Today we’d like to introduce you to Shuang Hu.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Like any artist with a calling that’s ineffable, my story begins at a time I was unaware that my story was starting. I was living in Townsville Australia, was 12 years old, and I was auditioning for a place in our school’s team to perform in the town wide talent competition called ‘Rock Pop Mime’ and without knowing what I was doing I landed the lead role. That audition, that performance, and winning third place in that competition was the seed that grew into who I am today, albeit with a lot of fertilizer and water added in the process.
If I’m to be honest, I didn’t start seriously considering acting as a career until just after I graduated university. It wasn’t until I graduated with a Hotel Management and Business degree and landed a full-time job did my strict parents finally loosen their reins and allow me to take acting classes. The first job I ever booked was actually my first audition too, a commercial for Sony China, which completely distorted my perception on the rejection to booking ratio in this industry. After that, I got myself an agent, kept taking classes and auditioned for years before I started booking bigger roles, eventually landing myself a series regular role on SBS Australia’s ‘The Family Law’ and then ABC/Comedy Central’s ‘Ronny Chieng International Student’. Then I moved to Los Angeles because that’s just what people do when they’ve had a little taste of success back home and experienced more rejection than Kanye’s bid for presidency. But me and my stubborn determination did not wane so when quarantine hit early last year, I decided to start creating skits on Tiktok with a few friends and luckily, there were enough bored eyeballs at home that I amassed a following of sorts.
This year I started focusing more energy on longer form skits on Youtube and people seem to like that so I guess all those acting classes and working on short films for free is paying off! All jokes aside, I do feel incredibly grateful that I was able to create online content that I love using skills I had learnt in my time in film and tv, and for it to resonate with so many people from all walks of life. I still pinch myself everyday that I have fans around the world who are entertained and delighted by my videos.
Alright, 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?
Other than my very first audition, I would say the road has been less than smooth! But that’s the fun part about the journey and eventually reaching those goals – the ability to look back at how far you’ve come.
Besides having to convince my traditional parents that being an actress is a viable and respectable career choice, I think the biggest struggle with my career have been things that are out of my control. In Australia, the film and TV industry is still very small and old-fashioned compared to a market like the US. So when I first started out, there were roles far and few in between for a person of color like myself. I remember getting one or two auditions a year. So despite how prepared I was to take on the industry, the industry wasn’t ready to take me on. So I suppose that was the biggest impediment to my career in its infancy. But now, there are significantly more opportunities and blind casting is picking up momentum which is a great sign on where the Australian film and TV industry is heading.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an actress, writer, producer and content creator.
I have been held series regular roles on two Australian TV shows – SBS Australia’s ‘The Family Law’ and ABC/Comedy Central’s ‘Ronny Chieng International Student’ as well as several web series’ and short films.
Online, I’m known as @theoneshu with over 5 million followers across TikTok, Youtube and Instagram. I create mostly comedy skits and every week or so pepper in the emotional romantic short or two just to keep y’all in the feels.
I’m most proud of creating an online following with my quirky and awkward sense of humor. For so long as an actor, my success and self-worth was placed in the hands of others like casting directors, producers and network execs. But now, I am able to create my own self-worth by creating content I’m proud of that resonates across borders. I think what sets me apart of other online creators is that I have a background in film and TV, so I know how to professionally film, direct and edit so my content has a level of expertise.
Last year also started an earring business called Love From Shu (@lovefromshu on IG) and I donate all proceeds to organizations that lift up diversity in media.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Apps – Sleep Cycle Books – 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey
Podcasts – Global News Podcast | The Daily | Off Camera With Sam Jones
Website – tomato-timer.com
Contact Info:
- Email: shuangyixinghu@gmail.com
- Website: www.lovefromshu.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoneshu/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theoneshu/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9PfekKMDzLt_tkragAeACw
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@theoneshu
Image Credits:
Samantha Tan (@samanthaktan on IG)
