Born in Nutley, New Jersey, and raised by his great grandmother, grandmother, mother and two aunts, Zano's childhood dream of becoming a Navy Seal changed one afternoon when he saw the film Goodfellas and decided to pursue a career in show business.

During high school in West Palm Beach, Florida, Zano was active in the drama and television departments. Throughout his junior and senior years, Zano and fellow classmates produced a weekly off-beat skit comedy show that aired on the school's television station. While working on the show, Zano also wrote, starred in and directed student films that made their way to the JVC Universal Film Competition, a festival in which over 800 local high schools participate.

Shortly after high school, Zano moved to Los Angeles and landed a job developing films and television projects for a small production company. During that time, he also was the associate producer for Living Position, a World AIDS Day television special hosted by Lou Diamond Phillips. It was while he was selling shoes in a trendy Los Angeles boutique that a customer, unbeknownst to Zano, went back to her office and told her supervisors she'd just met a man who would be a wonderful on-air personality. The mystery woman was an employee at MTV. This meeting lead to Zano landing the hosting job of MTV's MOVIE HOUSE.

Zano completed production on two films: the independent feature Love Surreal and Fat Albert, based on the successful cartoon series.

Zano has taken up painting and is a big football fan. He has stayed close with many of his childhood friends, including his best friend, who was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs the day before Zano landed his MTV job.