September 4, 2019

Meet Kayleb Lee, Freelance Artist in Hollywood

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayleb Lee.

Kayleb, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My name is Kayleb Lee. I got a very late start on my journey as an artist. I am a 1st generation American; Asian-American. I never really had much growing up and was quite sheltered, but in the journey I found hobbies in poetry, artwork, editing, designing and so forth. They are beautiful escapes that have turned into purpose. My start was a slow gradual epiphany, as I’ve always done artistic things but for myself. Kicker, because I wasn’t doing other things for myself. Such as attended college studying engineering… long story short… dropped out… needed to learn social interaction, pop culture, literally everything from a sheltered life to a whole new world. Joined the Marines. Found myself in interesting situations. And came home lost. Found love, or so we always think. Then, lost again. Found film, by way of everything I’ve done in life I can do in filmmaking. I’ve always wanted to be a novelist, write a book, and be the next Shakespeare. To be immortalized through stories centuries later. Yet, I had all these trades- from logistics to design- and I wanted to tell stories- I finally grasped and combined my life journey. None of it was a waste.

The books I loved and my attachment to escaping inside the computer. Learning coding and editing. Designing inside Microsoft paint to excel. I was always creating and writing poetry. I didn’t know how to communicate emotionally or mentally but I could translate it by way of art. I couldn’t figure out the best place to be an artist and still innately be organized, structured, and plan ahead. … searching and searching… I gained a variety of lives in exchange for childhood and teenage years. Still learning and growing, but I finally found my path in filmmaking. It was art, business, and logistics. I was working and growing with others. Last year, I moved to LA. I had studied partially through an online program while serving. I am about to graduate and recently applied to film schools for my masters.

Being born with minimal upbringing, the only thing I could offer people was my mind, creativity, and work ethics. I really had to work on a damn personality. I had no resources, connects, and learned to be a genuine individual (hopefully I am). In truth, I am here because of the lives I’ve had the pleasure to work with and learn among. I wouldn’t be here chasing a dream if there weren’t people truly trying to guide me when I was lost or be a one-minute mentor. There’s something uplifting about reading characters in a book and falling in love with them, watching them on TV, but it hits different when it’s real-life people. I wanted to take my art, combine my structured mind, and capture these characters fiction and non-fictional into beautiful, tragic, scary, genuine, etc stories.

Has it been a smooth road?
I kind of detailed it in the previous post.

Every day is a struggle, but I’m not mad at that. Every struggle has helped me progress. Every comfort has left me complacent. That’s a mental and emotional hurdle that I need to overcome. Comfort is not always bad. But as I’ve said, listening and learning from people- I am part of this struggle bus with everyone. So it’s a bit unnerving to express it inside detail. The bumps in the road have given me perspective and resilience.

There’s something about being an Asian male in American and dealing with stereotypes. There’s a lot of things about being a minority. There’s a layer of being in the Marines and in combat. Of being poor and living underprivileged. Of being unstable. Of being conditioned to be racist, sexist, and ignorant. Then shedding it and realize how and where to grow. Yet one of the common struggles is that damn monetary living. It makes the rough roads have p(l)ot holes.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into your story. Tell us more about your work.
I specialize in writing, producing, and directing. I am currently in school, but I also freelance for film projects offered to me. I tend to Produce or act as Assistant Director. The humble beginnings help with creative solutions for budget management, obtaining resources such as equipment, or negotiating with locations. Yet, the creative side ensures what the team wants in a project. Do you want to tell a different story or something the audience is used to? There has to be perspective onset and not just mine. I believe many films and stories fail because why wasn’t there someone, anyone calling about misogynistic, stereotypical portrayals, or cringe-performance scenes. Yet, it is more than about “calling it out” but providing solutions and reasons. I am resourceful from the ability to video edit, graphics, vector design, hand-drawn, storyboard to constructing forms and detailed excels managing productions, legal, and so forth. Beyond that scope, is understanding the needs of said software. I understand it requires good hardware. There’s awareness of the capabilities of what I use and my team. I believe what sets me apart is that I don’t set others apart. I am aware of my abilities and lack thereof and how I can complement another person’s capabilities to achieve something.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
In 5 years, I will have my master’s and have completed at least 2 feature films and a good number of short films. I will humbly win countless prestigious film awards and help open up lanes for those behind me and work with those in front of me. I will have two non-profits, one for a diverse and eco-friendly film production company and another for something else. I haven’t yet decided. I love animals. I love mother nature. I want… will help the homeless, other veterans, and the underprivileged. I want to ensure I stay genuine and be a man of word and worth. In the next half-decade to a decade, I’ll make a powerful impact in the industry, whether it changes or stays the same. A very “I” beginning and statement, but in the same maneuvers, it won’t just be me, but those who I have worked with and have impacted myself or impacted things in general. I look forward to the next 5 years every year.

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