Meet Dinh Thai

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dinh Thai.

Dinh, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Wow, that’s a big question. I’ll just try to highlight some of the bullet points of my career as a filmmaker. I wrote and directed my first narrative short film 14 years after graduating from film school. Yeah, it took me that long to learn and grow as a storyteller. The short is titled MONDAY. You can watch it here:

MONDAY was streaming on HBO and is currently on CINEMAX until May 2019. We’ve been blessed to have received 50+ awards and nominations. The film took home 1st place in HBO’s APA Visionaries contest and also won the Outstanding Director, Outstanding Actor, and Next Generation Filmmaker awards from NBCUniversal’s Shorts Fest. Those accolades are opening doors for film and tv directing which I’m currently pursuing.

I’m also trying to turn MONDAY into a tv series. So if you’d like to support it check out the IG and FB @MondayAShortFilm. Like, Share, Follow and most importantly, talk about it. Thank you!

Alongside writing and directing, I found some minor successes as a commercial director working with ad agencies and branded clients— helping them create content across traditional and digital platforms. Many clients ask for their video campaign to deliver with photos and social media assets. I’ve been lucky enough to provide an encompassing service that spans various genres such as, comedy, sports, celebrities, real people, and athletes. Here’s my website if you’d like to check out some of the work. www.DinhThai.com

Has it been a smooth road?
Smooth, because I’m healthy, living, and surrounded by supportive friends and colleagues. Rough, because I’m nowhere close to being where I’d like to be as a filmmaker and commercial director. I must have pitched and bid on a dozen projects in 2018. Didn’t land one.

The most recent was a music video for a popular electronic artist featuring an equally famous K-Pop group. An actor friend of mine introduced me to the artist via text, saying they were looking for an Asian-American director. The artist’s liaison gave me two days to conceptualize and design a pitch deck. Luckily, a fun idea popped into my head, and I ran with it. We had a couple of conference calls to hash out creative, logistical, and budgetary details.

Ultimately they loved the concept but hated the cost of the project. After a few back-and-forth emails, they went radio silent. Didn’t thank us for our time and didn’t acknowledge that they had to pass on our pitch. I believe there’s another chance for this creative. Just have to find another artist to love it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.DinhThai.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madebydinh/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dinh1
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/mondayashortfilm/

Image Credit:
NBCUniversal 2018

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.