Zay Harding chatted about hosting “The Visioneers with Zay Harding” and being a part of the digital age.
How is your experience hosting CBS’s “The Visioneers with Zay Harding”?
Hosting a hit series on CBS—America’s #1 network—is an absolute dream come true! The support has been incredible, the response overwhelmingly warm, and the team that Hearst Media Production Group paired me with are some of the most talented filmmakers I’ve ever worked with.
I owe so much to David Vogel and Thais Lopez, who quite literally put the “Vo” and “Lo” in VoLo Foundation—our amazing partners who’ve championed this project from day one.
Taking home the Environmental Media Association (EMA) Award last Saturday for Outstanding Reality Series? That was the cherry on top—both deeply validating and wonderfully gratifying!
What are you most looking forward to about Season 2?
In Season 1, I was most excited to film in Iceland—the land of fire and ice—that exceeded every expectation with its volcanoes, waterfalls, geysers, and geothermal spas.
This season, I can’t wait to explore Jamaica, Kenya, Switzerland, Portugal, Germany, and the UK. | love to travel, and I’m just as excited to meet our new contributors and learn about their incredible sustainability initiatives.
What did this show teach you about yourself?
This show has reminded me how much I love to learn. Hands-on learning is the best kind, and every shoot feels like the most fascinating course I’ve ever taken.
I get to spend my days talking exclusively with experts in their fields, asking them to break things down so our audience can understand.
By the end of each day, I’ve grown a little more as a well-rounded person. It’s fun, fulfilling, and it’s made me more mindful of my own environmental footprint in everything I do.
How does it feel to be a part of the digital age?
The digital age is both scary and thrilling! Information and entertainment have become more accessible than ever.
People are even streaming content more than watching traditional TV—my eight-year-old daughter included!
Luckily, “The Visioneers” is available on CBS, and digitally on various streaming platforms as well. Hearst Media Production Group also has a brilliant social media team helping me stay connected and current with our audience.
It’s an exciting time to be part of this evolution. Mainly, I’m excited to be reaching such a broad audience all at once.
What do your plans for the future include?
My goal for my future is to keep “The Visioneers” going as long as innovators continue to amaze us with their sustainable breakthroughs.
I also run a small production company called 3Degrees Entertainment, where we develop and pitch film and TV projects—including a coming-of-age independent film called “StandBy,” starring Sean Astin, Margaret Cho, Abigail Breslin, Jay Mohr, and John Cleese, which we have already started filming.
What is your advice for hopefuls who wish to go into the entertainment field?
Do not wait for opportunity—create it! Find that project you’ve always dreamed of making and figure out what it takes to bring it to life.
Chances are, you already have the right people and resources already in your contacts.
I started developing “The Visioneers” in 2021—building the concept, pitching to investors, teaming up with a trusted production company, and filming a pilot before finding distribution. At every step of the way, I involved people I already knew.
Now look how far we’ve come! Where there’s a will, there’s usually a Zay. And it all starts with a clear vision—which would make you a Visioneer whenever that vision becomes a reality.
What does success mean to you?
For me, success has always meant working at my craft—earning a living doing what I love, whether on stage, TV, or film.
My dad used to say, “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity,” and I’ve found that to be true. A wise director later added that, “We create our own luck by doing everything we can before asking for help.”
Now, success also means working on meaningful projects—like “The Visioneers”. Because this show makes a real difference, I feel both successful and lucky every single day.
What’s the one thing you want readers to take away from CBS’s “The Visioneers with Zay Harding”?
I want readers to wake up early every Saturday and experience our show live on CBS WKND, in real time. That’s the most exciting way to watch it.
Then, hopefully it sparks a conversation about responsibility in sustainability, because we all breathe the same air, and we are all living in the same Earth.
What we do on one side of the planet greatly affects everyone in it, even in the other side of the world.
So, we must each work hard to defend and protect our planet’s precious resources for the love of all humankind.
To learn more about Zay Harding, follow him on Instagram.
