Director Emily Ting’s Guide: Indie Filmmaking to Hollywood
How do you build a sustainable career as a director? It’s the question every filmmaker asks, a journey filled with passion, detours, and immense challenges. How do you navigate from a personal passion project to a studio feature? How do you overcome imposter syndrome when you finally get your big break? And crucially, how do you stay afloat and keep creating during industry downturns?
In a recent, candid episode of the Inner Circle Podcast, director Emily Ting (Tall Girl 2, Go Back to China) sat down with hosts Shane Hurlbut, ASC, and Lydia Hurlbut to share her incredible story. From defying family expectations to self-financing her first features and navigating the pressures of a studio set, Emily’s journey offers a powerful and practical roadmap for any filmmaker looking to make their mark.
This episode is proudly lit exclusively by Nanlux-Nanlite Lights and sponsored by B&H and Hollyland.
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THE CROSSROADS: PASSION VS. FAMILIAL OBLIGATION
Emily Ting’s journey began not on a film set, but with a difficult choice. After discovering a love for movies by writing film reviews in high school, she was accepted into the prestigious film program at NYU. For many, this would be a clear sign, but for Emily, it created a major conflict. As the eldest of seven children in a traditional Chinese family, the expectation was that she would join her father’s successful toy company in China.
Telling her father she wanted to be a filmmaker instead of a businesswoman felt like a “betrayal” to him.
“He just thought I went and did this thing without consulting with him,” Emily recalls.
This led to years of friction and guilt. Ultimately, her father supported her education, but with the expectation that she would eventually “get it out of her system” and return to the family business. And for a while, she did. After graduation, facing what she describes as “emotional blackmailing,” Emily spent her 20s working for the family toy company in Hong Kong.
While creatively fulfilling in its own way—pitching ideas and designing toys prepared her for Hollywood—it wasn’t her true path.
“I kind of look back at my 20s, and I realized, ‘Oh, my God, I just totally lived this life that my father chose for me,'” she shared.
It was a turning point that led her back to filmmaking, but with a decade of life experience and a renewed sense of purpose.
THE RETURN TO FILM: A GRASSROOTS APPROACH TO RE-ENTRY
At age 30, Emily moved to Los Angeles to finally give her dream a real shot. But how do you re-enter an industry after a decade away? Her strategy was brilliant and humble: she started producing micro-budget films for friends from her NYU network. It was a way to “relearn the film [industry]” from the ground up.
Her first project, The Kitchen, was made for just $60,000. She was a producer with no real experience, faking it ’til she made it while negotiating with agents for recognizable actors who just wanted to come and play.
“I was able to ask questions without [being mocked],” she says, highlighting the importance of finding supportive collaborators.
It was during this time she found a crucial mentor in producer Mynette Louie, offering her a spare room in exchange for learning how to produce a movie. This period demonstrates a key lesson: be open, be resourceful, and leverage your network, no matter how long it’s been.
THE INDIE BREAKTHROUGH: SMART FILMMAKING AND SEIZING OPPORTUNITY
With on-set experience under her belt, Emily wrote her first feature, Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong. She designed the film strategically, knowing she would have to self-finance it with the money she had saved. By writing a “two-hander” (a story focused on just two characters), she kept the logistics and budget manageable.
Then, a moment of synchronicity struck. An actor from The Kitchen, Bryan Greenberg, asked about her next project. He happened to be dating Jamie Chung, who was Emily’s dream actress for the lead role. One email later, her dream cast was attached.
“People were like, ‘don’t get used to this,'” Emily laughs.
She shot the film “guerrilla style” on the streets of Hong Kong, using real crowds as free extras. The film not only got made but premiered at the LA Film Festival, secured distribution, and turned a profit. It was proof that smart, strategic, self-financed filmmaking could work.
LEVELING UP: BETTING ON HERSELF, AGAIN
After her first feature’s success, Emily did the “water bottle tour” of general meetings at studios but found it wasn’t leading to tangible jobs. Fearing she’d become a “one and done” statistic, she made a bold move.
“I’m gonna take the money that I made on my first movie and I’m gonna go make a second one,” she decided, against the advice of many.
That second film, the more personal and traditionally structured Go Back to China, was her “level up.” While it hasn’t been as financially successful as the first, its acceptance into the prestigious SXSW film festival changed everything. It got her new, more effective agents who began pitching her for major studio directing assignments.
THE HOLLYWOOD LEAP: TALL GIRL 2 OVERCOMING IMPOSTER SYNDROME
Emily’s agents positioned her as a great fit for YA (Young Adult) content, which led her to pitch for Netflix’s Tall Girl 2. Her pitching process is meticulous. She creates a thorough visual deck covering everything from cinematography and production design to color palettes and locations.
Photo Courtesy of Emily Ting
She advises, “It’s almost as important how you say something versus what you say.”
Confidence, born from over-preparation, is key.
Landing her first studio film was a dream come true, but it came with immense pressure. She was directing a multi-million dollar movie in New Orleans while a new mother to one-and-a-half-year-old twins during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I had so much imposter syndrome,” Emily admits. “I felt like there was a lot of target on my back. Like, how does she get to this point?”
Emily overcame this by being honest about what she didn’t know and fostering a supportive set. She describes her leadership style as leading with “kindness.” Surrounding herself with an experienced crew, including Shane Hurlbut, ASC, who she initially found intimidating due to his resume, was crucial.
Photo Courtesy of Shane Hurlbut, ASC
“You were so patient, and I was not afraid to ask questions because you made it safe for me to do so,” she told Shane.
STAYING AFLOAT: THE DIRECTOR’S DISCIPLINE
In the face of industry contractions and strikes, Emily’s approach to dealing with downtime is another vital lesson. She now relies 100% on filmmaking for her income, a source of anxiety for any freelancer. Her solution? Discipline.
“I could write anytime I want to,” she says. “Last year, I wrote four scripts.”
She treats writing like a day job, with a daily quota of 10 pages. This consistent output is a strategic way to increase her chances of selling a script or getting a project made. She found a reliable market in writing Christmas movies for Hallmark, an outlet that allows her to insert personal stories into a commercially viable format.
“Every script I finish is a chance,” she explains.
THE BOTTOM LINE: A ROADMAP TO A DIRECTING CAREER
Emily Ting’s story shows how resilience, strategic thinking, and the importance of a relentless work ethic is key to success. Her journey offers invaluable takeaways: leverage your life experience, build and maintain your network, make smart creative choices on a budget, and when you get your shot, lead with confidence but also with kindness. And perhaps most importantly, in the quiet times between projects, keep creating. That discipline is what transforms a filmmaking dream into a sustainable career.
To hear all the incredible details of Emily’s journey, the challenges she faced, and the hard-won lessons she learned on her path from indie filmmaker to Hollywood director, be sure to listen to the full conversation on the Inner Circle Podcast.
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This episode is proudly lit exclusively by Nanlux-Nanlite Lights and sponsored by B&H and Hollyland.
