Today we’d like to introduce you to Z Cher-Aime.
Hi Z, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up LOVING animation. Dragon Ball Z, PowerPuff Girls, Dexter’s Lab, Samurai Jack, Spider-Man, Batman, X-men etc.
But it wasn’t until ‘Static Shock’ came around that I genuinely considered a career in TV. A Black teen hero whose story was at the CENTER—not the sidelines. I loved that show so much that every fiber in my being became determined to make my own show.
So when it was canceled in 2005, I was DEVASTATED. I waited for YEARS for a reboot or a remake to come out but it never happened.
By that time I had already started drawing and making my own characters and even selling my own “indie” comics to my friends. People kept saying, “These are so good, you should work for Marvel or something.”
And while I liked the idea of that at first, over time, I realized that I’d never be able to tell the stories I wanted to center at any studio/corporate system. They would always be sanitized in some way, shape, or form, going the “conventional” route.
So I decided to go to film school to learn the skills I needed to strike out on my own. That same year, I would have a depressive episode that almost killed me—
But it didn’t.
From a desperate desire to be heard and understood, I created a character that I felt like could be the window into the mind of someone dealing with depression. That story would be called: Captain Zero.
Fast forward to today, and the same story that helped save my life has allowed me to work with industry legends like Keith David and Angelica Ross, have my short film premiere at Tribeca Film Festival, and gifted me amazing friends and colleagues.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not in the slightest. “Filmmaking is problem solving,” as the old saying goes, and at every juncture of this decade-long journey and 18-month-long production, there have been obstacles.
I’ve overdrafted my account several times for this film. I’ve paid people out of pocket using rent money when investors dragged their feet with financing. I missed family events, milestones, and celebrations for this film.
I’ve maxed out my credit cards and even sold the very laptop I used to edit the short film on just to ensure I could get to Tribeca with my team.
I’ve sacrificed in almost every aspect of life you could for this film. And if given the chance, I’d do it all again. That’s how much I believe in this project.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I think by far the thing that sets me apart from others as an artist is the vantage point I tell my stories through, and that every story is intentionally misleading.
In the same way that ‘Sinners’ (2025) is a “vampire film” that isn’t at all about vampires.
I think the best stories are ones where we’re made to THINK they are about one thing, but end up actually being about something else entirely–usually something far deeper.
Likewise, ‘Captain Zero’ is set up as if it’s a traditional superhero story–but it’s not. It’s actually a coming-of-age character drama framed through the therapy sessions of a young Black teen grappling with identity, self-worth, public scrutiny, and the effects of unaddressed trauma.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”, right? Or better, “To whom much is given, much is required.”
Without risk, there is no reward. I don’t think I could have achieved half of the milestones I have if I weren’t willing to risk something. And in my case, I was willing to regularly risk virtually everything just to make this project. But that level of commitment is what made others see the value in both me as an artist and ‘Captain Zero’ as a project.
When I’d tell producers or investors I have put my entire life savings into getting this project off the ground, I think most people would imagine the response being “You’re insane.” end of conversation, but funny enough, it’s usually “You’re insane…you must be extremely convinced in what you’re doing”
And it’s that conviction–the belief that “Weather you join me or not, I’m going to get this thing done and see it through to the end” that makes them go “The hell with it, here’s a 6-figure investment”
The ability to take a risk on yourself makes others confident in taking a risk on you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cuttingedgeanimation.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CaptainZeroTAS
- Twitter: https://www.X.com/CaptainZeroTAS
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CuttingEdgeAnimation
Image Credits
Kedrick Walker & Story Logic/JLT Viduals
