I started my video journalism career with an art degree.
My whole life, I wanted to be an artist. I sketched, painted, illustrated — mostly portraits, sometimes abstract landscapes. But, the solitude that often comes with making art left me feeling incomplete. I was always inquisitive about the world and loved documenting and writing, but if I’m being totally honest, I was far too social a creature to make work in isolation. I lived for the kinds of conversations that pull you into someone’s inner world and emotional chaos.
Enter journalism, a field I never really knew was an option for me. Somehow, over a decade ago, I landed a role as an illustrator for a newsroom — a position that allowed me to marry my love of art; storytelling; and, well, yapping.
My first newsroom job was with Al Jazeera’s AJ+. In that experimental, global environment is where I really sharpened my knives as a journalist. As a news illustrator, I created portraits, data visualizations, and illustrations for videos. But, in this video-first newsroom, I was quickly tasked to figure out how to make my illustrations move — a skill I absolutely did not have (they don’t teach you motion in art school!). With patient mentorship from seasoned producers and animators, I published my first video a little over ten years ago: a fully illustrated animation on a woman’s experience in solitary confinement.
Since then, my love for video, moving pictures, and documentary storytelling has only grown. In the past 10 years of being a video journalist, I’ve produced a documentary about the Mississippi Delta Chinese community (which went on to inspire characters in Ryan Coogler’s 2025 film Sinners — I even became a consultant on the film because of my reporting!); developed and launched a video publication in Hong Kong with the South China Morning Post; served as the creator and showrunner for the PBS series Historian’s Take; and directed an episode of a true crime docuseries, “Ghosts of Chinatown,” on Hulu.
Needless to say, as someone who ended up in journalism because of the visuals, Vox has long been a publication whose work I admired; respected; and, frankly, tried to emulate. The topics were fascinating, the animations thoughtful, the reporting deep. So, when the opportunity presented itself to join the Vox video team as a story editor and producer, I knew I had to take the leap.
I’ve been at Vox for less than a year, but I’m incredibly proud of the stories I’ve helped bring to life, from taking a critical look at the US’s EV war with China to driving through the deserts of Nevada in search of century-old ghost towns. Every story is a new canvas for collaboration, visual experimentation, and deeper human connection.
Having made videos in every runtime — from two minutes to an hour — it never really gets easier. Producing these stories requires a ton of research and conversation; endless gear (audio, camera, lighting — you name it); and, of course, utmost patience for managing the unexpected (and there’s always something unexpected on a shoot).
With the support of Vox Members, I’m able to make the art and tell the stories that matter most — sans isolation. Every video you see on our channel has been a team effort. And honestly, our stories are better when we can all put our brains and creative skills together. We recently launched Vox’s Patreon, which allows Vox Members access to exclusive videos and streamed conversations and allows them to chat directly with our journalists. I’m excited to introduce new series to our Vox Patreon community and lift the curtain on how we make videos — from the chaotic logistics to the small storytelling miracles.
Yes, the future of media is uncertain, and truth is getting stranger than fiction, which is exactly why member support is critical for sustaining our reporting and journalistic independence.
