We had the good fortune of connecting with Nick Chung and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nick, what role has risk played in your life or career?
For me, risk taking has made a huge impact on my life/career.

Ever since I graduated high school, I skipped university to validate myself that I am capable of doing unique things that would build the difference between me and others. I have been making a difficult decision whether or not if I need to attend to a university. Decision making started during the sophomore year of high school, so I had a lot of time to decide.

So I knew the risks of what the outcome would be like if I failed. However, I knew one thing. It was, “I am going to be successful or be a failure.”

Even if I don’t become successful, I would study from my failures to become a better version of myself. I believe I have succeeded in many ways after graduating high school. Whatever happens, I know its not going to be the end of myself because there is always a future ahead of me.

Thats why I had to mention about risk taking building a huge impact on me.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I want to consider myself a perfectionist but I often times assume that I am not, because I want to learn from that and become a better version of myself in the next 10 years. Whatever people say, if I am very talented. I will always tell myself that I am not there yet because I am not and that is a fact. There is also a reference told by Matthew McConaughey in his Oscar speech about Matthew and his hero in the next 10 years.

From starting as a hobby at the age of 12 to the age of 20, it hasn’t been easy at all. But I don’t want to make an excuse out of that because I genuinely know that becoming who you want to be is not always easy.

The Lesson I have learned is that nobody is perfect and we try to be one but we will never be whatsoever.

I want the world to know the story of how a kid with a disability of deafness overcame all of his lows to be who he aspires to be. But I am not there yet 100%, so til then, there is nothing for me to say really.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in a beautiful region of North America, called the Pacific Northwest. Surrounded by the most beautiful landscapes such as waterfalls, oceans, lakes, mountains, rivers, trees, and many more to discover. I would take my best friend to one of my favorite destinations on the Oregon Coast, specifically in the South. I would grab a beer and set a campfire as the sun sets beyond the horizon. Enjoy a simple moment of life, simple enough but powerful to remember for the rest of our lives.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
If you know me, I have a hard of hearing and due to that, life has been very difficult. I have a huge inspiration of mine named Stanley Kubrick, a director, and perfectionist. His films have inspired me in every way regarding how art in motion pictures should be done. But these two incredible people have been really kind and supportive of my career. I want to give credit to Jaylen Hoard and Justin Tucker for giving me endless opportunities to be able to do what I love doing as a filmmaker and photographer. And to be able to pursue that dream of becoming better every day and eventually becoming a director and cinematographer one day or perhaps a great photographer.

Website: www.nickchungs.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/nickchungs

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/nickchungs

Youtube: www.youtube.com/nickchungsfilm

Image Credits
No. 1 – Erika Westerman + Ryan Westerman No. 2 – Jaylen Hoard & Nicolas Perez No. 3 – Ambaka Le Gregam No. 6 – Bruce Campbell

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.