Daily Inspiration: Meet Michael Kang

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Kang.

Hi Michael, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
That’s a lot of ground to cover. I grew up in Rhode Island, the child of academics. I went to NYU for Dramatic Writing. Spent two decades in New York grinding at downtown experimental theater, teaching myself production, making short films and writing all while supporting myself through any job that didn’t entail having to go into an office. I moved out to LA after I made my first feature film. I taught part time for many years at numerous colleges and nonprofits. When the pandemic hit, I had the opportunity to teach full time at LMU. Ive been with the school for five years now and have risen to the position of the Graduate Director for the Production Department. It feels really incredible to be part of a top film school and be able to make a real impact on the students.

OFFICIAL BIO: Michael Kang is a director who prides himself on having successfully met a wide range of challenges from directing scenes in languages he doesn’t speak to once working with a cranky bear that was overdue for hibernation. His first feature film “The Motel” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. “The Motel” is the recipient of the Humanitas Prize as well as was also nominated for Best First Feature Film by The Independent Spirit Awards. Michael was honored with a N.E.A. Artist’s Residency Grant at The MacDowell Colony. Michael also received a fellowship through the ABC / DGA New Talent Television Directing Program and the NBC Television Directing Fellowship. Michael’s other feature film credits include “West 32nd” starring John Cho and Grace Park and “4 Wedding Planners” with Illeana Douglas and Janel Parrish. Michael has extensive and diverse experiences writing and directing including developing a pilot script for HBO. He has taught filmmaking at a variety of universities and currently serves as the Graduate Director for the Production Department at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television. When he isn’t working Michael likes to torture himself with yoga, golf and poker (all of which he is equally bad at).

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The thing about the entertainment industry is that there are no plateaus. You are either moving up or down. You are never stationary or have a steady foothold. I spent many years chasing a lot of things that in the end were not what I ultimately wanted. Over the past few years, I have been more at peace with the idea that my entire life has been about figuring out how to get things done in an unorthodox way. Whenever I have tried to follow any set system or path, it’s lead to a lot of wasted time and energy. Everything I have ever gotten has been from a combination of dumb luck and being ready.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
This was kind of covered in my “official bio” that I pasted in the earlier question. I am a filmmaker. I came up in a very fortunate era. My first two features were actually shpt on 35mm. We even went back to a negative cut on the first one and struck actual film prints to screen. At the same time, my career grew at the same time as digital filmmaking became more and more accessible. I have shot on every scale from having teamsters water down the street in the middle of Manhattan to running and gunning in the New York subways without a permit.

My first film premiered at Sundance which is a dream come true for any young filmmaker, but at the same time, I think it has given people the wrong impression of me as being a serious artist. In actuality, I am a huge comedy nerd and I love playing with genre.

What I am most proud of is my perseverance, There have been lots of hills and valleys throughout my career. Sometimes at the same time. I’ve known colleagues who I think were better filmmakers than me but who just didn’t stick around.

Teaching has now also become a great inspiration for me. When I first started teaching, I was basically bullshitting my way through it. I was a terrible student and did most things by instinct. It wasn’t until I started teaching that I actually got a much more intimate understanding of my craft and my process.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
One summer, my mother was taking sabbatical and doing research in the Bay Area. She dragged me along. I met a couple kids in the apartment complex we were staying. We formed a little gang that would get into lots of trouble. My favorite thing we did was build a three-level tree house with found planks.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.KANGisMAN.com
• Instagram: @kangisman
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelKangFilmmaker
• Other: https://sftv.lmu.edu/academics/graduateprograms/filmandtvproduction/