Meet Ken Ochiai

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ken Ochiai. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ken below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Ken 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 got my work ethic from my grandfather. He was a doctor for over 60 years. During the war, he served as a military doctor and was captured as a POW in Russia, where he spent three years in the coldest and hardest conditions. When he returned, he opened his own clinic at the age of 30 and never stopped working until he was 93.

He took care of his body and mind—ate well, stayed active, and kept a routine that amazed me even as a kid. I still remember watching him climb up and down the stairs of his house 20 times a day with a bag of rocks strapped to his back, like some old-school military training.

He taught me that grit matters. It’s hard to know exactly what you want to do in life, but once you figure out the direction, what really counts is to just keep walking. Perseverance, step by step. He lived by that, and it stuck with me.

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?

I’m a filmmaker—which, for me, means writing, producing, sometimes acting, and directing across a variety of visual media including films, TV/web series, commercials, and even video games. Movies are still my favorite format, but I see them as a 20th-century art form. As an artist of the 21st century, I’m excited to explore and help shape what the future of visual storytelling looks like.

Most recently, I had the honor of directing an episode of Golden Kamuy, a live-action Japanese TV series based on one of the most acclaimed manga of all time. We spent years researching the Meiji period and the indigenous Ainu culture of northern Japan to bring this rich world to life—much of it has never been portrayed on screen before for a global audience, and I’m incredibly proud to have helped open that door.

While directing is the most challenging and fulfilling part of my work, I genuinely enjoy every aspect of visual storytelling. Writing allows me to build worlds from the ground up. Producing gives me the chance to support and collaborate with new voices. Acting lets me fully immerse myself in the story from the inside out.

At the heart of it all, I’m driven by the belief that stories—when told with care and craft—can connect people across cultures, time, and even mediums. That’s what keeps me going.

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

Looking back, I’d say the three most impactful qualities in my journey as a director have been: a crystal-clear vision, strong communication skills, and practical spontaneity.

After reading a script and researching the setting, a director’s job is to bring that two-dimensional world to life in three dimensions—something tangible, rooted in a clear and simple theme you want to share with the audience. That vision becomes your compass throughout the process.

It’s not just about having a great idea—it’s about being able to convey it to your cast and crew. Through visual references, presentations, and conversations, you align everyone toward the same goal. And rather than micromanaging every detail, the magic often happens when you create space for collaborators to bring their own creativity. In the best cases, their contributions elevate the final product beyond what you originally imagined.

No matter how well you plan, filmmaking throws curveballs. It could be budget constraints, scheduling conflicts, or unpredictable weather. Being able to stay flexible, think creatively under pressure, and adapt in the moment is an essential skill that often defines the outcome.

Filmmaking is one of the most complex art forms—but improving at it can be surprisingly simple. The best way to grow is by making as many stories as you can, in any format. Imagine a story, turn it into something visual, learn from the experience—and then do it again. The best work should always be the one you make next!

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

In this time and era, one of the biggest challenges we all face is having too many choices. We’re flooded with content—hundreds of shows and movies available at our fingertips—and even something as simple as picking one to watch can feel exhausting. And when you finally make a decision, you can’t help but wonder if another option might’ve been better. That kind of indecision can be paralyzing.

As a filmmaker, I feel this challenge even more deeply when it comes to deciding what story I want to tell, and what role I want to take on. Making a single visual story—whether it’s a film, a series, or even a game—can take one to two years of your life. I have so many ideas that I’ve collected over the years, and on top of that, I’ve had the incredible fortune of working across several countries—the U.S., Japan, Vietnam, Korea, Indonesia, and Thailand. Each country brings its own opportunities, collaborators, and audiences, which is amazing, but it also makes choosing the one next project incredibly difficult.

On top of that, I wear many hats: writer, producer, director, sometimes actor. I genuinely love all of them. But often, what’s best for the story isn’t necessarily aligned with the role I most want to take on—or the one I’m best suited for. My manager and I have had long conversations about focusing on directing in Japan as the fastest path to growth. It makes sense on paper—but it’s not exactly where my heart lies.

I started making movies when I was 12. With the help of my classmates, I wrote, produced, acted, and directed. The joy of being involved in every part of the process is what got me hooked—and that passion is what’s carried me this far.

So yes, I constantly struggle with deciding both the story and the role. But once I do make that choice, I commit. I try not to dwell on the “what-ifs.” I pour everything I have into making the most of that one path. Because in the end, it’s not about choosing the perfect option—it’s about giving your all to the one you believe in.

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