Today we’d like to introduce you to Nguyen (Carrot) Ho.
Hi Nguyen (Carrot), please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I would describe my journey as an emotional rollercoaster ride. One that started with my social anxiety, more specifically my fear of public speaking, which then allowed me to find my passion for filmmaking. Moving from Vietnam at the age of 12, the language barrier definitely affected me. It made communicating with other students and my teachers so much more difficult. I got bullied, harassed, and called all sorts of racial slurs because I had a heavy accent and struggled to speak the language. These events laid the roots of my fear of public speaking, especially in large crowds. I remember in middle school, we were assigned to make a “Current Events” segment about our community every week. My anxieties and panic attacks kicked right in. The following week came by, and I stood there by the podium, speechless. I could not say a word, and my body started shaking like I was having a seizure. As expected, I did not receive a good grade, but it gave me the motivation to find alternatives to overcome my fear. That’s where I first encountered filmmaking. I discovered that by recording myself giving the presentation, I didn’t have to stand in front of all the people and by having a script could make me seem like I actually understood what I was talking about. To make it more engaging, I even toyed with all these fancy effects, music, and visuals. People in my class liked it, and I kept doing it for the rest of the school year. My presentation was voted the most innovative presentation out of the entire class. I get that the people who voted were only my middle-school classmates, but for a 12 years old immigrant kid who has no idea half of the stuff he was talking about, I felt amazing.
Fast track to high school, my love for filmmaking led me to sign up for the school news program. With the help of my teacher Josh Crosby, I was able to gain more knowledge surrounding techniques and equipment, and I was able to make connections with other students passionate about content creating like me. I was having the time of my life making news segments for my school, and even created my first ever short film called “Missing” during my senior year with my actress friend who is now my business partner, Christa Beth Campbell. “Missing” ended up taking first place for Best Picture at our local Teen Film Competition and an award from GCPL Teen Media. I can still remember the excitement I felt that day. Most importantly, that day was the day I realized I wanted to do this for a living. Christa and I then created Young and Restless Productions, LLC, our own production company, and we kept on making short films.
After a year at Georgia State University, I transferred to the Savannah College of Art and Design. My path with filmmaking in college was rather an interesting one, where COVID-19 played a big part. During this time, I was having doubts about my decisions. With the whole world shut down, no one was able to make movies. I was unable to make any connections that could further my passion. I could not make any short films or help others creatively, and I felt stuck. I felt unaccomplished. However, like a single light in a dark night, I got an email from someone that I was not expecting at all. I had helped her with some small films in the past, but I had lost contact. She asked me if I was interested in joining her team in shooting a Netflix pilot show. The production was set to take place when COVID-19 was more manageable, so a lot of uncertainty was still present. Luckily the project got the go signal and I spent 11 days straight on the film set in the middle of nowhere. I got to meet so many people with incredible industry experience, made friends who become some of the closest people in my life, and most importantly learned the hardships of filmmaking. I stepped out of that production with a whole new perspective, and it did not stop there. Because of the pilot show, I kept getting crew calls on so many other projects. I got to expand my experience to music videos as well with one of my most memorable experiences is working on a set for the Chicago rapper Lil’ Durk, in addition, to helping with a photoshoot with Olympic Swimmers for the sports brand Mizuno, and so much more. Through these opportunities, I found my place in a loving community of filmmakers in which we have been helping each other make magic ever since.
On the 12th of July 2020, I decided to write my next short film titled “Sunflowers”. The film talks about a crucial topic that impacted me deeply. The film focused on mental health within the Asian/Asian-American community, and being able to direct was a very fulfilling experience. Growing up, mental health was always painted to me by my community as a taboo, something that’s “not real” but it definitely didn’t feel like that when I looked back at my own struggles with panic attacks. I wanted people to know that good mental health is important and that the consequences of ignoring your own mental state can be devastating. So, with the help of my amazing casts and crew and the support of the community I had connected with over the years, I was able to raise $7,500 to make “Sunflowers” come to life. The film was first premiered at the Plaza Theatre in Atlanta on the 5th of January, 2022, after almost two years of planning, shooting, and editing. Since then, Sunflowers has been recognized at the Boston Film Festival, the Indiex Film Festival in Los Angeles, and got on the local Vietnamese News magazine called TreNews. My hope for the film is to continue to spread the message of the film to as many people as possible and to raise awareness of the important topic of mental health.
That led to where I’m at today. I am still working on film sets, both in local productions and as part of larger-scale sets, but with the love of filmmaking still burning inside. Recently, I directed another film titled “The House on Cain’s Street”, which is still in the post-production process and my mind is busy as it can be planning a musical for my last year in college. I am proud to have Christa, who was there with me throughout all those years, as my business partner for Young and Restless Productions, a company that now has over 20 short films in a variety of genres.
With everything that I have accomplished so far, I know that I still have a long road ahead and for me, this is only the beginning. But for a socially awkward Vietnamese kid who flew across the globe hoping for a bright future, it surely put a smile on his face.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. There were challenges and roadblocks that I had to overcome. In fact, I’m still learning to do so up to this day. The hardest challenge that I had to overcome was gaining the trust and support of my family and everyone around me. At first, when I proposed filmmaking as my career, my parents were concerned about how I’ll be able to achieve that dream. My family isn’t wealthy, but we live a comfortable life. Both my mom and dad work multiple jobs to ensure my little brother and I have the same benefits as others who were born in the States, and for me to risk it in an industry where not a lot of people with the same skin color as me have a voice in was surely a terrifying idea. I knew that I had to start taking things seriously and that I had to prove to them that I was not taking my decision lightly. And I did. After the premiere of Sunflowers, my mom cried and my dad gave me the biggest hug accompanied by some words that I will never forget, “we are so proud of you, and the person you have become”.
There are still other roadblocks in life that I still need to learn to overcome, for instance, the remnants of my social anxiety. I have gotten better thanks to meetings and the responsibilities I placed on myself when coordinating my film sets. There is still a long way ahead of me, but with positivity and motivation, I believe that I can make it a good one.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My love for filmmaking involves the entire process/all the positions that are required to make a film. On student film sets, I usually take positions as Director of Photography or the First-Assistant Camera (1st AC). This means I am part of the camera department, responsible for the visuals of the film. On professional film/commercial sets, I’m usually the set PA (Production Assistant) or a PA in the Camera or Arts department. A PA job consists of making sure everything on set flows smoothly, as well as offering hands in the departments that need help. Recently, I’ve also landed positions as a Co-Producer on a semi-big budget professional film set. In addition, I write and direct my own films. The work that I’m most proud of is the short film about mental health awareness, “Sunflowers”, which I wrote and directed. What sets me apart from others is that I’ve always put all my effort into everything I do. Once I have established a plan, I put 100% of my energy into making it into a reality, no matter what the cost. I would do everything to ensure that I’m on the correct path for my career. With that mindset, I was able to work with many talented artists within the industry and was able to share my own voice within the filmmaker’s community in Atlanta. My positive outlook on life has gotten me lots and lots of opportunities to work and financial outcomes.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Something I would like to share is that no matter where you are in life, no matter the circumstances and the hardships that you’re dealing with, NEVER give up. You never know what you can achieve until you push yourself. You never know what you’re capable of until you try. Just go for it and don’t let anything hold you back. Little do you know, making that one decision on what you’ll do in life can, later on, make you the happiest person that you’ll ever be. One final thing, please make sure you’re keeping your mental health in check through every step! Love yourself first before anything, because being happy with yourself, being happy in your own skin, and your image is one of the most valuable things on earth.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yrproductionsllc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carrotnguyenho/?hl=en
Image Credits:
Tu Ho (tupucato@yahoo.com), Steven Nguyen (@stevennguyenz), Jade Yi (@jadeeeyi), Jacob Adams (@jafilmphoto), Ryan Pak (@paksanity21)
