Meet Xiangwu Xie | Film Producer

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

Hi Xiangwu, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
I’ll say, “Do not give up any chance.” We have seen lots of chances around you every day. If you scroll your phone now, you will see hundreds of hiring posts on Facebook or Indeed. But most of the time, you ignore it or think, “I’ll do it later.” But for me, I will never apply it later. So catch the chance now, this second. Even if it doesn’t change your whole life, it will lead you to a different person or road, constantly changing your career.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a filmmaker, the first obstacle after graduation is how to feed yourself. It’s hilarious that an artist is talking about money. But it’s the real world. I finger it out when I graduated. So I move to LA to find more opportunities. In the beginning, I knew no one in LA, I had to start from zero. I constantly checked the crew call on Facebook and the chat group on WeChat. I began to work as PA, BTS photographer, actor, scripty, basically anything I could do on a film set. Besides being a filmmaker, I also started posting content as a portrait photographer on Xiaohongshu and Instagram. The freelance job helps me to pay my bills. Moreover, image expression gives more different aspects of visual language.

As time went on, I knew more and more amazing filmmakers who had the same thoughts as me. And I found that lots of filmmakers in LA are talking about their own race. So I start collaborating with the Asian group, trying to tell our own story.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Except for the most popular place: Coke-Cola, CNN, aquarium. I will let them walk randomly in midtown. They will walk through Piedmont park and see locals and their pets sunbathing on grass; They will encounter some installation art on the street in midtown, and if they are tired, they can have a cup of coffee in the Café Intermezzo next to the road; They can check out the latest exhibition when they pass by the High museum and take some photos with Roy Lichtenstein’s House series. Atlanta is a fantastic city where surprises are hidden in the details, and it‘s worth your time to discover.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I started my film career when I entered my graduate university — SCAD. I met great friends, professors, and colleagues there. When I was finishing my master’s degree, I learned the film production experience and how you maintain relationships with people. When I first came to the United States, I had no friends. SCAD, as a platform, gives me various ways to meet aluminum working in the industry. Even though I’m in LA now, I always meet the person from SCAD, and we create content together now. It’s an essential beginning of my career.

Website: https://xangunosiren.wixsite.com/xiangwu

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xiangwu_xie/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xiangwuxie/