Why Grimy Love?: It's what attracts me visually and spiritually: the grime in any environment and the stories behind people's grind and/or hustle.

Where is home?: I was born in Seattle, WA; went to school in Los Angeles where I lived for 13 years; and I currently reside in Brooklyn, NY where I have lived for 8 years.

Where do you find inspiration?:  I’m motivated by people’s scars, grimy places, and things that are a little off balance. I find elegance in places that may be perceived as conventionally “ugly” to most.

What I like & appreciate: family, distinctiveness, original thinking, filmmaking, photography, anthropology, media-tech startups, media research, data analytics, digital and media strategy, consumer insights, career development for artists/media-makers and economic development for marginalized communities.

What also tickles my fancy: music, weirdos, goofy people, travel, and unique executers.

Every artist thinks they are ‘different’, what makes you so unique?: I am a 60% right brain and 40% left brain thinker-- a cerebral swinger of sorts. I enjoy being both creative and analytical simultaneously. I am a free spirited-optimist-analytical-realist (if that personality category exists). I find joy (and pain) in writing screenplays and creating the business plans for these films. I feel comfortable on a team of all creatives and I feel just as comfortable on a team with MBA’s, mathematicians, or data analysts. 

I attribute my affinity of both the arts and sciences to my ancestral lineage. My mother’s side of the family has a history of developing musicians, artists, activists, and scientists (chemists to be exact). My father’s side nurtured the careers of entrepreneurs, chefs, and civic leaders. 

Extended Background: I have been a working filmmaker/photographer for over 15 years. I have also worked in business development for media companies for the past 6 years. I was a co-founder of the Los Angeles based production company, The Narra Group, whose mission was to provide community based films for non-profits around Los Angeles. I have produced/directed films and video content for the U.S. Embassy, Gilead Sciences, MTV International, South Asian Network, and Community Coalition to name a few.  I have been a photographer for brands such as T-Mobile and the Sundance Award Winning film Pura Lengua.

I have raised money and worked in audience/business development for National Geographic Channel and iHeartRadio. Additionally, I have consulted several media start ups by providing research, business plans, initial deck presentations, and operational budget consultations. 

In a past life, I also founded a job placement program for the Project:Involve film mentorship program at Film Independent. The program was funded by all major studios (DreamWorks, Universal, Disney) and I was tasked with helping up and coming filmmakers of color find jobs and resources within the entertainment industry. Within this role, I helped hundreds of filmmakers find paid jobs in TV and Film.

I am also a certified HIV AIDS educator for the City of Los Angeles where I have lead workshops for REACH LA, LA Job Corps, and Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team. For multiple years, I was a member of the Grant Review Committee for the Entertainment Industry Foundation. I was a Career Advisor for Film Independent (formerly IFP/LA), Workplace Hollywood, and Parsons The New School for Design. I have also lead panels, committees and workshops for the Los Angeles Film Festival, Director’s Guild of America, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Screen Actors Guild, Writer’s Guild of America, Workplace Hollywood, Parsons The New School for Design, and the Pan African Film Festival.

I have received film grants/sponsorships from Kodak, Visual Communications, Southwest Airlines, Pacific Grip and Lighting. I am a recipient of the following fellowships/artist residencies: Visual Communications Armed With a Camera Film Fellowship, Women’s Foundation of California Fellowship, Atlantic Center for the Arts Writing Resident, and Kauffman Foundation Education Entrepreneurial Fellowship.

My films and photography have screened/showcased at New Directors/New Films (NY), LaunchPad Gallery (NY), Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Mostra Brazil Film Festival, NY Asian American Film Festival, MTV Europe, Lost Souls Gallery (LA), The New School Gallery (NYC) & numerous Universities and educational institutes worldwide.

What are you working on now?: I just finished writing a feature screenplay set in the Philippines. Additionally, I'm in post production for a documentary feature.