We were lucky to catch up with Kawika Hoke recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kawika, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Starting a film and TV production company from scratch on Maui, I don’t know anything riskier. It’s not only the most expensive economy in the United States, but it’s also the toughest housing and job market. But I know if I didn’t take the risk, no one else would. Maui has been waiting for years to blossom and take a bigger share of the production market in Hawai’i, but it’s constantly been held back by exploitation films and unethical business practices by local producers. All things considered, it was time to leap into action whether I was completely ready or not.

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.

I snuck into Hollywood through the service elevator as a Fixer.

Jokes aside, I started in theatre and worked my way into theme parks, and then eventually into admin work and then onto set. But it really has been one tactical moment after the other, recognizing the time to move and willing it to happen when I needed it the most.

These days I’m building my own universe from the ground up with Moku Moku, a new comedy series about three friends living on Maui. I’m really proud of it and what it’s becoming; the days on set have been amazing working with some of the most talented people I know and the test audience screenings of our pilot have told me we’re on the right track as it has brought us a cult following before we’ve even gotten to distribution.

I can’t wait to see what the festival season brings us and the kind of exposure we’ll get taking the show on tour. I’m really hoping we make the right connections on the road and I’m looking forward to meeting all the Hawaiians living abroad on the continent and what they think about Moku Moku.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Absolutely.

Have you ever worked for the wrong person or company?

Has working for those people or businesses made you look like someone of unworthy character by associating with them?

1) I have and 2) it has.

Not all career choices turn out to be good ones, but they all tend to be a learning experience or a test.

Re-entering the industry after a hiatus was my test. I didn’t know what direction to really go in and then I took a surprise job offer to get back on set. I found myself excited to be back in the game, but quickly realized I had put myself in a compromised position by working for an unsavory individual. By the time I’d fully realized what I had done to my career, I thought it was too late until I decided I had to take a stand and move beyond the bad influences that brought me into this industry and become a better influence as a person, as talent, and as an employer in Hollywood.

It was a tough process to break away, especially because it limited my ability to get work since a lot of my jobs were connected by referrals. I had to take nearly a whole year off just to distance myself from the image that was projected onto me by being associated with the likes of my previous employer.

I really had to live hand to mouth for a while, but when I came out the other side it really made me feel like a new man… it was worth it.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My people.

Hawaiians get overlooked a lot in America. Most people don’t know how displaced we are and that 9 out of 10 Kanaka live anywhere but Hawai’i because most of us were forced from our land during statehood or driven out via modern economic struggle.

I intend on building an economy beyond tourism, with paying jobs that don’t require the need for a second or third job to be able to pay rent or buy food. The kind that can also attract my people back to their native home and lessen the need for tourism as we sustain on industries that are less demanding or exploitative of our land and people.

Personally, I feel my greatest achievement if I manage to do this correctly, would be to return Hawaiians to Hawai’i and reverse the effects of over a century of slavery, theft, and bloodshed by establishing new equity and intergenerational wealth in the Hawaiian community.    

Contact Info:

• Website: www.808MokuMoku.com
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/808mokumoku
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/808mokumoku
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kawikahoke/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbBkLOawqwT-G2mgA4Ew6Cw

Image Credits
All photos by John Rodarte on the set of Moku Moku in Maui, Hawai’i May 2023