I was a volunteer youth group counselor at my church between 2014-2019, working with junior high students. Every year, the youth group held a “Parents Appreciation Night” where various small groups present something for the parents to say thank you. I always enjoyed working with the kids to make something creative and fun. In 2019, we were short in time, so we made a quick parody of the Avengers: Endgame trailer. The kids were willing to participate in this video by recording video & audio voiceovers with me last minute.
My youth group experience was a great one, and my heart will always have a place for youth students. I really enjoyed the kids’ enthusiasm, and the projects I were able to work on with them were always really fun and rewarding to do. A huge thank you to the YouTube channel Film Learnin for the title card template.
For about a year, since Fall of 2018, I have been an e-commerce graphic designer for Aduro Products. I was tasked to create some video content for a few products. I started with a branded logo animation.
This animation would be used in this promotional video I created for these two products:
made by Matthew Lau for Doughmain Financial Literacy Foundation GIFs made with Adobe After Effects & Instagiffer
After completing my undergraduate studies, I volunteered for a non-profit called DoughMain Financial Literacy Foundation. I created these GIFs for a social media Giving Tuesday campaign.
logo and branding belong to DoughMain Financial Literacy Foundation
During the first week of August, 2018, I had a chance to work with a few students to perform live-action skits for over 200 people at our church’s vacation Bible School. I made a version of Hannah Montana’s intro with them, using my own green screen and tripod for the videography.
During the first week of August, 2018, I had a chance to work with a few students to perform live-action skits for over 200 people at our church’s vacation Bible School. I made a version of Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s intro with them, and it was a great learning tool to advance my After Effects skills.
“We have to change the way our society views women.” –Aly Raisman, ESPN Magazine
Maroon 5 & Cardi B’s “Girls Like You” got me thinking. This masterpiece of videography includes various women who have inspired millions. These include familiar faces, such as Wonder Woman Gal Gadot, J-Lo, Ellen DeGeneres. But some faces aren’t so familiar. The video draws a curious viewer like myself to ponder “who’s that woman?” and search it up on Google; as a result, I’ve learned about a few amazing women I’ve haven’t really heard of elsewhere.
“Girls Like You” by Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B (video directed by David Dobkin)
Ilhan Omar: the first Somali-American Muslim legislator to be elected to office in the United States.
Amani Al-Khatahtbeh: author, tech-entrepreneur and founder of MuslimGirl, an online magazine for Muslim women.
Jackie Fielder: an activist and organizer for Mazaska Talks in solidarity for Standing Rock.
Chloe Kim: just kidding, of course I know who she is already. Also, I’m so glad they included Tiffany Haddish here.
Aly Raisman: Olympic Gold Medalist in gymnastics, and one of the heroes who spoke out in the case against sexual abuser Jeffrey Nasser. Adam Levine holds her hand in the video, and she stands tall wearing a shirt that says “Always Speak Your Truth.” My god-family LOVES watching Olympic gymnastics for some reason, so I already knew about her and the Fierce Five in the 2012 London Olympics. But this woman is a hero not only in her athletic accomplishments; she continues to be a heroic voice- “challenging the very institutions she led to glory” (Mina Kimes, ESPN). And in my humble opinion, everyone should hear her truth.
Maybe I sound like a broken record. Maybe I’m not the best voice regarding this because as a male, I don’t completely understand how much more difficult it is for it to be a woman in this world.
But NO. I shouldn’t shut up because it’s repetitive. I shouldn’t stay quiet because it’s uncomfortable to talk about the constant mistreatment of women throughout the history of mankind.
Women deserve to be celebrated, and they deserve equality in voice, salary, and everything else. That’s why I love what Maroon 5 did with their recent hit “Girls Like You.” With a simple video, they’ve opened the door for us viewers to learn more about a number of fantastic, inspiring women.
But it shouldn’t stop there. To finish my typed monologue, I’m going to share about three amazing women who have inspired my life greatly.
I grew up with a strong-willed mother. My father never looked down at her; rather, they stood side-by-side and provided an amazing childhood for me and my brother. She is my hero.
My first video game was Backyard Soccer, through which Brandi Chastain became my favorite soccer player. Really. I’m serious; my dad would record her US pro soccer games. The San Jose CyberRays.
My favorite teacher in high school was Mrs. Gall, a former computer engineer who became a teacher because she loved inspiring young minds. As a kid, I was always hesitant to follow my father’s footsteps as a computer scientist, because I wanted to do something “cooler.” In short, Mrs. Gall helped inspire me and guide me throughout high school and discover my own interest in computer science.
If you’re still reading this for some reason (I don’t think many people actually read my blog), I challenge you to write down at least 3 inspiring women in your life. It doesn’t have to be a blog post- it could be in your journal, or even a note on your phone.
Because Aly is completely right: we have to change the way our society views women.”
Matthew Lau 