“Have a Little Faith”—and Humor: YouTube Celebrity Zach Anner to speak at Fairfield University on February 5 | Press Releases

Known to millions of Oprah Winfrey fans, Anner was crowned by the Huffington Post, “our favorite lovable, optimistic, fearless, and absolutely hilarious YouTube star in a wheelchair.”

Zach Anner, host of the YouTube show “Have a Little Faith” on SoulPancake, will speak at Fairfield University on Thursday, February 5, at 7 p.m. in the Oak Room of Barone Campus Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Anner, a 30-year-old comedian, TV show host, fitness instructor, and writer who has cerebral palsy, gained world-wide attention when he won Oprah Winfrey’s Search for the Next TV Star contest in 2010. As the winner, he had his own television show, Rollin’ with Zach , which aired during 2011.

In his 29-episode Have a Little Faith series , Anner uses humor and simple, straightforward questions to explore world religions, including Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Atheism, and others. Calling himself a “self-proclaimed religious idiot,” he interviews practitioners of various faiths about their beliefs and practices, and shows that “you don’t have to take religion so seriously to respect other people’s beliefs.”

SoulPancake is a media company that provides various platforms, such as videos, creative challenges, and interviews, to explore “big think” topics such as spirituality, creativity, religion, arts, and philosophy.

Anner, 30, was born in Buffalo, N.Y., and attended the University of Texas in Austin. He is also creator of Workout Wednesday , a weekly fitness program on YouTube that “teaches you how to be a good sport at the sports you’re not good at,” in which Anner works out from his wheelchair while poking fun at the situation and addressing bigger questions of life.

The style is uniquely his own. When asked what one thing about the world he would like to change, Anner answered, “I would like to see our generation be a little more concerned about future generations…and to have pistachios on planes instead of peanuts.”

The Huffington Post has described him as “our favorite lovable, optimistic, fearless, and absolutely hilarious YouTube star in a wheelchair, Zach Anner .”

The event is part of World Interfaith Harmony Week, and is co-sponsored by these Fairfield University divisions: Common Ground, JUHAN, Campus Ministry, and the Office of Mission & Identity.

Visit www.fairfield.edu/bennett for more information.