Today we’d like to introduce you to Byron Wu.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
So, I had done a lot of sketch comedy in high school, but I went to college thinking I was going to become an engineer or something. Turns out, engineering is boring and difficult. I remember sitting in my third CSE 373: Data Structures and Algorithms lecture of the quarter and I had my notes document open on my laptop. It was blank. And I don’t know what possessed me to do it, but I typed “Ext. Office – Day.” And by the end of the class, I had a C- and a half-hour pilot. Best class of my life. After that, I knew I wasn’t going to do engineering, but I wasn’t just going to declare myself a writer; that was unfathomable at the time.
So, I started taking some computer animation classes. One, because I thought it’d be a good half-step into filmmaking and, two, I’d always loved Pixar movies. When I was a kid, I’d get home from school, take out the Toy Story VHS, put it into the player, watch the movie, take out the VHS, rewind it, put it back into the player, and watch it again. My sister refers to it as my “little autistic habit.” Anyway, that class changed my life — I wanted to do Film and TV. I had to.
There was no switching majors at that point, so I finished out my Physics degree and, after a brief DC detour (shoutouts to CCTV: America!), I moved to LA to pursue the dream. That was five years ago. The first few I worked as a paintball referee and as a substitute teacher until I lucked into an assistant gig. Soon after that, I got into the AFI Conservatory as a Screenwriting Fellow and I graduated with my MFA a little under a year ago.
Has it been a smooth road?
Yes, it’s been easy. I walked onto the boulevard and they crowned me a genius before I passed La Brea.
No, of course not. (Has anyone ever said yes to this question?) Hollywood is the weirdest industry to try and break into. The hardest thing was/is to just keep going. Just keep writing, even if I don’t know where I’ll send the damn script when I do finish it. Just keep submitting, even though the fellowship said no last year and the year before. Just keep learning, even though those classes are burning a hole in my bank account. But it got easier, because every year, I’d meet more people going through the same thing. More friends grinding away, just like me. And those friends inspire me and encourage me to just keep going. Just keep writing.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I write action-comedies. The idea usually starts as a joke, and then I dig and dig and dig to find themes, and relationships, and meaning. I’m definitely a structuralist. I really love and admire the craft of storytelling in the Pixar model where everything is in service to the theme. Movies like Up and Finding Nemo, TV shows like Chernobyl and Barry are all masterclasses in this sort of story. Not to say I don’t love other forms of Film/TV, but those are what I aspire to.
The script I’m the proudest of is my half-hour pilot, The Brothers Sun. It’s a dark action-comedy about two estranged Taiwanese brothers, one a college student in Los Angeles, the other a Triad gangster in Taipei. When their father gets shot their two worlds come crashing together and neither will come out unscathed. It captures a certain tone that I’ve been chasing for the last few years. Too comedic to be a drama, too dramatic to be a comedy, but exactly what I’m aiming for.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The weather is great, the food is amazing, and there’s a certain energy with so many people pursuing their dreams that is invigorating.
But I feel like LA has made me weaker. Like physically weaker. I used to be able to go out in the pouring rain in nothing more than a light jacket and now if it goes below sixty degrees, I’m dressed like the Michelin Man.
Contact Info:
- Website: thebyronwu.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byronmwu/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheByronWu
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