Daily Inspiration: Meet Tingyi Zhu

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tingyi Zhu.

Hi Tingyi, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I graduate with a MA degree from Chapman University Dodge college, so during my undergraduate years, I got many opportunities to get filmmaking experience. I began my producing journey in 2023, starting with my first film project, Hysteria (2023), where I worked as a line producer. Following this, I continued to build my experience with several additional line producing credits in short films or documentaries, including Mercy(2023), Sorrowful Vomit (2023), It’s Not a Monster (2025), and Video Memories (2025).

My internship at Ultra Comedy significantly broadened my understanding of creative producing. Working in the development department, I contributed many script notes during the development stage from a producer’s perspective. In addition, my experience as a creative intern in the packaging and sales department at Ramo Law gave me insight into the current entertainment market and reinforced the importance of the creative producer’s role in shaping projects for both artistic and commercial success.

After building a solid foundation in creative producing, I transitioned into the vertical short drama industry and began working as a freelance producer. I produced three series for a well-known vertical short platform, Playlet, all of which achieved strong performance. I have also collaborated with other vertical platforms such as DramaBox, GoodShort, and Vigloo, where my projects consistently received positive audience feedback.

Alongside my work in vertical formats, I continue to produce traditional horizontal narrative shorts. In October of last year, I directed and produced an independent short film titled Echo, which tells the story of a band. Later that year, I served as the LA local producer for an international indie short film, where the director traveled from China to Los Angeles for production. This project is currently in post-production.

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?
It hasn’t been a smooth journey. I didn’t major in producing in school, so I had to learn everything on set, from friends, crews, and hands-on experience. From the very beginning, I knew I was interested in producing, so every opportunity I got, I pursued on my own. Without a formal background in producing, I had to rely heavily on my own initiative and prove that I could earn people’s trust.

After graduating, there was a period of feeling lost. As an international person, being Asian, female, not a native English speaker and with very little industry connections – it was especially difficult to break into major studios like Disney, Warner Bros, Netflix… I spent a lot of time questioning where I belonged and what path I should take.

Eventually, I realized that a traditional path wasn’t the right fit for me. Instead of working a fixed office job for a single company, I chose to become a freelance producer. This path allows me to collaborate with different teams, choose the kinds of projects I want to work on, and build relationships with people I genuinely connect with. It gives me both creative freedom and flexibility, and it’s a lifestyle that I’ve grown to really enjoy.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Although most of my work is in the vertical short drama industry, the shows I have produced have received strong audience feedback and achieved high viewership. The accomplishment I’m most proud of is co-founding a company called Cerefilm Entertainment. It is a female-founded production company dedicated to developing narrative storytelling that centers women’s voices. Films represented by Cerefilm include She Was a Girl, Echo, and Hysteria, all of which are either created by female directors/producers or focus on female-centered stories.

As a creative producer at Cerefilm, I am responsible for the creative side of production, including providing script notes during the development stage, evaluating the production value of a script, and determining how to make it more producible. I also focus on selecting crew, cast, and locations, as these are all critical factors that affect the quality and content of a film.

I’m proud that I’m contributing to making more talented filmmakers and beautiful stories visible, and that is meaningful to me, beyond the commercial success of vertical short dramas.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
The first time I watched Harry Potter, I was eight. One night before bed, I had 20 minutes of free time. It’s something I always looked forward to if I went to bed early. That night, my mom introduced me to Harry Potter. We started from the very beginning, and we watched until the moment when Hagrid breaks through the door of the cabin on the island. Even though it was just a short segment, I was fascinated by the flying letters, hundreds of owls, and the mysterious scar on Harry’s forehead. It felt like a whole new world had opened up for me. After that, I begged my mom not to close the laptop, but she told me it was time to sleep. Then she asked me, “Have you ever heard of a job called a director?” I said no. And she told me, “Maybe one day, you could become a director, since you love watching movies so much.” Whenever I think of that, I feel like it was fate that led me to work in the film industry and become part of the team that creates motion pictures.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cerefilmentertainment.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-tingyi-zhu