Zack Arnold

06/10/2025

For those of you wondering where I've disappeared to, number one I'm not big on social media anymore. But number two...I've been busy the last few months. 😁

A FREE 5-day event to help you navigate rapid industry changes, expand your network of like-minded creatives, and leverage artificial intelligence to enhance your creativity (without sacrificing your humanity).

01/18/2024

New podcast episode just dropped! Find wherever you hear your podcasts and on YouTube at https://youtu.be/k8TZcm2XWxk

🧠 Derin 'Dmac' McMains is a former baseball player, coach and manager turned Director of Mental Performance at global cybersecurity company, ReliaQuest. He's taken mental performance principles to train athletes, executives and other high performers to take their game to the next level. In our conversation, Derin and I talk about mindsets and how changing your relationship with your goals will allow you more freedom to make mistakes and trust the process instead of the outcome. We explore how your self-image has a big impact on the goal setting process. Derin reveals his unique framework to setting goals that lets you see not only the action plan but also the story you need to tell yourself to make it happen.

12/04/2023

I'm proud to introduce to you the Optimizer Spartan Class of 2023!

We as Spartan racers choose to train for obstacles and push ourselves beyond our perceived limits so that when the real obstacles in life come for us, we're prepared...
.. or at the very least we are prepared to be unprepared.

For anyone interested in joining our Spartan team next year, I've left more info (and a kick-ass training montage) in the comments below.

AROO!!!!!!!

cc Luke Brown Mark Bessler Jackie Perez Steven Krimmel Westley Silvestri Sharon Franklin Justin Hynous Ashley Monti Rick Milewski

Not pictured: Monica Daniel

07/31/2023

"These strikes are not the usual fare where one side demands 3%, the other side demands 9%, and ultimately everyone compromises at 6% after months of preening, posturing, and hand-wringing. As soon as it was made public that “The AMPTP’s strategy is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their houses,” the game changed.

The studios want us gone (and our families destroyed) so they can literally control the entire narrative from AI-generated idea through final algorithm-driven distribution.

They think time is their secret weapon and that the longer they bleed us out, the higher their likelihood of success.

But if we can just avoid the inevitable (and predictable) guild vs guild infighting and instead unify as fellow human beings across all unions & crafts, time is what may help us win this war for our livelihoods."

Time is not our enemy but instead of our ally...if we use it wisely to prepare for the AI Revolution. Here's where to start...

04/20/2023

If you’re ready to clarify your ultimate dream job as well as the perfect people to network with in order to MAKE SH*T HAPPEN, join my LIVE ‘Build Your Dream Network’ Workshop this Saturday!

You can take a sneak peek at everything you’ll be learning by following the link in the comments.

04/18/2023

My LIVE ‘Build Your Dream Network’ Workshop is this Saturday!! You can follow the link in my bio for more information on the specifics of what we'll be covering.

Date: Saturday, April 22nd
Time: 9:30 - 1:00pm* (Pacific)
Location: Zoom

* Plus a bonus ‘Hot Seat’ and plenty of informal Q&A afterwards

04/18/2023

If you’re ready to learn how you can strategically target the right people in order to land your next dream job, you can learn more about my Build Your Dream Network Workshop by following the link in the comments.

04/17/2023

There is no better predictor of the quality of your life than the quality of your relationships. Are the people you surround yourself with A-gamers or B-gamers?

In other words, are you the smartest person in the room or are you surrounding yourself with people who can educate, motivate and inspire you to level up??

You can read my entire article “How to surround yourself with A-gamers [Enrollment is OPEN]” by following the link to my Cure Your ‘Case of the Mondays’ Newsletter in the comments.

04/12/2023

Being that the #1 obstacle stopping most people from networking is that they have no idea what they want to do with their lives…it’s time to ask ourselves some deeper questions.

If you’d like to read the top 3 questions I ask my Optimizer students in order to help them better identify the creative work they would like to pursue, you can do so by following the link in the comments to my latest newsletter, “The #1 obstacle stopping you from networking is…”

03/28/2023

Is creativity a “skill” that anyone can learn?? YES!

In my conversation with Joey Cofone you’ll learn the essential concepts to both unleash and expand your creativity.

I absolutely LOVED this conversation (and Joey’s book, The Laws of Creativity, which we discuss heavily) and can’t wait for you to listen.

In our conversation, we discuss what creativity really is, how it works, and the ways in which anyone can learn these essential concepts and unleash their own creativity (yes, you can LEARN how to be creative).

03/21/2023

Despite Niceole Levy's lack of “industry experience" (she was previously a police dispatcher and baker among many other seemingly unrelated jobs to the industry) she is now a successful Hollywood writer and author of the book The Writers’ Room Survival Guide.

In our conversation, not only does Niceole share the exact ways she was able to reframe her life experiences as relatable skills to break into the industry, she also shares her checklist you can use if you’re looking for your own opportunity to break into an industry that you have little to no experience in.

My conversation with Niceole is as non-traditional as her pathway to Hollywood, but I have no doubt you’ll receive even more advice on breaking into the industry (or further climbing your current ladder) because of it.