Vi Nguyen chats about our collaboration with The Asian American Foundation and Wieden+Kennedy on the film ‘See Us’

Tell us about your role as a 2D lead here at The Mill.

I’ve been with The Mill for 5 ½ years now.  I started as an intern right after graduating from The Savannah College of Art and Design. As a Lead Compositor, I’m responsible for managing and guiding a team of artists as well as working with the Production team to help realize creative direction brought to us by various clients, directors, and/or VFX Supervisors.

Talk us through the brief you received from the clients on the project ‘See Us’ by The Asian American Foundation. 

When producer Luis Martin brought this project to my attention, I jumped at the opportunity to lead it.  I didn’t know much about it at first, just that it was a cultural campaign designed to accelerate impact and expand support for the AAPI community through solidarity and education featuring leading Asian American public figures.

Were there any challenges on this particular project? If so, what creative solutions did you and the team utilize to overcome them? 

I am privileged to say that there truly were no challenges to overcome as from the start working with Luis Martin in Production was smooth and effortless, as were the discussions we had with agency Wieden+Kennedy.  I believe we all understood the importance of what we were making and that helped make the overall experience a truly motivating and enjoyable one.

There is a very powerful message that this film sends. What does this message mean to you?  

At the time New York City, a city known for its diversity, culture, and acceptance and one that I have called my home for over 5 years, had become unrecognizable to me.  I knew it was important to be involved to spread awareness, help educate and showcase the breadth of the Asian American experience.

Here at The Mill we do quite a bit of work with important causes and organizations. What do you think the importance is of doing this kind of work in our industry?

Sometimes it’s easy to downplay what we do.  After all, we’re not doctors or scientists, saving lives or finding cures.  But the truth is, our work gets seen by thousands, often times millions of people. We as artists in this industry have so much power and responsibility to help spread awareness on important issues.

Discover more of our Creativity for Good work here. Contact our team about your next project here.