What Makes “The Good Life” For KYCC?
“Think of the whole of existence, of which you are the tiniest part; think of the whole of time, in which you have been assigned a brief and fleeting moment; think of destiny — what fraction of that are you?”
-Marcus Aurelius
I was approached by The Koreatown Youth And Community Center almost a year ago to help produce a series of videos, including a thirty second promotional spot that played once before a Clippers basketball game, a short documentary about a family living in permanent supportive housing, and their agency video called “The Good Life.”
Making KYCCs agency video a reality was a long and deeply personal process. It did not occur overnight with a well written script or carefully crafted storyboard, but emerged over months of being embedded in their culture and through my interviews with over a dozen of their employees. All I knew was that I wanted the final video to translate my emotional experience of getting to know KYCC. I learned about their daily lives, their passions and dreams, but at the end of every interview, I always asked the same question — “What does it mean to you, to live a good life?”
Start With Why
The concept of starting with “Why” or figuring out ones purpose or reason for existing is an important and often misunderstood idea. In the contemporary branding and marketing world, it is usually attributed to Simon Sinek. His framing of the concept is useful for any nonprofit and I recommend you check out his book if you haven’t already!
I have always been curious about how people find purpose in their lives. Asking the question, “What is a good life?” directly, to just about anyone can be so overwhelming and so broad that the response is usually trepidation or unexpected laughter. Comments such as, “…that’s too deep” were exactly right—it’s a ridiculous question. But it was a question I couldn’t get out of my mind and one that felt like an appropriate theme to explore with KYCC.
Thank You!
Thank You to KYCC for trusting me through the entire process and for sharing their many stories.
Thank You for taking the time to sit uncomfortably in front of the bright lights; Eric Ji, Will Levegood, Genesis Jerez, Bryan Zaragoza, Nayon Kang, Ernie Yoshikawa, Kim Nguyenle, Audrey Casillas, Tommy Rendon, Glesteree Blades, Cehila Santiago, and of course, Johng Ho Song.
Thank You to my team; Anai Garcia, Aaron Greyson, and Ian Lyndon for helping the production come together so smoothly.
Thank you to my family; Sabrina, Oliver, and Siena, for their support and inspiration.
Most of all, I owe an incredible debt of gratitude to Katherine Kim. She is an incredibly thoughtful champion of KYCC, with creativity beyond measure, and a most generous spirit. This would not have been possible without her.
Visit www.kyccla.org to learn more.
-Reuben