Today we’d like to introduce you to Marilyn Cho
Hi Marilyn, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Myoungeun Cho and I go by Marilyn. I was born in South Korea and my family and I moved to the states when I was 12 years old. As I went through middle school and high school, I was very busy with getting adjusting to this new environment with new language. I didn’t put so much time into finding my dream until my senior year of high school, since I was already putting a lot of effort into learning English. When I was working on my college application, I realized that I like to study something that I enjoy instead of just doing it, which was art. I didn’t know what kind of art that I wanted to do, but I knew that is what I wanted to do since I am paying for the tuition. Out of all the colleges that I got the acceptance letters, I decided to go into the field of cinematography. Growing up, I realized that the media that I watched, influenced my thoughts and my values. And I do love capturing the beauty of the visual scene in our life. So, I did decide to go to The Master’s University with the communication major in emphasis of cinematography. I wasn’t 100% sure whether this would be my passion. When I started studying cinematography, I fell in love with it. When I was working on the filming projects, the time didn’t exist for me. I enjoyed every step of it. Especially, I loved to be part of camera department in film. During my college time, I started working on the short films, feature films, and promotional videos as a camera operator, 1st assistant camera, 2nd assistant camera, editor, and etc. Also, I was hired as a digital marketing intern at the university, filming promotional videos, interviews, product shots, taking pictures, recording podcasts, and more. After graduating college, I was hired in the communication department working close to the marketing department, filming more promotional videos and editing them. Since I didn’t stop creating, I felt like I was lacking creativity and I wanted to try something new. So, I quit my job and start looking into a different job. It was during post pandemic era, a lot of people quit jobs in banking. I studied and applied at a bank as a loan officer, and thankfully I got in. I worked there for little over 2 years. Currently, I am working as a freelancer and working on building my portfolio for filming. I realized that I loved to create then working at an office analyzing. I did learn so much in a bank, seeing how the financial field works and it helped me to learn something totally new from the base. I want to be a film maker.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a tough road for me from the start. Moving to the United States was already tough for me to get adjusted, and I was pushed to be outside of my comfort zone from young age. I learned English, built new relationships, saw how the different part of the world works, and more. Also, I learned what I love to do as a career and I learned to enjoy facing problems and solving them in my own way and pace. It is always difficult for me to be in a new environment, but since I know that it helps me to grow and be the person who I am today, I am proud of myself of going through the struggles.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a freelancer, filming videos, taking pictures, and designing the illustration for clients. I just started to build my portfolio for filming, I have a far way ahead of me. I specialize in filming videos. I am proud of my work that I am able to capture what I find beauty and story. Since I took a detour after graduating college, working in a different field, banking, I can proudly tell other people that I do love filming, and I do capture from the smallest things to biggest things to tell the story visually.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
All credit goes to God. I am a Christian and when I was going through tough times, God held me firm to not give up and use my talent that I was given by God. Even in the failures, He taught me to stand up again.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marilyn_ch0/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@myoungeunmarilyncho1221
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11270724/?ref=fnalnm1
Image Credits
The Master’s University
