Meet Thuc Doan Nguyen of El Sereno

Today we’d like to introduce you to Thuc Doan Nguyen.

Hi Thuc Doan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I became an American at age three because I was sponsored to the US from a refugee camp. I am who I am because of my family and my adoptive American grand-parents.

I became an Angeleno after having been a turn of the century New Yorker for years before 9/11 and living through that tumultuous part of history: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/28/nyregion/9-11-footage-25-years-unreleased.html. I’m really proud to be an El Sereno 90032 person and a Gen X-er.

It was in a LA nightclub where I worked as a go-go dancer (on electro-clash night at The Echo) that I met people who would set me up with television producer and writer employers. I worked as a writers’ and producers’ assistant for Jerry Bruckheimer TV and for Warner Brothers Television.

From there, I put myself through night school at UCLA and further learned screenwriting. I began writing more feature screenplays.

I’ve since written for major magazines like Vogue, Esquire, VICE, The Daily Beast, Refinery29 and others.

I’ve begun to write more fiction in the form of murder mystery short stories and novellas and am working on a book of personal essays about the history I’ve witnessed and my experiences with human connections and the search for them. I hope that my stories and essays will make people feel less alone in the world.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it has not been a smooth road whatsoever. I’ve struggled with gate keepers deeming what stories are “worthy”.

There’s the usual “crabs in the bucket” scarcity mentality that also prevents people from harmonizing and helping one another because of egos. I really don’t appreciate that type of behavior at all. Always remember that people will make you the villain in their story if they cannot control you and often when you stand up for yourself. I greatly resent people who don’t know me at all trying to decide what they think I do and do not “deserve” in life.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My point of view is very unique as a multi-lingual refugee woman who grew up in rural areas and has also lived in the world’s largest and most exciting diverse cities like London UK, NYC and Los Angeles. I’m also very good at and very much enjoy being alone and traveling by myself.

I specialize in writing comedy and historical drama professionally. I enjoy writing in all kinds of genres- if nothing more than to entertain myself and help me process being alive.

What sets me apart is I will keep standing up every time I’m knocked down and continue to learn to deal with rejection. Part of life for many of us is being able to do these things and somehow endure.

Another thing about me is unlike many out there who gravitate towards “new, shiny things”, I prefer time with old dogs, old people and old houses.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
My industry is at an interesting crossroads where much film and television production has left Los Angeles. As for magazine writing- that has been in flux for a while too- lots of people who hired and commissioned me have been getting laid off from editorial jobs at periodicals.

I’m fortunate to also be a citizen of the European Union as well as an American. In the next 5 to 10 years, the industry of screenwriters may make a more pronounced move to a more international kind of storytelling and the American movie might not be the biggest cultural driver that’s dominated for so long.

I will be heading to Berlin, Germany for a writing residency for early to mid-2027 and I will be on the ground for Berlinale (the Berlin Film Festival), so I will learn more about these shifts in person as I survey the European filmmaking capabilities, incentives and festival life in 2027.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://consideratecontent.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consider8cahoot/

Image Credits
Julia Campinelli for the personal photo
Grover for the one with Big Bird
Others are self portraits