Hidden Gems: Meet Yao Wen of voKAno

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yao Wen.

Yao, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My path into filmmaking began with visual art. I double majored Film Production and Studio Arts at Brandeis University before continuing my filmmaking education at USC. Those experiences brought together my interests in art, culture, and storytelling, and led me into production design and directing.

Working on films, commercials, and music videos taught me how much a story’s environment can communicate. I’ve always enjoyed creating worlds that feel real, where every visual detail helps tell the story. Along the way, collaborating with different filmmakers inspired me to expand my creative practice and build my production company, voKAno.

Today, voKAno brings together two creative labels: one dedicated to film production and the other to AI-generated content (AIGC) production. Through these two labels, we explore both filmmaking and emerging ways of creating images and stories. My goal is to build a space where artists and storytellers can experiment, collaborate, and turn their ideas into work that connects with people.

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?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges has been moving from being an individual creative to running a company. As a production designer, I could focus on my part of a project. With voKAno, I also have to think about building a team, managing resources, finding the right opportunities, and creating a sustainable business. Learning to balance creative ambition with practical decisions has been an ongoing process.

Having two labels—film production and AIGC content production—also brings its own challenges. They require different workflows, and AI tools change so quickly that there is always something new to learn and evaluate. The challenge is deciding which tools actually serve the story and developing a creative identity that carries across both sides of the company.

I’m still learning as I go. What has helped most is working with people I trust, being open to feedback, and accepting that growth sometimes means trying something before you feel completely ready.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
voKAno is a production company with two creative labels: one dedicated to film production and the other to AI-generated content, or AIGC. Together, they bring my background in directing, production design, and visual art into a shared creative practice.

Our film label focuses on narrative and branded content, including vertical episodic storytelling. I’m interested in how visual choices, performances, and pacing work together to connect with an audience. Across my directing projects, the work has accumulated over 100 million online views, including more than 20 million for Reborn to Love Alpha King. Those experiences have taught me a lot about earning an audience’s attention and keeping them emotionally invested.

Production design is another important part of our foundation. My portfolio includes work for Apple, TikTok, Riot Games, Genshin Impact, and other brands, as well as designing and building a 28,000-square-foot filming set for Module Set. Working at different scales has shaped how I approach production: a strong idea needs both a clear visual identity and a practical understanding of how to bring it to life.

Our AIGC label extends that curiosity into new creative tools and ways of producing content. We’re exploring how AI can support visual experimentation while keeping artistic direction and storytelling at the center.

What I’m most proud of is bringing these disciplines together under voKAno. The company grows out of hands-on experience across different parts of filmmaking, and that informs how we collaborate. We want to understand what makes each project distinctive and build the right visual approach around it—from the first concept through production.

How do you think about happiness?
What makes me happy is seeing something that once existed only in my imagination become real. Sometimes it’s walking onto a finished set; sometimes it’s watching an actor bring an unexpected emotion to a scene. I love those moments when the work surprises me, even though I’ve been involved in every step.

I also find a lot of happiness in the people I work with. Filmmaking brings together people with very different skills, and there’s something special about figuring things out together. Some of my favorite memories are the conversations between takes or the moment we finally solve a problem we’ve been struggling with.

And it means a lot when someone connects with the finished work. When a viewer notices a detail or cares enough about a character to talk about them, I feel that we’ve made a connection. That’s what keeps me excited about creating.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wenyaofilms.squarespace.com https://vokanoaigcstudio.netlify.app
• Instagram: weny40_