We recently connected with Dan Yang and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dan, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project that I’ve worked on is actually the project that I’m working on at this very moment. It’s a project that I’ve been dreaming about for almost two years. I was never sure how I would bring it to life, but because of an opportunity from the (MSAB) Minnesota State Art’s Board I was able to turn my dream into a reality.

As a first generation immigrant, I believe that I have an obligation to not only preserve but share Hmong culture with everyone. This project that I’m working on allows me to combines two of my passions together; media and Hmong culture. Through the MSAB Cultural expression grant I was able to begin work on a video web series that will utilize animation to tell traditional Hmong folklores. This project means so much to me because it allows me to share my culture with everyone in a way that is modern, fun and interesting.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Well for starters, my name is Dan Yang. I’m a MN based filmmaker, whose been producing and directing films for almost a decade. I’ve been doing this for a very long time but I feel like I’m just starting my career and feel like I still have so much more to do and accomplish.

At the start of my career I worked on narrative films; think feature length films. But currently now, I’ve shifted to short form videos that live on social media. I’ve really enjoyed working on bite size pieces that are easy to understand yet creates long lasting impacts. This led. m to the creation of Across The Mountains, my media platform.

What I believe sets me apart from others in this field is that I seek to tell the stories that no one else is telling, or tell stories in a way that no one has yet thought of. I believe that now more than ever, people are hungry for information and they are activity seeking out content creators.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

There are so many goals that are driving me, but my long term goal and dream is to be able to turn my social media platform into a media hub. I envision Across The Mountain as not only a channel that shares short form videos, but as a hub that can curate written articles, breaking news, long form documentaries, photos and live events across the nation and even the globe. It’s a big goal, but that’s what makes it so exciting.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

From the start, I knew who my primary audience was. I even knew who my secondary audience was because, my work is very focused on addressing topics that are central to my community. I know whats important to my community and what topics resonate with them. This knowledge is not only because I’m from that community, but also because I study how the topics and trends affect or influence the community. Knowing your audience is very important but knowing how they will react to your content is equally as important.

An advice for those just starting is, try focused communication efforts. That way you can tell what is working and what is not, by having a focused message you are able to gauge and revise your messaging. Often times people cast a big net hoping to catch something, but most times they get nothing.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcrossTheMountainsMedia
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AcrossTheMountains