I made a lot of mistakes along the way, but feel incredibly lucky to be in the position I am now and to be able to play a small part in trying to support talented, aspiring young filmmakers out there through a program like 'Interpretations' who, like me, had the desire and passion, but no connections to the industry.
After I made 'Better Luck Tomorrow' and started taking meetings in Hollywood, I quickly learned that Asian Americans weren't even in the conversation as a minority, since there wasn't even a significant enough audience, and especially an audience for Asian American content.
I think within the ideology of what 'Trek' is, that it actually makes the daunting task of making something new more manageable, because it's part of 'Trek's' very design to tackle new worlds and characters.
We had a pretty good life, growing up in Taiwan, and I think my dad really made a concerted effort to say hey, we're going to take a chance and go halfway around the world so that my kids can have more opportunities.
My Taiwanese parents came to America with no money and supported my brothers and me as small business owners in Orange County, which is close to L.A. but about as far away from Hollywood as you can be.
If I make a film like 'Better Luck Tomorrow' or 'Finishing the Game,' I'll protect it with everything I have.
I remember when I was a kid, I'd watch 'Kung Fu Theater' on TV, and all the movies would star guys named things like 'Bruce Lai' - you'd never get the real Bruce Lee films. So when I finally saw 'Enter the Dragon,' I was like, 'Holy cow, who is this guy?'
Sometimes, I think it's important to be a filmmaker first and be able to talk about whatever you want to after that.
There was something so pure about 'Better Luck Tomorrow' because money wasn't the currency. It was passion. The fact we were trying to do something even though no one was asking us to. It meant a lot.
For the longest time, the Asian-American community would talk about representation, but I think it's also about the freedom to really shape, create, and explore issues that are important to us, regardless of whether it's positive or negative, as long as it's three dimensional.
It's a privilege to go and have fun and do what you're passionate about for a living.