We were lucky to catch up with Hieu Luu recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hieu, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us a bit about who your hero is and the influence they’ve had on you?

My father and oldest brothers were refugees at the end of the Vietnam War. My father was younger than me when he lost both his wife and homeland, yet he had to take care of 2 sons on his own. There were so many organizations and people, including John Brahler, who helped them find refuge in the US. Our lineage survives because of the grace of all those individuals. Those are my heroes. This taught me the importance of helping and being kind to others.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Hieu Luu. I am the owner of Sáng Visuals, a small video production that specializes in product commercials, events, and corporate brand films. I help businesses and organizations tell their story in visually engaging ways. The Vietnamese translation of Sáng means “light” or “morning”. When I started Sáng Visuals, I wanted it to be a compassionate business that worked with good people. I wanted it to be unique, just like I was, so it had to have a Vietnamese name. With my work, I try to incorporate those values by constantly incorporating new and unique visual techniques that capture the audience’s attention to help tell my client’s story.

As a small production, I’m proud that I got to work with big clients like Heartland Coca-Cola, Raising Canes, Zhiyun-Tech, and Homeland Security. I also have the privilege to collaborate with many other incredible video productions here in STL, which I’m very grateful for.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Many books have positively influenced me. Some of my favorites are Atomic Habits and Essentialism. However, the most influential book has to be “Feeling Good” by David D Burns. This book goes over a multitude of cognitive behavioral therapy strategies. I think a lot of folks struggle with self-doubt, recovering from loss, or fear of failure. This book provides the tools needed to derationalize negative thoughts and start reframing them towards thoughts that can move you forward. This book helped me gain more confidence in myself and helped me find the courage to pursue more. Your mental health affects your business, your craft, and every single part of your life, so it’s important to take care of it. I think this would be a great book for anyone who could use a little extra help.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I want to be able to film and tell Asian-American stories. Growing up, I always loved watching films. Watching films helped me get through some of the hardest times in my life. One day, I watched the movie “Minari,” and it changed things for me. It was a story about an asian immigrant family coming to the US to start a life. For the first time, I got to watch my parents’ story in a film. I got to see a family that looked like mine, and it felt like being seen. Since then, there’s been a renaissance of new asian-american films being created, and I want to be a part of that wave. I want the next generation of asian-americans to be seen. There’s a lot that I need to learn and improve on before I can do that, but I’m excited that everything I do gets me one step closer to that goal.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sangvisuals.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hieu.sangvisuals/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hieu.sangvisuals
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hieuluu-/