Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Nguyen.
Jason, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
You know that scene from Game of Thrones, against a snowcapped landscape, Ygritte, a wildling and star crossed lover of Jon Snow looks him dead in the eyes and with a scowl goes “You know nothing, Jon Snow. And he just stands there, staring. That’s me. That’s how I feel. All. The. Time. Except in my case, Ygritte is the rest of the world and I am Jon Snow. 50% less handsome and 100% more Asian.
I come from an immigrant family of four, an older brother and parents who lived whole lives before coming to roll the dice in the land of the free. Specifically in Vancouver, WA, home of….50 Shades of Grey? Lewis and Clark stories? Not much. I grew up with an appetite to succeed. Ambitious. However, there’s not many options when you are first-generation Vietnamese and the youngest in your family. We moved to America with nothing in our pockets, so I guess ambition comes with the territory. What’s the saying? “You can only go up from here.”
Miraculously, my conservative Vietnamese parents enrolled us into an arts magnet middle-through-high school, the school I attended for seven of my formative years. It was there I grew a strong love for the arts, for film-making and, here’s the twist, for comedy. Big time. I tried stand-up at the age of 15 in Portland, Oregon and never looked back. I moved to Los Angeles, where I kept pursuing stand-up and improv, but ultimately landed on sketch comedy because it was the best of both worlds – film making and comedy.
I co-founded Yes Please Comedy (a YouTube sketch duo) with my comedy partner where we continue to write and create together going strong in our sixth year. Our comedy has been featured on Comedy Central, Funny or Die, and showcased at various film and television festivals around the nation. Eventually, that independent sketch work would land me my day job at Nerdist Industries. I started at Nerdist as a production assistant, the “gofer.” Now, I’m an Executive Producer of my own shows and the Director of Branded and Scripted Content. In my time at Nerdist, I have created of several original sketches and digital series that have garnered millions of views worldwide and been featured in several publications including AV Club, Slash Film, The Hollywood Reporter, Vice, Indiewire, Time, Variety, and more.
Needless to say, everything I do, funny or not, is really just to course correct a constant state of benign ignorance that I believe I am endowed with. So that if I am ever in a position where my very own Ygritte looks me in my eyes and tells me how little I know. I can push up the glasses on the bridge of my nose and go. “Maybe I know a little.” before taking an untimely punch to the jaw.
Has it been a smooth road?
No, it has not. As they say, the struggle is real but so is the hustle.
Fighting for a voice and a chance to be heard is the hardest challenge. There are a surprising number of instances where I find myself the only person of color or Asian descent in a meeting. It reinforces the idea that there’s still a big gap to be filled in this industry and a lot more work to be done. That said, I am proud to be a part of a generation committed to changing that narrative.
Aside from that, sometimes I struggle to stay positive. I’m working on it. Like most creatives in Los Angeles, I am a real grave-yard mix of self-doubt and insecurities. It’s so easy to become jaded when you work in the same field for a certain amount of time. Lately, I find my self working overtime to curtail my tendencies to be cynical or overly critical about the progress of my career. I have achieved a lot, but there’s always the push to be better.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Yes Please Comedy/Nerdist Industries/Legendary Digital Networks – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I am currently the Director of Branded and Scripted Content at Nerdist Industries, which is owned by Legendary Entertainment.
During my tenure at Nerdist, I have gotten to direct, write, and produce sketch comedy: scripted, unscripted, and branded. I am the creative lead behind “Nerdist Presents”, Nerdist’s collection of premium content. I might be known for producing and heading up the creative for videos like the Spiderman/Bruno Mars music video parody, “That Spidey Life” (sitting at 25+ million views across YT + FB), my “A Star Wars is Born” music video parody of “Shallow” (at 14+ million views), or, my personal favorite, the “Tommy Wiseau Joker Audition Tapes” (currently at 5+ million views).
I don’t know if it sets me apart but what comes incredibly useful is my ability to absorb and adapt. In the beginning, I was willing to learn from every department throughout the film making process. That wide variety of knowledge has allowed me to be a multi-hyphenate that can see a project through from start to finish, whether behind or in front of the lens.
Above all, what I am the proudest of is that I have been able to consistently stay within the realm of my interests as a full-time job, warts and all. I feel that is something to smile about.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I like that there are so many chances to do things here. I also dislike that there are so many chances to do things here. Other than that? I think Los Angeles is the best.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jasonnguyen.tv
- Email: jasonnguyenproducer@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madeinjazn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jasoneses
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/madeinjazn
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/yespleasecomedy | https://www.youtube.com/nerdist
Image Credit:
Screengrabs from “That Spidey Life”, “A Star Wars is Born” and “Tommy Wiseau’s the Dark Knight” on the Nerdist Youtube Channel
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