Meet Allison Lau

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Allison Lau a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Allison, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

I really appreciate this question because it is something where you never really know how it will affect you until you’re faced with the situation and it really has the ability to shape your identity and personal philosophy. This has been a theme that has come up countless times over my career in journalism and there have been many story assignments where I was the only woman or person of color in the field, working on a crew of all men or assigned a story that placed me in a community that had a completely different experience than my own. While it can be intimidating entering a space where the initial focus may be on the blatant differences that set you apart, I’ve learned two very important things.

The first is that, in these situations, your confidence will generally dictate how others will treat you. Your confidence is an unspoken presence that has the ability to make people feel at ease or tense around you and choose how much of themselves they want to share. In order to lead effectively and have a successful experience with anything, it is important to work on this aspect within yourself and get proper guidance from mentors, counselors or trusted individuals in your life if you need help developing confidence.

The second thing I’ve learned is that there is much more that unites us than appearances alone, but many times, people don’t take the time to discover those shared experiences or simply can’t get past their initial impressions. We miss out on a lot of opportunities when this happens, so I always try to keep an open mind and make an effort to get to know whomever is in front of me to find those commonalities. I really believe there are universes of experiences and opportunities that are lost when you pigeonhole yourself into your comfort zone and repeated patterns of thinking.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I grew up as a first generation Taiwanese/Chinese-American in an immigrant household. My parents owned their own photography business in the San Francisco Bay Area and began training me to shoot on film when I was seven. I worked nearly every weekend from elementary school through high school and by 14, I was attending photography gigs solo and realized I wanted to make my career in a visual medium. Being exposed to this work ethic so young really fostered my passion for visual storytelling and made me decide to pursue a career in video journalism because I loved capturing important moments and using words to encapsulate the backstory and significance.

I’m a Cali girl at heart and have been living on the East Coast for nearly a decade in New York City. I first moved over to get my master’s degree in journalism and video storytelling at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism—from there, my production career really took on a life of its own. I’ve been fortunate enough to work at some of the largest media networks telling meaningful stories about social justice advocates, ambitious entrepreneurs, and people who are striving to make a better life for themselves and those around them.

My dedication to my journalism career has been one of my greatest life achievements and I really have my parents to thank for their loving support and fostering those fundamental skills that I learned when I was so young. Being a journalist has taught me so much about human nature, what motivates, unites and divides us. Because of my upbringing and identity as a woman of color living in the United States, I’ve always been drawn to complexity and nuanced stories where people break out of the mold of what’s expected of them while honoring parts of their past that have made them who they are. It is in this intersection where I’ve found my own stride for telling stories centered around culture, justice and identity, which I oftentimes find to be the most transformative.

I’m currently working in several positions that really honor several parts of my life and career trajectory. I’m filming two documentaries surrounding the themes of Asian American culture and identity, as well as working as a producer on several shows covering social justice, civil rights and tech equity. I’m also reporting on swing state voters as we are in a consequential election cycle.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I’d advocate taking every opportunity to learn technical skills, even if you don’t see the immediate value, you never know when it’ll be useful in your career. However, the three qualitative qualities that are most impactful to my journalism career and personal journey are curiosity, compassion, and patience. My belief is that they are all correlated and you need all three to be successful at anything you set your mind to—regardless of your title.

Having curiosity has given me an interest to have a better understanding in the lives and experiences of others; whether it’s a story subject or team that I work with. Curiosity allows me to think beyond myself and engage with the world around me, which often allows me to exercise compassion for circumstances people are facing. Compassion is a core pillar of my identity because it creates understanding for the hardships that people are enduring and serves as a reminder to act with more patience and humanity. Patience is fundamental in every aspect of life, but with respect to my career, I’ve found that patience is often correlated to having faith, hope and determination that everything will have the best outcome possible.

For someone who is just starting out in their career, I’d advise finding opportunities to have mentorship and exercise leadership wherever possible. It is both important to learn from someone more seasoned than you and help others who are seeking guidance. Having structured mentorship also gives you a safe space to be able to reflect on your own actions and improve yourself to help you on your path of growth.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

This year in particular has brought a whirlwind of change, stripping me of my stability and really forcing me out of my comfort zone. At the beginning of the year, I was laid off from a large media company that I had been with for five years. It was a place that I had always wanted to work for and gave me the ability to report on racial equality stories and help communities facing systemic injustice, which made the departure all the more painful.

I took a few months to recenter, relax and figure out what was next, and as silly as it sounds, my biggest area of improvement was just to allow myself to rest and focus on my mental health. I also took a lot of time to learn new skills that I had always wanted to try that had nothing to do with my career, like dancing, sewing, speaking new languages, cooking and cultural immersion.

The time off from work really allowed me to look in the mirror and ask myself if I’m on the right track. It also gave me the ability to think with clarity without distractions. I think there is tremendous value in resting and taking breaks, really getting to know yourself outside of the work grind and trusting in the process when things feel like they’re in disarray.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.laudandproud.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/laudandproud
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/allisonjlau

Image Credits

Photo 1 (Personal Photo): Alexander Coles
Photo 3: Helen Zhao
Photo 7: Theresa Cornwell
Photo 8: Nimit Shah
Photo 9: Hannah Long-Higgins