We recently had the chance to connect with William Zakrajshek and have shared our conversation below.
Hi William , thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day for me right now looks nothing like it used to. The fairs aren’t gone, but I had to shift where I put my energy in what’s become a politically toxic climate. Instead of being drained by logistics and stress, I’m pouring into projects that actually excite me — the book, the podcast, DCW Grows, and Snack Shack. We’re back to 15-hour days of work, but it feels totally different. It’s energetic, it’s fun, and even when the day finally ends, I still wish it kept going because there’s always more I want to pour in. My mornings start with the dogs and the garden, and then it’s straight into creating — writing, planning, growing, building. The work doesn’t just fill the calendar, it fills me back up, and that’s the biggest difference.”
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m William Zakrajshek, and I’ve spent the last decade creating projects that celebrate queer life in spaces where it hasn’t always been visible. Out at the Fair® grew from one county fair into a nationwide, funded program that continues to improve lives with its programming. That experience taught me two things: the power of building community from the ground up, and the limits of staying in one lane. That’s why I’ve shifted into something even bigger — projects that live year-round and tell our story on a deeper level. Our book, Tres Amigos, Una Vida, draws from my real-life throuple and has grown into its own creative world, expanding into a podcast and new brand ventures like DCW Grows and C-Dawg’s Snack Shack. What makes this unique is that it’s not just products or content — it’s our actual life turned into storytelling, food, gardening, and community. We’ve had success, but what’s coming next is 1,000% bigger, bolder, and built to last.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was just a kid with a wild imagination and a drive to make things happen. But growing up, I learned fast that my shine didn’t fit what people expected. I was told to straighten up, play smaller, follow the version of life that felt safe to everyone else but suffocating to me. For a long time, I did that — I played the part. That was my first life.
But the truth is, living someone else’s version of you is exhausting. I got to a point where I realized I could either keep disappearing into that box or I could break out completely. That’s why this second life — this life I’m in now — feels so different and so alive. I’m not planning other people’s dreams anymore. I’m pouring everything into our own.
That’s why these brands matter so much to me. Out at the Fair was my first act of rebellion — taking up space where queer visibility wasn’t expected and turning it into a national, funded movement. The book, Tres Amigos, Una Vida, is the part of my story the world never saw — the real love, the throuple, the laughter, the chaos. DCW Grows started with me in the dirt in my own backyard, building life literally from the ground up. And Snack Shack is us in the kitchen, creating joy you can taste.
It’s drastic because I finally shifted from surviving in a world that wanted me to be something else, to thriving in a life we’re building ourselves. I’m still here because I refused to give up on that second chance. And every single project we launch is proof that I didn’t just survive my first life — I turned it into something bigger, brighter, and fully ours.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, 100%. This past spring was one of the hardest times of my life. One of our closest partners turned on us with Out at the Fair, and in a politically toxic climate that betrayal created a snowball — fair locations started canceling, people showed their true colors, and the tone of every conversation shifted. I was suddenly being treated less than human, screamed at on the phone by people I once considered friends. These were people I had shared meals with, invested time with, and trusted. When they turned their backs, it brought something out in people that I still can’t explain.
Suddenly, I was on statewide Alaska TV defending our community against accusations of having some kind of ‘agenda.’ What followed were MONTHS of death threats — in my inbox, across social media — and then the most painful blow: realizing that even some people in my own family couldn’t support me. Instead of standing by me, they said it was deserved. That kind of heartbreak was an eye-opener. The people I thought loved me most may have been running the biggest con job of all.
I cried for weeks. I honestly thought I might be done. But somewhere in that darkness, something shifted. The book started, and so did the new chapter of my life. Instead of letting it break me, I realized I didn’t need validation, I didn’t need permission, and I sure as hell didn’t need to live in fear. What I needed was to find my light again — and I did. That’s why I’m still here. Because what was meant to silence me actually pushed me to create louder, bolder, and more unapologetically than ever before.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, 100%. The public version of me is the real me. The passion, the fire, the way I show up — that all comes from deep inside, not an act I put on for the stage. People love to remind me I’m a Gemini and say, ‘Oh, that explains all the energy and crazy,’ but honestly, I’ve never been more accepted than I am now just showing up fully as myself. What surprises people most is that the guy they see hyping a crowd at a fair, or the one emailing them a contract at midnight, is the same person they’ll meet sitting in my backyard with the dogs and a ranch water. There’s no split version of me — it’s all real. The only difference is that when the lights go down, I let myself recharge so I can come back and give it everything all over again.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
I think the biggest misunderstanding about my legacy will be that it’s just about events, or a book, or a brand. On the surface, people will remember Out at the Fair, Tres Amigos, Una Vida, DCW Grows, Snack Shack — all of it. But what they might miss is why I built it. None of this was ever about products or programming; it was about survival turned into creation. About taking the life I was told I couldn’t live and proving it not only possible but joyful, loud, and unapologetic.
Some people will look back and think my story was only about business or entertainment. But the truth is, my legacy is about carving out space where queer people — especially people like me in throuples, in chosen families, in messy, beautiful real life — could see themselves. It’s about showing that visibility isn’t a trend, it’s a lifestyle, and it’s one worth protecting and celebrating. If there’s a misunderstanding, it’ll be that my legacy was about the work. But really, it’s always been about the people, the community, and proving that we belonged all along.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.outatinc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outat_inc
- Other: www.tresamigosunavia.com – www.dcwgrows.com – www.throupletea.com – www.3dudes1lifecreative.com
Image Credits
We took them or created the artwork.
