Forward Twp. boy featured in ad campaign
Zachary White is like most 8-year-olds. He likes to play soccer and his favorite foods are pizza, hot dogs and mac and cheese.
But what sets Zachary apart from other kids his age is that he is featured in a national advertising campaign for Rite Aid.
Zachary is featured in the drugstore chain's summer ads, which has generated a great deal of excitement not only for Zachary but also for his parents, Matthew and Megan, and his 4-year-old sibling, Emily. The family resides in Forward Township.
“We were all very excited,” said his mother, Megan White. “What had happened was he auditioned for a role in a Net-flix promotional video, and the same week he found out he got the Rite Aid ad. We found out he wasn't going to get the Netflix ad, and the next day we found out he was going to be featured in the Rite Aid ad.
“He was ecstatic.”
The excitement has extended to Zachary's family and classmates, who all seek out his ads.
“The whole experience has been fun for us,” Megan White said. “We tend to travel a lot around the Pittsburgh area for his soccer activities. Every time we pass a Rite Aid we stop in and take his picture with his ad. His friends at school are excited. And his family tries to find the ads as well.”
According to Megan White, the ad is her son's first modeling job. Zachary has been signed with Docherty Talent Agency in Pittsburgh since he was 3½.
“They had contacted us at the end of fall last year to try out for the Rite Aid talent shoot and he was chosen,” Megan White said. “The shoot was down in Pittsburgh on the South Side. He hasn't been featured in anything. This was his first one.”
The Whites are hopeful there are more opportunities in the future.
“He has tried out before but was never chosen for the advertisement,” Megan White said. “It is kind of a fun, extra thing for him to do on the side. We wait to hear from Docherty for an audition to come up, and we go and hope he gets it.”
When Zachary isn't seizing the opportunity to pose in front of the camera, he can be found playing soccer for his school and the Riverhounds RDA boys team.
