Meet Tony Huang

We recently connected with Tony Huang and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Tony with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I was fortunate enough to have a lot of great role models and examples to follow.

When I was younger, I worked on the directing and producing team for Chinese director Zhang Yimou. The biggest thing I learned from working with his team is that we’re all a family working towards the same goal. When I was working with him, everyone on the team was determined and motivated. We all wanted to produce the best possible movie at the end of the day, and that meant we all had to work as hard as we could to make it happen.

Director Zhang set a great example for the rest of the team. At the studio, he would get to work every day at 11:00am, and take meetings throughout the day till 7PM. Then, he would work on his own until 2 or 3AM before he went home, and continued to study other films before bed. On set, we filmed throughout the day for countless hours and nights. Nobody on set had ever seen him yawn before on set, nor did anyone ever see him rest. When he wrapped up a long day of production, he would spend the entire night working with the editorial team, or having meetings. His example inspired all of us on his team to work hard, and achieve a high level of perfection.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am the Founder and CEO of DFI Studio and DFI Rentals. DFI Studio is a commercial film production company, where we produce promotional video content for other brands and companies. DFI Rentals is a film equipment rental company located in DTLA, and is currently the largest rental house in the Downtown Los Angeles area.

DFI stands for “don’t follow instructions” which is a founding principle we have had since the company’s founding a few years back. I’m a firm believer that in today’s rapidly evolving world, simply following the instructions is no longer enough – meaning following the tide and doing what has been done before is no longer enough. With DFI Studio and DFI Rentals, we’re constantly pushing ourselves to understand what our clients want and need for today’s digital age. With DFI Studio, this means telling our clients’ stories through unexplored perspectives with up-to-date content strategies. With DFI Rentals, this means radically changing the equipment rental experience to include instant online bookings, online insurance, and one-stop shop rentals for camera, lighting, and grip. At the end of the day, we’re always challenging ourselves to think: How can we go beyond the “instructions,” and make things even better?

The most exciting part of working at DFI is being fortunate enough to meet so many talent and unique people every day. Every day is different and unique, and we learn so many new things from talented filmmakers in the LA area. It’s been an incredible journey seeing DFI Studio grow over the years, and even more incredible to see DFI Rentals grow from an idea to a full-service 3500+ sq ft rental house in just under 4 months.

At DFI Rentals, we’ve recently launched our retail and web booking services. We’re now a retailer for many known brands of film expendables, and we’ve started taking bookings for equipment rentals online as well at dfirentals.com.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Generosity

I’ve always believed that generosity will always bring out the best in everyone. Whether it’s helping a friend produce their passion project, or finding ways to support your community – finding ways to support others is always the right thing to do. The best way to think about generosity early on is to always be thinking of how you can give, rather than how you can take. What can you do to help? How can you provide a benefit to someone else?

Understanding Everything

Being a CEO, Producer, or Director means knowing everything. You need to understand how each and every part of your company or production functions. This means understanding how other people do their jobs, so that you can communicate with them in a way that they can understand, and giving leadership that they will benefit from. You might not become an expert in everything, but having a basic understanding goes a long way. I’m constantly reading and learning about new topics every day to advance myself, and my business.

Resilience (not being afraid of no)

This is probably the biggest piece of advice I’ve gotten from other people. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Being afraid of “no” can often deter people from even trying in the first place (I know it has deterred me a few times). If you never ask, the answer will be “no.” If you do ask, maybe the answer will be “yes. ”

Rejection isn’t always the end of the world, and going through my career I’ve faced rejection many times. The most important thing to do in the face of rejection is to reflect on what went wrong, or what you can improve to do better next time.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
When people ask me where I’m from, that’s quite a difficult question to answer. I was born in Beijing, China. I spent a part of my life when I was young growing up in Vancouver, Canada. And I’ve currently made Los Angeles my home. Despite constantly moving around the world, I don’t feel a sense of strangeness anywhere I go.

My parents raised me as a citizen of the world, and allowed me to experience many different international cultures. This made me very adaptable, and able to fit in no matter where I go. I think they gave me this incredibly valuable quality that is very important for today’s increasingly international world.
I feel very fortunate to be born into a family of incredibly motivated and hard-working people, and I’m deeply appreciative of all the opportunities they’ve given me over the years.

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