Meet Sarah Chang Tadayon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Chang Tadayon.

Sarah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m a filmmaker. I’ve worked internationally in different capacities- first as an actress in LA, a television host and travel show host in Taiwan, a journalist for a show that aired in Iran, and now as a writer and producer. My main mission in the stories that I write are about radical inclusion and diversity. Being queer and mixed ethnicity (I’m half Iranian and half Chinese), I write from experience.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
HELL NO. My struggle in this industry has been so constant that it feels like the universe is pranking me. I started out acting in Hollywood right in the middle of the writer’s strike and at the beginning of the recession. Not only were auditions rare, but auditions that truly suited my cast type as ethnically ambiguous were also even rarer. I had to learn Spanish (which in retrospect is very problematic).

So I moved to Taiwan where I thought I would be accepted as an actress, being half Chinese (and a Taiwanese national). I was so wrong. In Hollywood, I wasn’t white enough, and in Asia, I wasn’t Asian enough. I never broke into acting, even after three years abroad. I got the auditions, but they never cast me because of my look. I did break into travel hosting, which was fulfilling for a while. I got to travel like Anthony Bourdain and eat rare food and experience adventures. Behind the lens was a different story. Agents, TV execs, and producers were constantly body shaming me, and being a people pleaser, gave in at every demand.

Eventually, my parents became worried so they came and got me. I moved back home to LA, tail tucked between my legs, and was so done with show business. I moved to the beach, volunteered for a sea lion rescue, and studied fine art and accounting. I let my parents set me up on dates and I was ready to marry the first doctor/engineer/lawyer who was halfway decent. I was so defeated. I was “ready to grow up and get serious.” It was halfway through my MBA program when I woke up out of this insane funk and reversed course.

I got back into acting, and after a while I started to feel like I was slipping back into the reason why I left the industry: my lack of power as an artist. That’s when I started producing and writing. I became a producer on a horror film called The Clearing starring Liam McIntyre (Spartacus) which is currently in distribution talks.

I co-wrote a television show with two other actresses. It’s called Polyester, and it’s absolute gold. It’s about the pole dancing community, polyamory, and queerness. We shot the sizzle reel last summer starring myself, Veronica Sixtos (Hostile Border), Briana Walden (Black-ish), Brian Michael Smith (The L Word: Generation Q, 9-1-1 : Lone Star, Queen Sugar), Bex Taylor Klaus (Deputy, 13 Reasons Why), Alicia Sixtos (East Los High, The Fosters) and Allen Theosky Rowe (MacGyver, CSI). We are currently shopping for distribution. This project is my baby, an homage to previous LGBTQ+ series such as Vida, Transparent, and the L Word.

Working as a producer and writer has helped take my power back. But yeah, the struggle is still real. I stay up nights staring at my Polyester Vision Board trying to figure out how to get it into the hands of HBO, Showtime, Starz, my heroes like Jill Soloway or Tanya Saracho.

Tell us more about your work.
I strive for authenticity, diversity, and radical inclusion in the work that I do. I recently had a sit down with my theatrical agents and for the first time in my career I felt that my agents SAW and accepted me. I think it’s a combination of years of personal growth and attracting like minded people into my life.

I’m currently line producing on a new LGBTQ+ pilot written and directed by Louisa Hill (Evil, Transparent, SMILF). Collectively, we want to advocate for diversity, not just ON SCREEN, but the crew. There aren’t a lot of female cinematographers or female gaffers, for example, and while working with the limitations of our budget, we are doing the best we can to bring on diverse people. That’s how you shift the industry, from the ground up; giving underrepresented communities opportunities so that one day the world of white patriarchy is a concept of the past.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
My initial reaction is NO, I’ve never been lucky in the industry. I never caught a break, not here, not in Taiwan, not in Iran. I’ve traveled continents and back thinking it would be easier elsewhere. My path to success has little to do with luck, but with learning to wear multiple hats.

BUT, I will say this. I am lucky in life. I am loved, I am healthy, I got the rent control apartment of my dreams, the senior dog I got from the pound is my doggy soul mate. My partner is my rock. I have a great day job. I won the ticket lottery and got to go to Burning Man last year (and, shh… I didn’t even have to wait at the gate to get in, which if you ask any Burner, is nearly impossible).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2597105/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
• Instagram: @sarahtadayon
• Other: @polyester_series IG handle for our show

Image Credit:
All of the images are screen-stills from the Polyester sizzle reel.

Cinematographer: Bella Gonzales
Actors pictured: Sarah Chang Tadayon, Brian Walden, Veronica Sixtos, Brian Michael Smith, Bex Taylor Klaus, Allen Theosky Rowe
Pole Dancers pictured: Marnita Smith, Emily Dorosky, Kayla Daniel, Daniel Allen, Meggan Ryan, Joshua Vallejo

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