Meet Joseph Yang | Actor, Disc Jockey, Model & Emcee

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joseph Yang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joseph, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk taking- now that’s a powerful word that no one wants to make a statement on. Risk taking is suppose to be fear. It is suppose to be pain. It is suppose to be uncomfortable. I feel like the reason why I have built myself into so much confidence in who I am is that I jump into everything without question, and always be open-minded to trying something at a different angle. When I think about risk, I turn it into a question- why not? Why not try taking the leap? Why not try something that isn’t yours? Why not fail? Because when you don’t take the risk, now you put yourself in a different pain- regret. I just know that I CANNOT and WILL NOT accept “what if’s”; I WILL only invite failure. All of that comes with the very notion of Risk-taking.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I do a handful of different things in my rolodex of creative outlets. Overall, performance is what drives it. From acting, Djing, hosting, I find myself always being an entertainer. Something about producing a show or performing a show where I know that I gave it everything I can possibly think to make it the best entertainment possible is the most euphoric state of being. What sets me a part from others is my charisma. My passion for the arts. Whether that be filmmaking, playwriting, spinning music, I care so deeply because people don’t want to see me- they want to see THEMSELVES through me and create this space of similarity and how we can all have a level of inclusion through my point of view. What I am most proud of is myself. That may sound narcissistic, but I genuinely am with the up-most amount of humility. Having worldwide representation was a huge step into my career which happened over the COVID-19 season. People kept saying that no agency is looking for new talent and I feel like I defied those odds. And trust me, it was not spoon-fed to me. I worked hard with grit to have the representation that I have now with my agent. I am also proud of my training that I’ve been doing during this pandemic as well. I take an acting intensive that meets Tuesdays and Thursdays where we had to go virtually because of COVID. And when I’m not there, I train with my acting coach Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Which all of this leads me to what I am excited about- my career. I feel like I’m only scratching the surface. None of this was easy. And it’s not suppose to be. The only thing that helped me overcome any challenge is resilience. There is no plan B. There is not “I’m going to do this for the next 5 years”. Only “I am going to do this for the rest of my life”. Family plays a huge factor. Knowing your purpose on this world helps clear a narrow drive as well. So many lessons need to be learned along my way. It’s failure. Every time I’ve embarrassed and scared myself, it’s lead to growth. How can I be better? Failure only allows room for that space to exist. And trust me, I’m not a talented person; I just simply worked very hard at my crafts and it’s led to the immense amounts of talent I have currently. I am a self-made man. There is not natural born skill to me. People only see the glamour but not the diligent work of learning and trying new directions. I just want people to know that work is important. Training is important. Mindset and mindfulness is important. Kindness is important. That is the brand and story I want the world to know about me.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First place I would take them is Chinatown Food Court off Buford Highway or Korean Barbeque at 9292 in Duluth. Just anything good local food and authentic. Culture is important to me. And so is food. Boba tea at Sharetea Atlanta next. Then we take it over to Stone Mountain and hike that long incline. As far as doing things in the city, Krog Street is cool. Walk all the way to the end of the Atlanta Beltline. Check out the MLK National Historical Park. Maybe take Marta and see how far it doesn’t go towards outer city limits. That low-fat ice cream at IKEA is dope too and then walk around and pretend we live in each of those showrooms. Cabbagetown is one of my favorite locations to see the amazing street wall artwork and the just the name of the area is hype.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First people that come to mind is my parents. My mother and father have been the biggest supporters in my business and it is absolutely unheard of from self-made South Korean immigrants. They are the only people that I work so hard for. I’ve had friends, colleagues, peers, mentors all fail me, however they have always stood tall in my corner. Big love to Mr. and Mrs. Yang. 어머니, 아버지- 너무 사랑하고 항상 저를 사랑하고 지원 해주셔서 감사합니다.

Website: www.josephyang.net
Instagram: @thejosephyang
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephchinyang/
Twitter: @J_Yang
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejosephyang/

Image Credits
Rich Meade Photography, Glen Kwon, Blake Davis, KSU FSA, DTJ UFFSA, NoUsual