Rising Stars: Meet Andy Duong of Long Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy Duong

Hi Andy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been fascinated with TV shows and Movies as a little kid. I like how entertainment can keep people’s mind off of the continuous struggle of a working man throughout the day. I enjoy when an actor or actress can execute their role and pull the audience in emotionally, especially in Comedy.

Along with TV shows and movies, I initially drew more inspiration for creating content through other creators like RDCworld, CalebCity, LongBeachGriffy, and Trellevision. I’ve been creating content for 5 years now, with my first year focusing on creating comedy sketch. The thing about creating comedy sketches… is that you must continue writing scripts, act, edit, and remain consistently funny for the viewers. It felt hard keeping up with expectations, so I stopped doing that and tried to focus on something that more people can gravitate too. That piece of content was being a food vlogger.

Through collaborations with other restaurants, and my narration over clips of food, I’ve noticed that I drew more intention. I enjoyed sharing great eats and drinks. The only issue about creating food content… is that you will always end up spending money on food and it can also make you gain weight. Because of my health being a concern, I knew I had to focus on something else.

One day, I saw a post involving a couple of my homies from high school that was announcing a launch of a non-profit, basketball academy called Books & Buckets. Books & Buckets is based out of the Washington Neighborhood in Long Beach, California. The Washington Neighborhood has the highest percentage of gang and gun violence throughout the City. The purpose of the program is to give the youth a safe-haven that gives them a free basketball clinic to work on their game. Because of the area being a low-income part of Long Beach, we pride ourselves on keeping the clinic free to the kids. A lot of basketball academy will charge hundreds per kid to participate. Not us. My homies and I wanted to give the kids a shot at a better, safer life, by giving them a place they can go to. Along with free basketball clinics, we place an emphasis on the knowledge of civic engagement for the youth. We encourage the youth to speak up for changes and improvements for their neighborhood. We want them to know tat their voice matters, and as a collective unit, we can bring improvements to the community. The youth inspires all of us. We’ve collectively went to Long Beach City Hall and spoke to the District members and Mayor of Long Beach. A big goal for the kids was to improve their park. The park they lived near by had beat up basketball courts, no public restroom, and a big homeless issue. Through the continuous battles and collective efforts with other community members, we were able to secure funding to bring improvements to the park and they have already begun.

I got the opportunity to join the Books and Buckets team as their videographer and Social Media Director. The opportunity was a once-in-a-lifetime chance I couldn’t pass up on. I love being able to use my skills of creating to expose the world to the wonderful work that the kids are doing.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Along with TV shows and movies, I initially drew more inspiration for creating content through other creators like RDCworld, CalebCity, LongBeachGriffy, and Trellevision. I’ve been creating content for 5 years now, with my first year focusing on creating comedy sketch. The thing about creating comedy sketches… is that you must continue writing scripts, act, edit, and remain consistently funny for the viewers. It felt hard keeping up with expectations, so I stopped doing that and tried to focus on something that more people can gravitate too. That piece of content was being a food vlogger.

Through collaborations with other restaurants, and my narration over clips of food, I’ve noticed that I drew more intention. I enjoyed sharing great eats and drinks. The only issue about creating food content… is that you will always end up spending money on food and it can also make you gain weight. Because of my health being a concern, I knew I had to focus on something else.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a videographer, editor, and content creator. Everything I record, I edit myself as well. I pride myself on being self-taught, and for pursuing a living off of a hobby I actually enjoy.

I specialize in creating content for my non-profit, Books and Buckets as their Social Media Director. I specialize in story-telling. Through my videos, i aim to grab the audience attention and bring them emotions.

I’m mostly proud of the kids we have. Books and Buckets started in Summer 2020 and it’s been crazy seeing the growth from the kids in the program. Physically and mentally.

The thing that sets me apart from other is my drive to make a living off of something I love instead of having a typical 9-5. I’m an off spring of two Cambodian Refugees. My mother and father fled their homeland of Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge, where millions of Cambodians died under the dictatorship of Pol Pot. Because of their sacrifice to come to America, I’ve always been inspired to achieve my dreams and refuse to settle for less. I’m always looking for inspiration in entertainment, whether it’s taking concepts from skating videos, basketball, wrestling, etc. I’m always on the grind to get better at my craft.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
In the net 5-10 years, I see me making strides in content production and book more clients for video production. I believe I can continue to inspire others to pursue a field in content creation if they can see me collaborate with bigger clients. The ultimate goal is to be able to travel and make a living off creating.

Pricing:

• $150/hr
• $500/4 hr

Contact Info:

• Website: https://andyduong608.wixsite.com/my-site
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adfromlb/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/booksandbuckets/