Jane Qian
“When I was younger, my Mom worked in a Chinese gift shop and my Dad was a tour guide for Chinese tourist groups visiting the states. Now, my Mom is retired but my Dad is still in the tourism industry. Growing up, I used to be so embarrassed because my parents didn’t have white collar jobs or own businesses. Now, I find it so beautiful and a bit ironic that my Dad is a tour guide. He knows more about America, American history, and has visited more states than most Americans.”
“I went to public school all my life. Elementary and middle school at Ynez School in Monterey Park. And high school at Mark Keppel High in Alhambra. I attended university at UC Davis in northern California. A beautiful, liberal, hippie college town Southwest of Sacramento. During my junior year, I studied abroad for a semester at University of Melbourne in Australia. Both were life-changing experiences. I studied Film Studies and Communication at UCD. Unfortunately, it was all analytical. I think I only had two hands-on-shoot-your-own-short classes. They were more video and experimental art classes though.’
“After university, I moved back down to LA and found an internship at a film production company doing script coverage. I got bored of reading scripts in an office and was itching to be on set so I could learn by watching/doing. I didn’t know anyone in the industry so I Craigslisted my way onto an indie film set filming in Hollywood as an unpaid intern/set PA. That gig led to another unpaid PA job on another indie film, that led to a paid (woo!) job as a PA on a tv show, then an AD on a couple of indie features, then as a camera PA, then as a director’s assistant on a tv pilot that led to a position as the showrunner’s assistant when that show got picked up. Are you still following? While on that show, the line producer’s assistant and I made spec commercials on the weekends, pulling together all our favors from friends we met on sets. It was around the same time that Buzzfeed was starting to create the world of branded native content, so I went over there and directed branded content with them. A year and a half later, I went full freelance as a commercial director.”
“My dad was actually part of the reason why I became a director. When I was 12, he suggested it as a way to deter me away from a career he wasn’t as keen about and felt wasn’t me, turns out he was right. I was always interested in the arts and a creativity driven career path so, after learning a bit about what a director does, I was 100% in. I started telling everyone that I was going to be a director but almost every adult laughed and told me that I wouldn’t make it because I’m Asian or because I’m a girl. Chinese people are brutally honest! Being a stubborn only-child, I never wanted to hear that I couldn’t do something. So I kept saying it. I kept pushing to become a director because I was told I could never be one and in that journey, really fell in love with the filmmaking process and how a director crafts a reflection of the world for people to see themselves in and empathize with each other’s story and background. My parents were pretty supportive.”
“My partner and long-time collaborator, Jake Bianco, has been the biggest influence on my career. He’s a cinematographer and so damn talented. He makes it look effortless. He’s constantly challenging me to do my best and never get lazy. To craft visuals with purpose and a strong story.”
“I’m inspired by visuals, body language, and the inner workings and desires of humans—I’m fascinated with human psychology. I guess the visuals and body languages comes from when I was younger, not understanding the language and watching the visuals and body language to learn the American culture.”
“I just finished up with the Commercial Directors Diversity Program—a initiative created by the AICP and DGA to include more women and minority directors in the commercial industry. The timing is right, right now. The film, media, entertainment and advertising worlds aspire to diversify and are looking for more underrepresented voices. I feel like I’ve been dancing on the edge of the industry but haven’t been able to fully walk in. So I’m hoping now that I have a bit of momentum shined on my work, I can fully break in and be given the opportunity to pitch more and prove that I belong and should be supported and embraced as much as my Anglo-male counterpart.”
“I live in Silverlake. An artsy LA neighborhood filled with artists and creatives mostly working in the entertainment industry. I love the energy here, everyone is working towards their dreams. I find it so beautiful and contagious. And, at the same time, it pushes me to constantly do my very best because the competition is so high. My goal is to absolutely smash it in the commercial industry and then break into the indie film world within the next two years.”
“In the immediate future, I hope to do more purpose-driven advertising that features people we don’t typically see and narratives we don’t hear enough of in the media. When things wind down towards the holiday season, I hope to take that opportunity to work on a passion project or a personal short. Right now, I’m prepping for a 12 spot campaign for the 2020 US Census, building awareness around the Census and informing people why it’s critical to fill it out.”
“When I was growing up, I never saw anyone who looked like me onscreen, therefore, it give me and the people in my Asian-immigrant community the notion that we didn’t matter in this country we call home. I want to create films and content that challenges this dated perception and show a better reflection of the diversity and stories out there.”