and Peyton Cummisky: For being the best and most supportive group of friends anyone could have ever asked for. I love you guys.

Travis Wong: For his unending desire to provide knowledge and guidance to others.

Jesse La Flair: For forging his own path of extreme individuality through hard work and a constant commitment to one’s self and a clear vision.

Joseph. Le: For showing me the true power of hard work and total dedication.

Kyle Murillo: For being my content-creation partner as we began navigating this crazy world of Entertainment together.

Caitlin Hutson: For believing in me even when I didn’t believe in myself and for showing me and the rest of the world that extreme kindness and extreme badassery don’t have to be separate things.

Brett Metter: For being my right-hand man and never letting me give 99%.

Website: https://www.omar-zaki.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omarzaki0/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/omarzaki

Image Credits
Jessica Chan Jonny Marlow Scott Bass Caitlin Hutson Charlotte Geary