Zach Anner, a comedian native to New York, has traveled around the continent at the will of the Internet, explored religion with strangers on YouTube and even interviewed Oprah. 

He also happens to have cerebral palsy and will speak on campus at two different events and a meet and greet Friday about his experiences, what motivates him and how cerebral palsy is “the sexiest of the palsys.” 

Anner will give a lecture titled “Exceeding Expectations” at noon in Ikenberry Commons room 2009. The event is sponsored by the Department of Diversity & Social Justice Education and Disability Resources & Educational Services. A meet and greet from 1 to 2 p.m. will follow the lecture, and he will serve as the Interfaith Conference keynote speaker from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Ikenberry Commons room 2025 A and B.

Anner has hosted a myriad of shows on YouTube — “Workout Wednesdays” and “Riding Shotgun” on his own channel and “Have a Little Faith” on SoulPancake channel. He also had a stint on the Oprah Winfrey Network with a travel show called “Rollin’ with Zach.”

Anner spoke with The Daily Illini about how his own college involvements impacted his life, how he hopes to influence people’s perceptions about those with disabilities, and how his life continues to be shaped by surprises.

The Daily Illini: What was your college experience like, and how did it lead you to where you are now?

Zach Anner: I came to the University of Texas after going to the South by Southwest film festival. I fell in love with Austin. Then I was a radio television journalism major, and my coursework was great, but I think what really made an impact was getting involved in organizations like the student television station and meeting all of the people that I met who are still some of my most consistent collaborators. We are always filming things together — shows, sketches. Texas really made me be the creative person that I am today.

 DI: After college, what were you hoping to do?

ZA: When I was growing up, I thought that I would be an actor, and then I realized when I got to college that the only thing I was good at was being myself. The experience that I had on the student television station, I got to do interviews of celebrities and public figures and politicians, and I realized that I had a knack for asking the uncomfortable question without making people uncomfortable. … I used to do it to make crude jokes and just be silly, but I when I matured a little bit, I realized that I wanted to actually say something and start important conversations.

 DI: When did you start making videos and focusing on comedy?

ZA: Actually, that started pretty early because my dad always tells us when we were kidsv, he would make little movies about us being cowboys and silly videos of us sticking Oreos onto the wall. I was always fascinated with being in front of the camera, and then when I was in high school, I started to make my own movies with friends, and I didn’t produce anything that was worth watching; at least in college, I learned how to make things that I actually wanted people to see.

DI: Could you talk about the challenges you’ve faced while making videos and being on YouTube?

ZA: I think the biggest challenge that I face is there’s a misconception about having a disability that it’s the worst thing that can possibly befall a person. So when you’re doing comedy, your goal is to really change that perception and get people to laugh and enjoy themselves and not really focus on the wheelchair. … I think the common trend in all of the seemingly random things that I do is that I like to sort of turn people’s perceptions around and start an important conversation. That’s the only thing, looking back on it, that I can see makes sense in all of the stuff that I’ve done. Like, to get people not only talking, but really thinking is the goal.

 DI: Were there any surprises that came up that you didn’t expect?

ZA: My whole life has been a process of making the best of all of my mistakes. I certainly didn’t expect to have a show on the Oprah Network or being able to travel the country and ask the Internet where to go and what to do. It’s all been sort of surprising to me. I have no idea what I’m doing (laughs). So whenever something comes up, I’m as surprised as the next person.

DI: What was it like to work with the Reddit community and travel around the continent for your YouTube show “Riding Shotgun?”

ZA: We basically asked people on Reddit who were used to being anonymous to come hang out with us, with strangers that they’ve never met. And I think that we ended up getting a really interesting feel of the country, because we went everywhere from the fanciest restaurants to the dingiest college dive bars, climbed mountains and also went to breweries. It was just a really interesting way to travel, because you really got to see what an individual’s take on that city was. Because we were going by the whim of the internet, we ended up doing things that I never would have done, like I wasn’t planning on going to a remote waterfall in the forest, riding piggyback. But since the Reddit community asked me to, we were like, ‘Yeah! We’ll go for it!’ It was really kind of cool to sort of just have that ‘I’ll do anything’ experience.

DI: Do you visit colleges often to speak about your experiences?

ZA: I’ve been doing these types of talks for a while now, but it’s just so fun to talk to students; that’s my favorite part. I mean, I like getting up and telling stories and (giving) speeches, but my favorite part is really connecting with students. And I’ve actually never graduated, so I’m thinking if I go to enough colleges, eventually, somebody is just going to be like, “You’ve gone to so many of these; here’s a Doctorate.” So that’s a goal, to just steal a degree at some point from one of them. I’ll have to see what the campus security is like with you guys.

DI: What’s in store for you in the future?

ZA: Well, I’m actually doing interfaith work, and also I should finish the first draft of my book, so I’m pretty pumped about this, because a year ago, I had no clue that my life would ever be worthy of a book or that I’d ever be able to write one. I’ve been reading back about my life, and I was like, ‘Wow, this whole first 30 years have been awesome.’

DI: Anything else you’d like to mention? Do you have a concluding thought?

ZA: I would say to everyone reading this paper, first of all, come out; I’d love to see you. Also, I think I would just like to end on the message, “Do whatever it is that you love.” Find what that passion is and do it as much as you can in school and outside of school. There are resources available to students that will never be as easy to come by when you get out of school. That’s what I realized. All of the equipment and the organizations and the people that will work with you — seize those opportunities and make the most of it. Because my most valuable lessons in college were when I took initiative to do something cool and apply the lessons that I’ve learned.

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