My Taiwanese parents came to America with no money and supported my brothers and me as small business owners in Orange County, which is close to L.A. but about as far away from Hollywood as you can be.
You hear nightmare stories from young filmmakers working in Hollywood, being told what to do.
I made a lot of mistakes along the way, but feel incredibly lucky to be in the position I am now and to be able to play a small part in trying to support talented, aspiring young filmmakers out there through a program like 'Interpretations' who, like me, had the desire and passion, but no connections to the industry.
When I think of high school, stills are so important: it's all about the wallet with the kids - they define themselves with pictures, who they know, whose pictures they have. Yearbook pictures.
Studio films are driven by marketing. The currency is literally money. But in the indie world, the currency is passion.
I grew up, from ages 8 to 18, watching reruns of 'Star Trek' with my dad and my mom when they got home from work.
