We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Roma Kong. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Roma below.

Roma, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am today without my parents. Truly. From the day I was born they infused my life with a love for the arts. Film, music, dance, you name it.

The first true passion I had for the arts came in the form of dance. At the young age of two, my parents saw that I loved to copy any dance moves that I saw, so they would always play those songs for me and put on shows where people were dancing on TV.

At the age 4, they started taking me to the movie theater with them, and it became a weekly family outing for many years to come. Every weekend we would go see the latest new film. I fell in love with cinema, how could I not? All throughout school, I was the girl who saw every film and watched every show. The fangirl who was obsessed with movies and TV.

When I was about 5 or 6, they let me watch ‘A Nightmare of Elm Street’, in their company, of course. And so, my love for horror started, and it has shaped my artistic style ever since.

At age 10, I kept dancing and choreographing every school performance I could, so my mom told me that if I really wanted to dance, I needed to do it right. She suggested I apply to the National School of Ballet. She explained that it was a professional conservatory and that I needed to truly commit to it if I got in. I obviously said yes. I applied and got in. From then, every day for the next 7 years of my life was dedicated to dance. Every day, it would be go to school, have lunch in the car while my mom drove me to ballet school, ballet classes for 4 hours, then my dad would pick me up, take me home, where I would do my homework, have dinner, and go to bed. Next day, repeat. Every few months, end of the semester performances would happen, so my parents would take me to the theater for hours on end for rehearsals. It was a full-time commitment from both myself and my parents.

When I graduated high school and decided I wanted to pursue a career in filmmaking, my parents supported me from the start. They also guided me. I wanted to come to the US to do my Bachelors, but they wisely advised me to wait to do my Masters abroad. They argued I was still too young to move to a whole new country on my own, that I should find a program in Peru that offered good film classes, get my Bachelors, and then, do my Masters. They were right. There’s no film school in Peru, so I found a Communications program with a lot of Film Production classes, got to do some summer work and travel that was part of the program too, and learned to become more independent. So when the time came, and I got into USC for my graduate degree, I was fully ready to move thousands of miles away on my own and fully focus on my education.

Like I said, I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am today without my parents. They introduced me to the beauty of art, they gave me everything I needed to cultivate and grow my love for it and my ability in it, they emotionally and financially supported my passion for it. They have never stopped giving me unconditional love and support. I will never stop being grateful to them for that.

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

I’m an Asian-Latina film director-writer, producer, and editor. I am originally from Lima, Peru and moved to LA in 2014 to pursue a Master of Fine Arts from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, which I got in 2017. I’m also a former professional dancer/ballerina.

During my time at USC, I was very fortunate to be able to intern at Nickelodeon Animation and edit all of their social media content for two full semesters. After graduating, through a couple of USC friends (the Trojan Mafia is real), I got a job as an editor for Disney Digital. Later on, I would go on to edit for DC Comics, Netflix, Nickelodeon again, and Will Smith’s Westbrook Media, which is where I’m currently at.

During the pandemic, two friends and myself made the feature film “I’M FINE (Thanks for Asking)”, which we wrote together and I was the lead producer for. The film went on to premiere and win a Jury Recognition award at the SXSW Film Festival and would later gain distribution through BET+ in the US and HBO in Europe.

In 2021, I directed the dark comedy-horror short “Bitch, You Thirsty”, which premiered at the Nightmares Film Festival in Ohio.

I was a co-producer on the historical drama “Canyon of the Dead”, starring Abigail Lawrie, Tom Felton, and Abigail Breslin, which is coming out later this year.

Currently, I’m developing a dark fantasy-horror TV show, and two feature films, also in the horror genre.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

As I mentioned before, my love for movies and storytelling started at a very young age. From the short age of 3, when I was making up adventure stories about characters traveling through time and space by going through a portal I aptly named ‘the circle of time’; to my parents taking me to the movie theater every single week from the age of 4. Movies and fantastical stories have always been a main part of my life, and they have allowed me to live many impossible lives.

I want to do that for other people. Creating and developing legendary characters and amazing new worlds is the most important part of my vision as a filmmaker. And inspiring and entertaining people of all ages is my main goal. Cultivating, learning, and working on my craft until I’m able to create truly cinematic experiences for audiences everywhere is what pushes me forward in this crazy journey.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

That art is not a hobby. It is our lifeline. And it is not easy at all. Artists not only want to create, we need to do so. Otherwise, I don’t think anyone would want to get into this business without a true passion for it.

As far as film is concerned (but this also applies to almost, if not all, art forms), the hours are incredibly long, very often working in hard conditions (rain, heat, you name it…). Most of our gigs are temporary, so you have to constantly worry about what the next job is going to be and how you’re gonna pay your bills. The creative process is extensive, creating new characters, stories, etc, takes a long long time, not only that, finding financing to make your creations a reality is incredibly hard. Mastering your craft takes years of experience, and getting that experience is hard. Hollywood likes to sell glamour, but that isn’t the case at all. Sure, we dress up every once in a while for some award show or event, but the rest of the time, most of the time, we’re in the trenches.

At the end of the day tho, we love it. We couldn’t live without it. We love telling stories. We love creating. We love creating with our friends. It’s exciting. And when you get it right, it’s incredibly rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.romakong.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roma.kong/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romakong/