Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Zixuan Zhang. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Zixuan , appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
I’m working as a Creative Producer at NSNO Productions. NSNO is Nil Satis Nisi Optimum, which means “Nothing but the Best is Good Enough.” Our company produces films, commercials, and music videos that are nothing but the best. Our team is also nothing but the best. We’re talented, motivated, and ambitious individuals who are aiming to get to the top of this industry and make changes. Our mission is to not only give the best products to our clients but also create the best environment for our film crew. As filmmakers, we all know film is teamwork. In the industry, it’s become more and more common that people feel like filming is just working. Film set becomes offices. That’s not what the film is about. Film is a fun job where our office changes every day, we meet with various people, go on adventures as we film at new locations. We aim to create an engaging journey that we can share with our peers, revitalizing the energy and fostering enjoyment for everyone collaborating with us.
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’m Zixuan Zhang, people usually call me Andrea. My journey with the film and media industry started when I was a kid. My parents are always busy working and they would leave me home alone with the TV on. TV is my comfort, my friend, my entertainment. I wanted to make films, TV shows, reality shows that bring people comfort. Create something they feel the way I felt when I was a kid. I studied Film and Media Studies at UC Santa Barbara and have since established myself as a seasoned professional Filmmaker. Over the past three years, I have actively contributed to 20 diverse projects, including me as the producer for 10 compelling short films, 3 innovative music videos, and a thought-provoking documentary. Many of these projects have garnered acclaim, being selected for prestigious festivals such as the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, New York International Film Festival, LiftOff Filmmaker Session, and numerous others.
Besides being a filmmaker and now working as Creative Producer for a production company, I’m also Program Producer for DaVinci International Film Festival. Our festival is hosted at The Grove AMC in Los Angeles every year. I joined the team last year and in February 2024, I led the Film Asia Unit of the Festival. I was the programmer for this 2-hour block, and I judged all of our film submissions to select 4 best shorts to be shown. I also invited Asian American industry executives to speak on a panel after the film screening. Moderating that panel was such an amazing experience and my questions fostered a dynamic exchange of ideas that ranged from personal industry experiences to broader market trends.
How did you build your audience on social media?
As Creative Producer, my role is to help my client gain more audience, attention, and reputation using the video we create for them. One of the music video projects I produced garnered 339k views on Instagram from its trailer alone. This achievement significantly boosted attention for our client, the singer, and expanded their audience base. Ultimately, this generated substantial hype and exposure for the music video’s release. Some advice I have for people who are trying to gain social media presence is to utilize new functions on social media. Collaboration function on Instagram is a great key to maximize audience exposure and gain more audience. It allows other people’s followers to see you and if you’re collaborating with someone who has a lot of followers, you could benefit from them. Other functions like reels, stickers, pins are all helpful and utilizing them will help you boost your social media presence. Secondly, the timing of posting is important. Definitely post at a time when people are most likely to be looking at their phone. Or else, your post will get lost in other people’s posts. Last but not least, colors! Having colorful graphic designs will help your post pop on social media. However, this depends on brand image and if colors don’t fit your brand, try using cool designs to make black and white attract the audience’s eyes.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
As a producer or production manager, I have overseen numerous film sets ranging from small teams of 10 to large crews of 100. Managing such diverse teams and maintaining high morale during extended night shoots presents considerable challenges. My approach to ensuring everyone leaves the set with a smile is rooted in keen observation and careful analysis of team needs. Management is not only about setting rules, giving instructions, and just supervising. When you supervise, it’s crucial to observe and analyze what’s the need of the team in general, and what are some personal needs that if being satisfied, could help the efficiency of the team and the project. For instance, during an outdoor shoot on a hot summer day, the crew’s energy levels can be affected by the weather conditions. As a manager, it’s crucial to recognize this and address it by providing iced water, setting up shaded tents, and offering ice cream or cold coffee to boost morale. Understanding and fulfilling the specific needs of your team in different situations is essential for maintaining efficiency and keeping spirits high.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrea_zzx?igsh=NGVhN2U2NjQ0Yg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zixuan-zhang-555b83230?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Other: IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm14183515/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
Image Credits
Images from DaVinci International Film Festival, “Memory of You” Film Crew, “Moon” Film Crew, and “Better” MV Film Crew.