Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kennie Zhou. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kennie, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I do go through phases of feeling down and pessimistic and feeling particularly grateful and excited about what I do. I also have worked full time positions, “day job” as they say, from which I gained lots of experience as a creative producer. It’s all about the balance between what keeps your passion and creativity thriving and what allows you to make enough money to support your artistic projects. I think it’s a toxic stereotype to expect artist to work on nothing but their art, because artists have to live as humans first and foremost, in order to make art that feels human.

Kennie, 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 am a New York-based creative producer of films and motion media in general and a multimedia artist who uses performance and video as the media.

With experience ranging from small crews of 5 to large teams exceeding 100 people, from development, production to post-production, I have successfully produced projects in both the United States and China, for clients such as Apple, Vogue, iQiyi, Reelshort, and Warner Music. Some content that I produced have gone viral, such as music video S4UO which reached #2 on Weibo’s top music video chart and You Belong With Me which reached 50M on Reelshort.

Guided by an intuitive sense of ethereal imageries and non-linear narratives, my artistic work is anchored in East Asian performance traditions and queer theories. From iconic venues like The Judson and UCCA to underground venues like Oil, All and Trans Pecos, my work has been discussed by the New York Times, CNBC, and A Journal of Performance and showcased at BFI Flare, E-Flux, Outfest, and Newfest.

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

In my producing work, I’m dedicated to creating platforms and opportunities for Asian diasporas and queer communities in the entertainment industry. For example, a recent feature film that I produced, Ephemera, is an openly Lesbian story set in Shanghai, China, where such content is technically banned and rarely produced. I seek to open up possibilities for filmmakers and artists to tell that stories that they want to tell, and for people from minority groups to see themselves in such stories.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

There should be no shame in wanting to make money as an artist. You need to live, especially if you prefer to live in a big city, and living is expensive. It takes practice and patience to be able to live on your art or make art while work another job, and that’s where most people give up. The keys are persistence and sustainability. If you can keep at it for 50 years with passion, no doubt you will be divine at what you do!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kenniezhou.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zhoukennie/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennie-zhou-608302163/

Image Credits

Honglin Cai
Feixue Tang
Lisha Zheng
UCCA
Rraine Hanson