Young Kim and 3DJ Pictures
Traveling Vagabond Finding Focus in Producation
Episode 079
Young Kim is the creative director at 3DJ Pictures, an end-to-end production company based in Los Angeles. A vagabond who has lived in multiple continents, Young has called Pasadena home since 2020 —after moving to LA in 2014. Getting his LA industry start as a sound mixer and assistant camera for David Blaine’s magic specials, Young now works mostly in the commercial realm, partnering with clients like Live Nation and Skechers for the better part of the year. Outside of work, Young is an avid basketball fan and is currently working on his debut novel—I Always Knew That I Would Die Young—which is a story about ethnic and more so ethical identity, and if we truly have a choice in who we become.
Number: 323-499-6198
Young Kim and 3DJ Pictures Takeaways
- Young Kim has experienced racism in the media and production world based on his name
- Young traveled a lot growing up and never felt great affection from his family
- He had a hard past with drinking and drugs, but his passion for filmmaking helped him breakthrough
- Young owns 3DJ Pictures, a production company focused on a variety of content
Young Kim and 3DJ Pictures Quotes
- “I had the most autonomy I ever had. It was tough, I made a lot of bad decisions. I became homeless for a stretch, I was walking a lot, chain-smoking, drinking, drugs.
- “I spent my Thanksgivings and Christmases almost completely by myself, and that’s when I realized I didn’t have family or love, it was always this constant quest of finding my family.”
- “All the Ivy League schools rejected me, except Yale. That was the school my dad really wanted me to go to. And I told him I can’t. I don’t want to do that, I don’t want to be a lawyer, I want to make movies. And he cut me off financially.”
- “Our generation was specifically told that if you go to college you’ll be set for life. You won’t have to worry about anything… surprise!”
- “There is an endless curiosity to filmmaking.”
- “Sure, if you work hard enough, you can get a lot of things. But, America is and always was a caste system since 1619 and that’s a reality that we all have to face that is an obstacle that’s in our way before we get better.”
- “Humans are some of the most unforgiving people to ourselves, but we are completely forgiving to everyone else. It’s the power of thought.”
Show Notes
What is 3DJ Pictures?
3DJ Pictures is a production company that focuses on content such as commercials, narrative documentaries, and music videos.
It’s a relatively new company; before March 2022, it was called Young Kim Productions. The name change was kind of a test to see if his name, Young Kim, was why he may not have received as much work as he wanted.
He actually applied to a production job with his name and also a fake white-sounding name. Unfortunately, and not to the surprise of Young Kim, the white-sounding name got way more engagement.
Where is Young Kim from?
Young was born in Arizona, and his parents were jumping continents at the time. But he truly feels like he grew up in New York. That is where he had the most autonomy, and it was very difficult for him.
Looking back, he realizes he made a lot of bad decisions. He was 13 at the time and was in many different high schools.
He has lived in NYC, Arizona, Washington State, LA, Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan.
Where did Young Kim go to school?
Young went to NYU, which is a film school. He graduated in 2011 and worked in the city for about a year or so, and he got to the point where he couldn’t afford to live there anymore.
So, he left to live with his aunt in Seattle and found a job at a production company that does Reality TV.
When did Young Kim know he wanted to make movies?
His aunt gave him a camcorder when he was in third grade; it was a JVC Panasonic Camcorder. He went through all the different effects on Microsoft Word and animations and used his camcorder to make the opening credits.
This was when the passion started for Young Kim, and he didn’t even fully realize it at the time.
What projects does Young want to work on?
There are a couple of projects that Young Kim wants to work on. One is a family project that has to do with 80s Korea.
He also has a story involving a concert pianist that falls in love with an escort while tuning pianos at a jazz club.
Young is also obsessed with ancient Egypt and would love to make something around that aesthetic and style.
What is it about creating movies that excites Young Kim?
He likes that you can tap into the most extreme limits of humanity, and you can be a documentarian or an anthropologist, whatever interests you. There is always a subject out there.
There is an endless curiosity when it comes to filmmaking. That is what keeps him going; he keeps finding new ways to do it.
When he finds he is stuck editing a project, he tries to find new ways to film or edit.
Were there any cultural changes for Young Kim and his wife living in the United States?
Young knows that it has been an incredibly difficult transition for his wife to move from Korea in terms of the culture and the language.
He admits every time they get into an argument, Young thinks about this and feels a bit guilty.
Has Young Kim found it difficult to show love since he lacked love from his family in his upbringing?
Initially, it was difficult, and he imagined it would just be fixed if he was able to find someone to love him first.
This made him have to go face-to-face with a lot of things that he did not like about himself, which was hard. He had to almost treat himself like a child with kindness, and he went to therapy.
He knows it is important to forgive his younger self for his successes and failures and to love his younger self, despite the trauma, too.
Young Kim and 3DJ Pictures
Chengdu Taste: Lamb on a toothpick is amazing
Eaton Blanche Park: Young lives just a few minutes away and loves playing pick-up basketball there
His own driveway: Young moved to the house during the COVID-19 pandemic, so he wasn’t able to visit many places. However, he smoked and drank every day and weighed over 220 lbs. So, he worked out tirelessly in his driveway and garage, gave up drinking and smoking, and got down to 175 lbs.
