Meet Andrew Choi

We recently connected with Andrew Choi and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrew , thank you so much for agreeing to open up about a sensitive and personal topic like being fired or laid-off. Unfortunately, there has been a rise in layoffs recently and so your insight and experience with overcoming being let go is relevant to so many in the community.

Getting laid off/fired is never a great feeling and it can take you to a really dark place, when it happens. I have been laid off twice in recent years and reacted to it differently. My first lay off, I didn’t think much of it, knowing I will get unemployment. I was young and decided I was going to have fun with the free income from the government. I didn’t do much, just playing games and binging on shows, drinking my days away. I thought I was enjoying myself, not noticing the negative effect. I was losing my ability to feel and think, started seeing changes in my body, feeling it too, but I was far off from reality and didn’t accept what was happening. My stomach bloating from consumption of alcohol during the day and to go to sleep, my expression looking tired and dejected from lack of sleep.

After a year of unemployment, I needed money and picked up whatever job I can. When I got hired, I noticed something different about me. I had a hard time concentrating, fidgety, constant disagreement with the manager, and procrastinating. After all that time I was having fun, I never learned to take care of myself, constantly depleting my dopamine, locking myself up at my apartment. There was a point where I couldn’t even get myself to start working. I was staring at my computer, knowing that I need to start editing videos, but it felt like multiple voices are just screaming in my head. I froze and started crying. I was going through a breakdown, something I have never experienced. I was scared and felt alone. After that moment, I talked with the manager and came to the decision that I take a break for a couple weeks. I took a break and started to process what happened and what needed to change. When I came back, we all went back to work and finished our project. Soon after the post production was finished, I was told by the manager that our department was shutting down and that I will be laid off.

Now the second lay off hit me, I was miserable, thought I was a failure, and feeling that I cannot get back up, after my second layoff within 5 years. Bad habits came back, I started drinking again, doing nothing. But after a week, things changed. I had an epiphany. I saw myself going back to what made me hate me. I decided to process what I have experienced and what I needed to improve. I took another year off. But this time, I decided to take mental and physical health seriously. I started seeing a therapist for my mental health and started weight lifting religiously 4~5 times a week. And what people said are true, the longer you challenge yourself to become a better person, you start gaining more respect for yourself. I started to acknowledge myself more. I also made an effort to up my craft, studying cameras and video editing from scratch. After a year of self care and improving my craft, I got hired as a videographer and editor for a local company. I noticed the difference of myself from a year ago. I noticed how much more comfortable and confident I was with myself. I was more vocal and I did not worry about how others will think of me. Back then, I just did whatever I was told to do, but now I can speak up and express my concerns. I accept myself more and happier with myself, more than ever.

Layoff or being fired can happen to anyone, but the outcome of it can change depending on how you will process it. It’s definitely not easy, but with patience, you will see a lot more.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

In the professional world, I am a videographer and photographer for a Whale Spa Inc., a luxury Pedicure Chair company. My main focus is creating branding and promotional contents. Also on side projects, I produce and direct, usually for music videos. When it comes to my art style, for my company, it’s all about authenticity and luxury, but when I have artistic freedom, I love to dream and be in it.

We have projects that we hold dearly to our heart and I feel like what holds that changes, as we develop as an artist. What used to move and excite me, all depended on how our end product looked and how it will be viewed to audience. After working on all the projects in the past and now that I look back, I really appreciate the process of creating. It was being in the moment with the peers, trying to create together and experience,

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Resilience, curiosity, and acceptance. Early in my career, I had a major imposter syndrome, which made it hard for me to grow in my career. I questions myself everyday on set, if I belong here and constantly asking “What am I doing here?”. There were days where I just wanted to stay home in my safe space, but I didn’t want to give up. I finally found something that I can build a career around and walking away from it, I will never forgive myself. I kept going to the office and film sets, doing as much as I can. Being resilient, I met a lot of good people in the same field, telling me about their experiences in the field and hearing me out, that I feel like an imposter. Hearing their perspective gave me hope and I felt a bit more normal. Then I accepted who I was: I lacked in my craft, granted I was new to the industry, and I wasn’t curious enough about the field to learn more. I had to be curious to understand more. After that got through my head, I started watching films/music videos with more curiosity. Who is the director? What is he/she trying to tell us through this piece? What feelings are they trying to portray? Curiosity not just made me a better creator, but a better person.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

As a dreamer and a lover of music, my passion definitely goes to music videos. I would love you talk with you and learn why certain track was created and what story is behind it. If you are a musician and in need of a music video, I would love to make your vision come true.

Contact Info:

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