No Set Path: Entertainment Break-In Stories

YB Chang is a senior editor for the Try Guys and recently received her first television credit as editor of an episode of No Recipe Road Trip on the Food Network. A former editor at BuzzFeed, YB also creates her own content for her 400,000 followers across Instagram and YouTube where she posts about food, lifestyle, and most recently - her wedding!

2:18 - First network TV credit (No Recipe Road Trip)

6:52 - Phoning It In (Try Guys series)

10:30 - Attending scientology school?!

11:36 - Pharmacy vs. Film school

13:50 - Attending USC

15:11 - Leaving FOX for BuzzFeed

24:00 - Working for Try Guys

29:50 - Launching YB’s own channel

36:52 - Getting recognized in public

39:25 - Getting comfortable on camera

41:52 - Navigating drama / Try Guys scandal

47:25 - Love story with Herbert

49:52 - Advice for aspiring creators and/or editors

54:08 - TIME CAPSULE

YOUTUBE (FOR USE WITH CLOSED CAPTIONS): https://youtu.be/_fO5HopR07M

Kristen Brancaccio is a writer, director, and VMA-nominated producer. Her recent projects include music videos for artists including the Oscar-winning FINNEAS, Ke$ha, Usher, and a video for Ben Abraham that screened at SXSW 2023, directed by Jillian Bell and starring Charlie Day and Mary Elizabeth Ellis. 

In this episode we cover: 

- How Kristen went from not knowing anyone in LA to cultivating a robust Hollywood rolodex 

- How she ended up having her first-ever pitch meeting opposite Matt Damon and Ben Affleck

- Her experience with programs like Project Greenlight, AT&T Shape, SyFy's digital pilot competition, and SXSW 2023

- When she knew it was time to start her own production company, Exit Twelve

Keep up with Kristen @kristensreality

Keep up with the show @nosetpathshow

Brian M. Tang is an Asian American director based in Los Angeles. His original SWAT samurai action short film, KODAMA, will have its world premiere at SXSW 2023. His recent directing work includes projects for virtual production company Impossible Objects and “Many Moons,” a film shot on location and in real time in the path of totality of the 2017 total solar eclipse. Informing his director sensibilities are his extensive background in cinematography and VFX.Brian’s DP work has appeared at the Telluride Film Festival, the Cannes Film Festival, the Student Academy Awards, and on Netflix. A USC alum, Brian grew up in Marlboro, New Jersey.

In this episode we discuss how Brian successfully crowdfunded a film that got into SXSW and gained interest from agents and production companies before it even screened. We also talk about how his work as a cinematographer and VFX artist prepared him for the leap into directing, how watching movies and making stop-motion films from Legos as a child formed his cinematic taste, and how he went from being unsure how to pay bills after film school to becoming a rostered director.

Connect with Brian on Instagram: @b_tang

1:00 - Introduction of Brian

2:35 - Kodama - SXSW 2023 selection

22:06 - Brian’s early days of filmmaking

34:24 - USC

36:58 - Under Darkness and Bolero - Telluride selections & Student Academy Award-nominated films

45:38 - Many Moons - shot on location during the 2017 total solar eclipse

56:30 - The Last Whistle - first feature film in theaters & on Netflix

1:01:37 - Bolt from the Blue - feature film shot in Alaska

1:04:15 - Important lessons - film school, VFX capabilities, having a secondary skill

01:22:20 - Living situation impact on creativity

01:24:45 - Advice for younger filmmakers

01:31:00 - Overcoming slow periods

01:35:07 - Time Capsule

01:45:52 - Key Takeaways

Welcome to the prequel episode of No Set Path! No Set Path is a biweekly podcast interviewing successful creatives in the entertainment industry. Host Rebecca Doyle dives into each guest’s story of breaking into film and television - the challenges overcome, the rules broken, and the unconventional moves made in pursuit of forging one’s own unique path.