We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jess Dang a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jess, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I wrote and directed Surrender, a short film starring Andrea Bang from Kim’s Convenience and Keiko Agena from Gilmore Girls. Surrender is the story of a young Asian female – a recovering compulsive gambler that relapses after 100 days of abstinence. The film attempts to confront and dismantle the harmful media image of the Asian female stereotype – docile, quiet, invisible – leading to discrimination and conversations about gender roles in society linked to racism and sexism. Surrender premiered at The Directors Guild of America as part of the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival’s 38th edition in the spring of 2022 and continues to travel through the festival circuit.

The short film was made as a proof-of-concept for a more extensive feature version – I wrote the script and will direct it at the end of this year – 2023. Surrender is the most meaningful project I’ve made because its foundation comes from a personal place. I was a high-limit blackjack player for over a decade; I spent many years gambling secretly – it’s how I dealt with the ups and downs of life, and I wrestled with shame for so long. And during 2020, amid a global pandemic, I realized the negative impact my gambling had on my emotional, mental, and physical states and how I was also damaging relationships and pushing away those who so deeply cared for and loved me. All these feelings led me to walk into my gambling addiction recovery process, which I’m incredibly thankful for.

I am leaning toward being more vulnerable and open with my story, allowing others to know there can be a path to healing. For many years, I felt alone, but externally, I tried to mask those thoughts. My mindset has shifted to where I remind myself to write what I know and that there is value in my experiences as an Asian American female.

I seek to continue holding on to the power of shedding light on complex narrative themes and being intentional about making socially responsible films. I feel privileged to be a creative filmmaker and still have much to learn.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always found myself drawn to the subject of art from a young age – shoutout to my mom who made this creative path possible by believing in me and investing a lot of money in art programs. I often joke with my mom that if I wasn’t a creative person, I don’t know what I would be doing with my life. Because nothing else really makes me feel like my true self.

I got my BFA in Communication Design (aka graphic design) from Parsons School of Design in New York City. Moving to NYC when I was 18 was a thrill but also reminded me of how competitive the landscape was going to be. At Parsons, I convinced myself after taking a publication design class that I wanted to work in editorial, so I wrote a lot of bad cover letters and was fortunate to intern and spend some time at Harper’s Bazaar, Teen Vogue, and Seventeen Magazine. But I learned rather quickly that the world of editorial wasn’t for me. I became more interested in brand building and understanding how to introduce visual languages in order to create unity across mediums.

Shortly after, I got opportunities to work with Target and MTV and found myself more eager to learn about advertising, which led to my first real gig at McCann Erickson as an Art Director when I was 22. At McCann, I was exposed to working with a copywriter and was in a position to creatively contribute to campaigns for Intel, Verizon, and Ad Council. I had no real knowledge of film or video production at the time but became fascinated with seeing how commercial productions would come together and every person had a specialized skill. It opened up my eyes and it was for sure an aha moment where I knew that I wanted to learn about filmmaking in a serious setting. So, I applied to USC’s School of Cinematic Arts MFA Film and Television Production program, and to my surprise, was accepted.

At USC, I focused on studying the craft of directing and producing – these two disciplines were unfamiliar, and I wrestled with how I wasn’t sure of how my accumulated skills would come together but I think I always carried the intention of merging my love for design with film. At USC, I made a few short films, while learning about the various phases of development, production, and post-production.

Today, I’m currently a Creative Director at Audible, focused on growing their international arm, particularly Audible Canada’s content slate; and simultaneously overseeing my own entity – Long Lunch Break, a studio that sits at the intersection of design and film. I am in a place where I’m more confident about the stories I want to tell, the people I’m interested in working with, non-negotiable values, and the social impact I believe creativity has. As an Asian American female, I am committed to amplifying Asian voices and centering underrepresented communities in my body of work.

I’m most proud of being able to create every day and the power of collaboration – what a gift!

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Yes! I think I’m an old-school person in the sense that I learned about visual arts through a classical approach – getting my BFA at Parsons School of Design in New York City, where I was drawing typography with a pencil and ruler, mixing paints as I learned about color theory, and sketching with charcoal to a live model posing to understand the human figure and movements. I am tactile – I still prefer to paint and draw versus type words on a computer.

Nowadays, many different resources are available online – for example, to make a film or learn a specific skill – like baking bread (which I’ve never attempted but will challenge myself to) – I know people who have watched YouTube videos and believe that film school isn’t necessary for them. And to each their own.

But for me, I love school so much, and my training was different based on my decisions. When I attended USC’s MFA Film & Production Program, I was fortunate enough to learn the foundations of filmmaking, and those skills have directly influenced how I work today.

I spend a lot of time in the brainstorming phase – I’m in my head a lot about why something is the way it is, and trying to understand the intention is always important to me before moving forward. When frustrated, I walk, kayak, or find myself at a bookstore or somewhere lost in nature without cell reception. These outlets help re-center me, which is a part of my creative process.

I encourage everyone to search inward – with all the chaos and noise of what’s in the world today, it’s essential to differentiate yourself through your specific lived experience and be brave – take risks and meet others outside your comfort zone. We all have much to learn!

My goal is to lead with empathy, unlock truthful stories, and use my creative mediums in a way that sparks some level of dialogue rooted in discovery.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect is feeling like I am constantly learning from other artists/creatives! I keep my core friend group relatively small; most are creative and work in various industries. I say this because I often think about how I wouldn’t be where I am today without their care, support, encouragement, and so on. We are with each other through the rollercoaster of this industry, and they are safe people – there’s a level of transparency, vulnerability, and a shared value for growth at the core of our connection.

With my work, I’m encouraged when pieces go out into the world because they evolve and become about shared experiences. I’m always interested in the power of impact with storytelling in whichever medium I’m working in – whether in film, a commercial, or a brand campaign billboard – to be part of shaping an artistic vision and turning it into reality is my happy place where I genuinely feel aligned with my purpose.      

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dang-girl.com
• Instagram: @jessdangxo
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessdang