Kickstart Spotlight: Brian Chong
Brian grew up in Ladner, BC working his summers at his parents' farm. It's a lot of hard work with long hours and tough manual labor. Anybody that's done farm work will probably tell you how strong of a motivator it is to get an office job.
What is your most memorable job outside of Kickstart?
My time as a Game Designer in Hong Kong. Working for a small team that took on what was very much a startup mentality, it was fun but also presented a lot of challenges as we established processes while trying to make games. We all wore a bunch of hats and as chaotic as it was at times, the whole team grew really quickly as a result. On top of that, Hong Kong is just an amazing place. Great food, great people, sunny beaches and real city vibes. It's got everything.
How many years have you been working in this industry?
A little over 5 years now
How did you get started with Kickstart Entertainment?
I saw a posting from an old friend at Kickstart on my Linkedin for a coordinator role and I jumped on it.
What piece of advice do you wish you had been given when you first started working in this industry?
Take your vacations.
If you could give one piece of advice on how to get through a hard day, what would that be?
Always figure out what your priorities are. There's always something you can either push to the next day or ask another person for help with.
What is the highlight of your career so far?
Having the chance to work on Deepa & Anoop was a total dream. This project was everything I could ask for: an amazing, endlessly sweet and insanely talented team, a premise that's absolutely adorable, and a focus on diversity, with tons of thoughtful and respectful cultural references. The only thing that would have made it better was to be working with our team in person.
What qualities do you look for in a mentor?
Patient, approachable, compassionate, solution based and just somebody who isn't afraid to be my critic.
Who are the fellow leaders you look to for inspiration and guidance?
Every production person I've worked closely with at Kickstart. The whole crew is so collaborative and brings something different to the table. There's always something to learn from them.
What continues to motivate your work, or has that changed over the years?
Just 2 things.
1. Make something fun for the kiddos
2. Make sure our team is happy
What’s your idea of a perfect Sunday?
Either a sunny bike ride to my favorite cafe stops or snowboarding down the mountain on a powder day followed by a big bowl of pho and a spring roll.
What is your superpower?
I do a great impression of the dog from the "this is fine" meme.