Jon Chu – HuffPost 8.19.10

Mike Ragogna: What is your advice for up-and-coming directors, screenwriters, and cinematographers?

Jon Chu: I had a great piece of advice said to me a long time ago. I used to be one of those kids in film school who would always raise their hand and ask, “How do you become a director?” to the different directors that came in, and one of the best answers I ever got was, “You are what you do every day.” So, if you are a writer, then write every day, and you are a writer. If you are a director, then direct every day.

No one’s ever going to give you that label, and no one’s going to give you a gold star that tells you, “You are officially, now, a director.” I think that really changed my perspective on what I am because whether I was making money making feature films, doing web series’, just doing films for myself or doing wedding videos, I knew I would always be making movies. And I think that’s a really important mentality to go in with, especially in a crazy town like Hollywood. It’s been a fun ride so far, and I know, in the future, no matter what happens, I’ll continue to make these things, and I just hope people will continue to watch.