Jess Dang is a Chinese-American Writer / Director & Creative Director based in Los Angeles.

 

She values the process of collaboration and hopes to continue telling stories that can work as visual conversations. Jess holds an MFA in Film & Television Production from USC's School of Cinematic Arts and a BFA in Communication Design from Parsons School of Design.

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Her short documentary film, Made by Me, explored the connection between three Los Angeles artists. It played at more than fifty film festivals worldwide, including The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, DOC NYC, Flickerfest, and received distribution with The Documentary Channel, Hallmark, and Gaim TV.

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Jess is currently a Creative Director at Audible. Her scope of work ranges between directing video content and spearheading creative campaigns for the Audible Canada Originals content slate. She helped to launch titles such as The Downloaded starring Brendan Fraser (Academy Award winner), Luke Kirby (Emmy Award winner), and Vanessa Sears (Dora Award winner), Sidney Crosby: The Rookie Year, Wildlife Confidential starring Samantha Bee and Andrew Phung, The Field Guide to Eating in Canada hosted by award-winning travel and food writer Meredith Erickson, and True North Heists featuring Colm Feore, along with others. In addition, Jess was part of introducing the Indigenous Writer's Circle - a six-month mentorship and workshop program for emerging First Nations, Inuit, and Métis writers in Canada looking to elevate their stories.

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Dang most recently wrote and directed Surrender, a short film starring Andrea Bang from Kim's Convenience and Keiko Agena from Gilmore Girls. Surrender is the story of a young Asian female - a recovering compulsive gambler that relapses after 100 days of abstinence. The film attempts to confront and dismantle the harmful media image of the Asian female stereotype – docile, quiet, invisible – leading to discrimination and conversations about gender roles in society linked to racism and sexism. Surrender premiered at The Directors Guild of America as part of the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival's 38th edition in the spring of 2022 and continues traveling through the festival circuit.

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Surrender the feature script participated as 1 of 10 fiction films in Film Independent's Fast Track fellowship program - a highly selective finance market. The film is currently in post-production. Dang wrote the script, and Surrender will mark her directorial debut feature film. Andrea Bang from Kim's Convenience stars as the lead role and is also executive producing the picture.

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In addition, Dang has created content for prominent lifestyle, tech, and entertainment brands such as Intel, Audible, Google, Snapchat, Target, MTV, Cartoon Network, Gold's Gym, I Love NY, the University of Pittsburgh, Verizon, and The Islands of The Bahamas. Her work continues to reach multiple audiences due to her use of color and forms.

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Jess is committed to amplifying Asian voices and centering underrepresented communities in her work - exploring narrative themes of social justice, moral & humanitarian progress, and mental health. Dang is a Film Independent Fast Track Fellow, The Gotham Film & Media Institute' Owning It' program participant, and a New Filmmakers LA NewNarratives grant recipient in partnership with the Rhulen Family Foundation, honoring the late independent movie producer Anthony Rhulen (The Butterfly Effect).

 

Dang admires the films of Chloe Zhao, and Mira Nair, loves modern art museums, kayaking to recharge without her phone, and is a dedicated bruncher.