Zachary C. Bako is an American artist based in Cleveland, Ohio. After receiving his B.S. in Business and M.A in Art Education at Case Western Reserve University in conjunction with the Cleveland Institute of Art, Bako moved to New York and began his photography career in the fashion and fine art industries.

His range of media developed further during a four-year stint in Beijing where he cultivated his reportage work, winning American Photography three years in a row. In a subsequent three-year stretch in Los Angeles, Bako completed his first feature film, 3AM on Frenchmen, now available worldwide on Qwest.TV by Quincy Jones.

After Los Angeles, Bako lived in Brooklyn and then relocated to Shanghai, capturing musicians and athletes while navigating China’s zero-Covid policy for two and a half years. In that time, he also produced and directed his second feature film, Hip Hop Harmonics.

Since the completion of 3AM, he has been awarded American Photography six years in a row, was a guest speaker at the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival, held a solo exhibition in Wuhan, China, received the title of Cultural Ambassador for the USA in Shanghai, was awarded two grants, served as a juror for the Ohio Youth Governor’s Exhibition, and exhibited his photography in international group exhibitions in Italy and France.