An Inspired Chat with Ryan Cho of South Bay

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Ryan Cho. Check out our conversation below.

Ryan , really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
As a cinephile and TV junkie, watching films in theaters and television episodes has brought me so much joy and entertainment lately. I go to the movies a couple times a week (AMC A-list subscription), so experiencing films in IMAX and other movie theaters always makes me feel recharged and inspired again. Television is something that makes me wind down and makes me escape in a different world and forget about everything in life.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a filmmaker and creative that has a multitude of skill sets (director, production department, actor, etc.). I’ve done a wide variety of production jobs in the past several years, having a strong knowledge of different departments (grip and electric, assistant directing, management, etc.). I’ve worked on feature films (Oppenheimer, Babylon, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Preparation for the Next Life, etc.), television shows (Expats, Fallout, etc.), music videos, commercials, documentaries, etc. Some productions that I’ve worked on had me do some tasks that involved doing multiple positions (lighting, production, etc.), so those experiences have made me learn a lot about different aspects of filmmaking.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Failing to communicate clearly about important things and losing trust in each other breaks the bond between people, and slowly doing things together and functioning well in a long period of time restores bonds.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
“Sometimes things need to fall apart to make way for better things”.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
For me, having a strong network of people in your field of work is important. Having a strong mindset in general can make someone do better in life than others with a bad mentality. But sometimes things and life are out of your control (economy, tax credits for productions, etc.). Society is hard.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days. 
Mid summer 2021-early summer 2022 was 1 of the best times of my personal and professional life, with a level of extreme excitement throughout. I worked on the film “Babylon” for a couple days (director+writer that made my favorite film “La La Land”), acted in a scene with 1 of my favorite actresses Nicole Kidman on “Expats”, worked on “Oppenheimer” for 3 days (huge fan of Christopher Nolan/The Dark Knight trilogy), traveled a lot for work (CBS TV show “Big Brother”, etc.), went to 2 Lady GaGa Las Vegas concerts (favorite musician, etc.). I felt unstoppable during that entire time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ryan-cho.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryancho508/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/theryancho
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cho318/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXeYUxdPYiAuugW2nIahNag