Today we’d like to introduce you to Roma Kong.
Roma, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in Lima, Peru. My dad is a first-generation Chinese-Peruvian and my mom is a mix of Spanish, British and Peruvian. So I’m half Chinese, half many other ethnicities. Growing up, my parents took me with them on their trips around the world since the age of 1, so I grew up in a very “globally enriched” household. They would also always take me to the movies (we would go to the cinema at least once a week), and that’s how my love for film was born.
I always knew I was gonna dedicate my life to the arts, I loved to dance and sing from a very young age, so my mom had me apply to the Peruvian National School of Ballet when I was 11 years old. I got in, and from age 11 to age 18, my life was basically, wake up, go to school, eat in the car, go to 3 hours of ballet class, get back home, do my homework, and go to sleep. Repeat. Every single weekday for seven years. I didn’t have time for anything else. And I actually really loved it! Growing up training to be a professional dancer was an amazing experience. I met some incredible people there, and most of my friends from ballet school are now principal dancers and/or soloists at the two main Ballet companies in Peru.
While at the National School of Ballet, I was really lucky to be granted the opportunity to direct, produce and choreograph a couple of big performances for the big shows that they would do at the end of the year. I don’t know what it was, because students weren’t allowed to direct or choreograph any performances, but somehow the Principal trusted me TWICE to direct her Senior students in these big dance productions (it was particularly exciting because they weren’t Classical Ballet performances, which is what the school did almost exclusively. It was completely modern, we were using Broadway and Lady Gaga’s music…). So I will always be grateful to her for not only trusting me to be able to handle that at such a young age but for trusting my artistic vision enough to allow me to direct something for her stage.
Those two experiences were what told me that I wanted to be the one creating and not just following. And I did always know I didn’t want to make Ballet my career. It was something that I absolutely loved to do and I’m so happy that it’s a skill that I have, but doing something related to film was always the goal. So when I graduated high school, I wanted to study film, but I wanted to do it here in LA. My parents told me to wait to do my Masters in the US and to get my Bachelor’s in Peru first. Good instincts on their part, because I was definitely not ready to move to a whole different country all by myself when I was 18.
So I studied Communications in Lima because it was the only career in Peru that had any Film Production classes. After I got my Bachelor’s degree, I went on to work at my teacher’s production company for a few months, before the National School of Ballet called me offering a position as sole Producer for the X International Young Dancers Festival that they were hosting in 2013. It was the first time an event of such magnitude was being hosted by the School, so it was a lot of work because there was no blueprint for it, but it was amazing for me because I got to produce every single aspect of the Festival from scratch, including coordinating all the various performances that they had to offer (we ended up having a sold-out performance at the National Theater in Peru, which was amazing!), the schedule, visits, activities, accommodations, gala dinners, invitations… absolutely everything.
My most life-changing moment so far came right after the Festival, when I was accepted into the University of California, School of Cinematic Arts to pursue my Master of Fine Arts in Film and Television Production. So in 2014, I moved to LA to attend my dream school and now here I am. It’s been a crazy journey so far. I met some of my best friends at USC and people I’m still working with and will work with for the rest of my life. I got to be an intern at Nickelodeon Animation, which was an amazing experience where I also met some of my favorite people and made so many great connections and memories. After USC, I became an Editor for the Disney Digital Network, which was pretty awesome as I’m such a huge Disney fan. Since then, I’ve been editing for multiple big companies, including DC Comics and going back to Nickelodeon as an Editor and not an intern anymore. And right now, I’m preparing to Produce a period feature film while also writing and working on new projects with some of my best friends and colleagues and planning what to direct next.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not. Any career in the arts is always difficult. Specially in film. It has definitely not been easy. There are lots of sleepless nights, long hours on set and worrying about whether or not you’ll be able to build a career for yourself.
It’s an industry that depends so much on how other people see you and not just on your hard work. Which is particularly interesting for me since dance, and more specifically ballet, is another career that focuses on how others perceive you. I’ve been very lucky that my parents raised me to be very self-confident because without that, it would’ve been quite difficult for me to stay in the arts. In ballet, having teachers and audiences constantly judge your weight, your technique and your feet and in film, having absolutely everyone judge what you’re trying to say. It can be truly brutal. People constantly judging you. But I think that if you really believe in yourself and love what you’re doing, you will find a way to keep going.
For me, what has made it particularly difficult so far is the fact that I’m an immigrant. And so going through the hurdles of being able to continue to grow my career here has been something I struggled with right after graduating from USC. I was lucky to be able to rely on friends and connections that helped me build a strong resume that allowed me to continue to work in LA.
That’s another key to being able to work in this industry, making and building real connections with people and helping each other throughout your journey. The film industry is probably the toughest industry to be in, but if you have a good support system, you’ll find your way through it.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I specialize in Directing and Producing films. I’ve been combining my love for dance, fantasy and horror, as well as the fact that most of the heroes in my life are women in everything I make. So almost all the movies I direct are in the Dark Fantasy genre with female protagonists.
I’ve also been constantly working as an Editor, mostly for social media content. This is how I got to work with some of my favorite companies in the world: Disney, Nickelodeon and DC. It’s a great skill to have as a Director and I’ve learned so much while editing different content.
I am most proud of being able to build a career in a country that is not the one I was born in. Immigrating to the US by myself has been challenging and sometimes lonely, but I’m happy that I’ve met so many people here that have quickly become my family.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment so far was getting featured on two national magazines in Peru. It was so touching to be recognized by my fellow Peruvians. It’s truly great to see that your journey has inspired people enough to write about you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.romakong.com
- Instagram: @roma.kong
- Facebook: @RomaKong
- Twitter: @RomaKong
Image Credit:
All 3 portrait photos, photographed by Sarah Yi
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