We were lucky to catch up with Alberta Poon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alberta, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I grew up as the only Asian girl in a Mormon town, where I developed a superpower to survive my childhood—my dead-pan sense of humor. When I was eleven, my dad brought home a VHS camcorder, and that’s when I started writing and shooting comedic sketches. Unfortunately, without a mentor and with film school costing a fortune, I didn’t pursue my dream of becoming a filmmaker right after high school.

But while I worked at my regular jobs, I made time to write and produce passion projects with my friends. In 2016, after a series of unfortunate events, I found myself at a crossroads: stick with my dead-end job or take a leap and pursue filmmaking. I was living in Portland, OR, at the time and had heard about a popular video production program at my local community college. With nothing to lose, I signed up for classes. That’s where I picked up the hands-on skills I needed to succeed as a filmmaker and entrepreneur.

Today, I’m the founder of Nocturnal Uniform, a video production company. Looking back, I wish I had explored community college sooner. Not only would I have signed up for the film program, but I also would have taken business courses. I learned the business side through trial and error, so if you’re a struggling artist looking to start your own company, I highly recommend you don’t make the same mistakes as me and take community college business classes. They’re affordable and you don’t even have to leave your house!

Alberta, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Alberta, the founder of Nocturnal Uniform Productions, a video production company that creates branded content, commercials, music videos, and short films. After years of freelancing as a filmmaker, I started my own company because I noticed a growing demand from small businesses and nonprofits wanting to work directly with skilled filmmakers to produce their content.

As a woman of color, many of my clients are other people of color and women-owned businesses. They’re looking for like-minded partners they feel comfortable with—people who can bring their vision/brand to life without needing detailed explanations about their culture or identity. While some companies might see my gender as a reason not to hire me, I take pride in knowing that my background gives me a unique point of view in an industry where so many companies are looking to attract female customers. My mission is to work with underrepresented talent, ensuring diverse perspectives are highlighted both in front of and behind the camera.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

It’s gotta be the collaboration process. When I work with friends on a passion project, there’s this electricity in the air. We’re not just creating something that reflects our shared experiences—we’re showing the world a piece of our humanity, often in the most irreverent and ridiculous way (because that’s how I roll). And when that work resonates with a wide audience, that’s just the cherry on top.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

This isn’t to say I didn’t know about it, but I can’t stress enough how incredible YouTube is as a resource for learning filmmaking. Everything is on there, from film theory to VFX. While I was in my film program, I was also binging YouTube videos on areas I wasn’t learning in school. I always joke that I graduated from YouTube University because of how much I learned from that site. I still use it daily when I’m editing a project and get stuck on something I haven’t done before. So if you’re thinking about pursuing a career as a filmmaker but are hesitant to commit to school, start by watching YouTube videos on the areas of filmmaking you’re most interested in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://albertapoon.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nocturnaluniform/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alberta-poon/

Image Credits

Head Shot: Emily Bolles
BTS shots: Christine Dong