John Kalani Zak

John Kalani Zak, the son of an airline executive father and a journalist mother, was born in Washington D. C. He has lived in and traveled to many locations around the globe, and is delighted to call Hawaiʻi his home.

Hawaiian ways and traditions have captivated John for as long as he can remember. He had the joy of making several documentary films, including Hawaiian Healing and Pule Wailele, which screened at the HIFF and Maui film festivals in Hawaiʻi and overseas. Other projects include a book, Hawaiian Massage Lomilomi, Sacred Touch of Aloha.

In addition to duties as an on-­air host with Hawaiʻi Public Radio, John is a voice-­over actor, producing and narrating books for Audible.com, among other projects.

Past work includes producing and/or directing daytime serials, including The Bold and the Beautiful, One Life to Live, General Hospital and The Young and the Restless. John has received 7 national Emmy nominations, an Emmy Award, and was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award. He is a member of the Hawaiian Historical Society and the Kailua Hawaiian Civic Club.

Zak is also an avid photographer. He loves all forms of music, from Hawaiian, to classical, to Brazilian jazz, to Bulgarian folksongs.