Welcoming Zakk Waleko: A Game of Cones

Sophia O

Category: Warehouse

09.20.2019

What better way of welcoming our newest team member than a good ol’ fashion ice cream crawl? In honor of National Ice Cream Cone Day, we figured we would show our new Associate Art Director around Old Town’s famous ice cream scene (much to his dismay) to test if it lives up to its reputation.

We chose three shops located right on our block, including Pop’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream Co., Kilwins and Dolci Gelati. Zakk’s mission was to rate variations of Chocolate ice cream based on four main factors: presentation, value, texture, and flavor, scored accordingly from 1-5 Panda Cones. You know the drill, the shop with the highest rating would be victorious… or so we thought. 

But first, here’s the scoop on Zakk:

Q: Staying on theme, describe your dream ice cream cone.

A: 2 scoops of Chunky Monkey, in a waffle cone.

Q: What do you like to do when you’re not at the office? Hobbies? Vices?

A: I’m a dad to 2 french bulldogs so taking care of them, I like trying new food (I will try just about anything) and my hobbies are wine, and my vices… wine?

Q: Tell us about your background. What’s a cool project you’ve worked on?

A: I grew up making art, painting, drawing, etc. I used to sketch logos of bands from memory when I was young. I actually wanted to be a fine artist but had a reality check in high school and someone suggested design. I was hooked since then. Cool project = Apollo 50! I love all things Nasa and space, so I was incredibly excited to work with the Smithsonian on that project. I had the amazing opportunity to work on the branding and direction for the Apollo 50 Festival on the Mall. Even though the scope of the project wasn’t huge, the impact it had and the history it celebrated was.

Q: What animal would you least like to meet in a dark alley?

A: Swan.

Q: What does NJI stand for?

A: Nathan-Josh Incorporated.*

Watch the full video to see who came out on top and melted under pressure.

*Close, but not quite.

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