Zach Hadel (Class of 2011)

Web animator and co-creator of Smiling Friends for Adult Swim.

What is Zach Hadel (Class of 2011) known for?

Zach Hadel, born on March 4, 1993 in Overland Park, Kansas, is a renowned American YouTuber, animator, writer, director, producer, and voice actor. Known by his pseudonym 'psychicpebbles,' Hadel has left a significant mark in the animation and content creation realm.

From the early days of his career, Hadel showcased his animation skills by uploading Adobe Flash animations to Newgrounds and later shifting to YouTube. His self-taught prowess in animation drew inspiration from popular shows such as SpongeBob SquarePants, The Simpsons, and South Park.

One of the first indications of Hadel's future success was his viral animated video about the "arrow in the knee” meme from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in 2011. Collaborating with fellow Newgrounds animator Chris O'Neill, Hadel created the popular web cartoon series Hellbenders, which was noted by Adult Swim. The duo also created a viral parody video of the Kony 2012 documentary, gaining over 1.7 million views within its first weekend.

Further demonstrating his versatility, Hadel was part of SleepyCabin, a comedy, and discussion podcast. As of April 2022, his YouTube channel 'psychicpebbles' had 1.5 million subscribers and 208.4 million views.

A memorable highlight of Hadel’s career includes his collaboration with Justin Roiland, co-creator of Rick and Morty, for animating a segment of Seth Rogen's Hilarity for Charity. Hadel also joined forces with animator Alex Hirsch on h3h3's livestream podcast for charity, raising more than $100,000 for California wildlife relief.

Zach Hadel hosted the podcast ‘Schmucks’ from 2017 to 2019, interviewing luminaries like Michael Stevens, Finn Wolfhard, Jon Jafari, and Ethan Klein. Not confined to internet-based projects, Hadel storyboarded for SpongeBob SquarePants in the season 11 episode "The Grill is Gone."

Perhaps most notably, Hadel co-created the animated adult television series Smiling Friends with Michael Cusack. Premiered on Cartoon Network's late-night Adult Swim block in 2020, the series follows Pim and Charlie, employees of a company tasked with making people smile. The series kickstarted with a full season marathon in 2022 and is available on HBO Max.

From Kansas to global recognition, Zach Hadel's journey attests to his enduring creativity and talent. His work continues to inspire and entertain, thanks to his unique style and relatable content.