Tell us about yourself?

I grew up in a conservative, immigrant household. Both of my parents were refugees—my dad was from China and my mom was from Vietnam. In the 70s, both their families went through the experience of abandoning their homes in the middle of the night in order to flee war, poverty, and oppression brought down by the communist government. They escaped over water by swimming, piling into a fishing boat, and eventually making their way to the U.S. as the country had opened up its borders in the late 1970s and welcomed refugees.

They both ended up in Los Angeles, California, met, and had me in the 1980s. We grew up incredibly poor, to the point that my parents once had to empty out my piggy bank to pay rent. And although they had an incredible work ethic, it was hard seeing my parents work so hard for pennies. I told myself early on that I never again wanted to be in a position where my family and I had to worry about money.

After high school, I was so eager to start working that I dropped out of community college after two years. I somehow landed a job in finance, loved it, and learned everything I could. After getting married in 2009, I switched gears. I was ready for a new challenge and wanted to prove that I could do something creative, meaningful, and still make a living out of it. Naively unphased by the recession, my wife and I quit our corporate jobs and jumped right into launching a video business with no prior experience or knowledge in filmmaking. We took our modest savings and invested in ourselves, going from doing free jobs to gain experience to $10k jobs in under a year. Through a series of moves up the west coast, we found opportunity and a creative community, eventually settling down in Portland in 2012.

“And although they had an incredible work ethic, it was hard seeing my parents work so hard for pennies. I told myself early on that I never again wanted to be in a position where my family and I had to worry about money. ”

Why did you start your business?

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Going to school and working a job was what the world said I needed to do but deep down I’ve always wanted to build my own business. When Joyce and I were engaged,we stumbled upon a random wedding film and were stunned by how someone was able to break the cycle of the same old boring videos and create something different, and tell a great story. I thought, that’s what I want to do: create a business around impactful storytelling. At that point the details didn’t matter; I just had to figure out my next steps.

Right before I started Only Today, we were filming a documentary on child slavery (it sadly still exists!) and I found myself in the middle of a small town in the outskirts of Ghana, Africa. I saw firsthand how children were being enslaved and I remember thinking this is what I needed to be doing—giving a voice to those who otherwise would not have the resources to share their story with the world.

Today, about 90% of our work is dedicated to telling stories of everyday people around the world doing extraordinary things for their community, the environment, for social good—and we’ve somehow convinced massive billion-dollar companies to support and fund this mission.

“Our company is an Emmy-award-winning collective of directors, writers, cinematographers, and producers centered on the belief that well told stories can spark curiosity, shift perspectives and inspire action."

Is there an obstacle you faced that helped you get where you are today?

I didn’t have a lot of support on my entrepreneurial journey. A lot of people—from some of my best friends to my family and co-workers—just didn’t get it and thought we were making a terrible decision. How could we give up stable jobs with benefits and great earning potential just to shoot videos? Suddenly, I felt really alone—I wanted to talk about this thing I was excited about and everyone else just wanted us to do the safe thing.

Before I quit my finance job, I had one manager who encouraged me to go for it. He gave me pointers about how to negotiate, how to pitch and how to get paid for what I brought to the table. I didn’t really understand it at the time, but it was just enough to give me the confidence I needed. Later, he told me I was the only colleague he’d worked with who really went after what they wanted, that he admired me for having the courage to bet on myself. Soon after that, we won our first Emmy. But before I had the chance to thank him for everything, he unexpectedly passed away.

From that point on, I took the approach of sharing everything I’m doing—the good and the bad—and encouraging other people looking to build what sets their hearts on fire. I’m proof that you don’t need to spend a hundred grand on film school; you don’t need to have Hollywood connections. You just have to want it, work for it, accept failure as part of the journey, never stop learning, and surround yourself with the right people who will support you—no matter how hard it may seem.

I get asked often why running a business doesn’t faze me and I always think about my parents. They came here as refugees, had no money, no community, and yet became entrepreneurs of a business that is still running today. Nothing is impossible.

“I’m proof that you don’t need to spend a hundred grand on film school; you don’t need to have Hollywood connections. You just have to want it, work for it, accept failure as part of the journey, never stop learning, and surround yourself with the right people who will support you—no matter how hard it may seem.”

How else has being an EO member helped you?

The moment I discovered the internet, all I did was read articles and books on how to start a business, how to sell, how to pitch, how to raise money. So, between then and now, I learned a lot. That said, I’ve learned more in my first six months in EO than in the last 20 years combined. For the first time in my life, I had a glimpse of what other business owners were going through and realized that the challenges I was running into weren’t unique to me. And that meant someone had already solved a lot of these problems.

When I joined EO, I quickly broke out of a “survival” mindset—how to get to the next deal, how to make payroll. For the first time in my life, I felt empowered to dream bigger because survival is no longer my priority. I know I can make a living as a filmmaker, but my EO journey is about continuing to turn my craft into a sustainable, profitable business.

“I’ve learned more in my first six months in EO than the last 20 years combined.”

Our theme this year in EO Portland is “lift others up.” How do you lift others up in your work or life?

We were fortunate to win several Emmys early on and that opened a lot of doors for us. We worked hard for it but nothing was guaranteed so it was the equivalent of winning the lottery. I never take that for granted. It’s a priority for me to support other entrepreneurs and other filmmakers who haven't had the same opportunities. I also believe we play a small part in shining a light on those in front of the camera through the stories that we tell, amplifying their work and their cause through the films we create. Joyce and I have circled the globe telling stories and teaching workshops on what it takes to succeed as both a creative and an entrepreneur.

“It’s a priority for me to support other entrepreneurs and other filmmakers who haven't had the same opportunities.”

What lies ahead for Only Today?

It recently dawned on me that I haven't been dreaming big enough. We have the experience, a proven track record of success, and our most valuable asset, a worldwide network of collaborators and entrepreneurs that I’m proud to call my community. So it’s time to aim higher. I want, not for myself, but for my team and all the friends and family that have supported me along this journey—to uplift them up by producing a feature-length movie worthy of an Oscar win.

#entreprenuers #courageousleadership

This is an interview series by Talie Smith, EO Board Chair for Chapter Communications, featuring Entrepreneurs' Organization – EO Portland Chapter members who lift others up through their grit, talent, and courageous entrepreneurial spirit.

Interested in learning more about Entrepreneurs' Organization?

Visit our website at eopdx.org to learn about us.