Picture it — New York City! 2024!
A quirky, eager newcomer arrives, ready to mingle. After a chance encounter with two bold, stylish locals in Pilates, he gets invited to a quintessential New York experience: a potluck party followed by a paint-and-sip night. Stumbling through each event with misplaced enthusiasm, he endears himself to new friends — and viewers — by doing everything but “nailing it!”
This is the setup for Out’s latest video series — Nailing It?, starring none other than gay comedic darling Zachariah Porter. Known for his wry humor and campy style, Porter takes on not only the role of the wide-eyed, fumbling new dweller, but also his two sophisticated, sassy city girl friends.
“This is my story at this point,” said Porter, originally from New Bedford, Mass., who moved to the city two and a half years ago. “Just meeting people from different walks of life, trying to fit in, and finding my footing here is challenging.”
Porter is absolutely nailing it, though. No stranger to playing multiple characters, Porter launched his comedy career in early 2019, posting his first sketch on Tik Tok, which quickly went viral. Now, at age 29, the comedian has more than 5 million followers and over 220 million likes online. His content combines hysterical and spot-on observations with personalities inspired by real-life individuals — often women.
The comedian flaunted his full style.Stuart Sox/Out.com
“They always come from someone I really know,” Porter elaborated. “I was raised by women and I worked with women my entire life. I like to see that people can find themselves in the characters.”
For Nailing It?, Porter collaborated with a stylist, groomer, and a nail artist to bring the series’ three distinctive personas to life, each outfitted with wigs, minimal makeup, and essie nail polish. essie’s range gave Porter’s roles a final touch — bright, playful nails that tell their own stories.
“I don’t do nails,” Porter laughed, playing with the colorful polishes on set. “To be able to work with really talented people who really know their craft is a dream.”
Porter tried on colorful nail polishes.Keighton/Out.com
Porter wore five essie shades throughout the series: the muted coral Never Basic, the juicy red Watermelon, the faded yellow All Fun & Games, the soft rose Multi-faceted, and the classic burgundy Bubbles Only.
“I can’t always see the full look until I’m dressed,” Porter said, “but I can see the nails immediately. Somehow they bring the character to life, and the story unfolds from there.”
As he prepares for his 15-show The Strip Mall Tease Tour next year, Porter exclusively teased Out that fans could look forward to “plenty of camp and drama.”
Until then, watch Nailing It? below, offering a perfect splash of humor and style — and a sneak peek at Porter’s favorite essie shade for the season!
This story is brought to you by our partners at essie.
A set of vibrant and bright nail polishes sat on display.Keighton/Out.com
Executive ProducerTIM SNOW
Creative DirectorMIKEY LOMBARDO
DirectorSTUART SOX
Content & Design ManagerKEIGHTON
Audio RecordistXIAO HAN
StylistROLAND FITZ
GroomerTIM MCKAY
Nail ArtistRITA REMARK
Nail AssistantKUNIKO INOUE
Production AssistantLULU DROPO
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