We recently spoke with Director & DP
@itsevanchan about his recent project for
@wrangler /
@wranglerwestern
Here are a few of the questions we asked Evan
— How did you actually get here? Not the official version.
Officially, my path into filmmaking started when I dropped out of college after being denied transfer into my school’s film program. I cut my teeth in the YouTube production world before gradually scaling into digital, documentary, and commercial work. Unofficially? A few years after the transition, I actually ended up bouncing around the fitness and tattoo industries before eventually putting the camera down altogether. Fortunately, the COVID pandemic put it right back in my hands out of both financial and creative necessity. From there, the rest of the story is a mix of serendipity and a generous amount of guidance from a few mentors who saw something in me long before I saw it in myself.
— What do you know now that took too long to learn?
Nearly a decade into this industry, I’ve learned that your value as a creative professional has to be self-determined. Sometimes that simply means saying no to opportunities that undermine your talent. At the end of the day, this work requires a certain devotion to the craft and that devotion has to start with how you value yourself.
— If this feature runs and one specific person reads it, who is it and what do you want them to do?
If one person were to read this, I’d hope it’s the 13-year-old version of me who was constantly paralyzed by self-doubt disguised as indecision. I’d want him to know that his intuition will always be his compass. I’d tell him to trust his taste, do what he thinks is cool, and stop questioning every instinct. Outside of work, I’d encourage him to talk to that stranger, take that leap, and not be afraid of risk. Also, bet on yourself—because even if you don’t have all the answers, you’ll figure them out. And finally, seek out people who genuinely want to see you succeed. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to find mentors and friends like Andric Queen-Booker, Jose Lopez, Matthew Nguyen, William Rouse, and David Breschel—people who believed in me long before I believed in myself
