Rosanna Peng is a Videographer and Creative Director based in Los Angeles, California. A visionary creative sharing stories of marginalized communities through the visual medium, her work encourages empathy and encourages viewers to see the beauty in mundane, everyday situations. Born in Vancouver, Canada, Rosanna is the daughter of Chinese immigrants and grew up in her parents’ grocery store. She uses her directorial and visual work as a vehicle for self-discovery, exploring the complex stories of her own cultural identity. As a woman in a male-dominated field, Rosanna has found that by stepping into the role of director, she can grab her fears by the collar and shake things up.
Her childhood, of growing up as a second-generation immigrant, experiencing her identity crisis between two cultures, is one that more and more adolescents are going through. Thanks in part to a growing digital age where self-expression is celebrated and appreciated, Rosanna Peng’s colorful, autobiographically-influenced filmography brings to light these hushed stories of estranged childhoods.
Originally from Vancouver and Toronto, Canada, Rosanna has been working in the film industry for nearly a decade, creating beauty, lifestyle, and fashion films. Despite starting out as a self-taught filmmaker, she has gone on to work with global brands such as Nike, Canon, Urban Decay, Hypebeast, and Google. Her work has garnered millions of views and has been displayed on digital billboards across the US. She has also worked with beauty and skincare brands, serving as the lead videographer for some of Urban Decay’s product line video advertisements. Her visuals are poppy, eye-catchingly bright and playful in their hues, emphasizing smooth lines and contours that bring out the aesthetic beauty of each shot, each angle.
These successes did not come without their own challenges, however. “I made so many mistakes that I’m shocked people still wanted to work with me,” she explains. The hurdles that came with being a self-taught videographer left Rosanna learning through her own experimentations. “I had to overcome my own self-doubt and insecurities.” In the face of all the challenges she’s been through, moving cities and managing a busy lifestyle, Rosanna has high hopes for what the future brings. “I can only learn from my failures and keep moving on from them,” says Rosanna.
When it comes to her inspirations, Rosanna points to the creative scenes of her homes, Toronto and LA. Having experienced first-hand working with the creative drives of these two locales, Rosanna Peng has had the opportunity to compare the art scenes in both Toronto and LA. According to Rosanna, the art community in Toronto is highly competitive, with everyone feeling the pressure to stand out creatively. This intense environment has forced Rosanna to develop a range of skills beyond just shooting and editing.
On the other hand, Rosanna perceives the art community in LA to be “much more relaxed”. She attributes this laid-back atmosphere to the city’s ideal weather and abundance of outdoor adventures. Despite the difference in atmosphere, both cities have their own unique challenges. For those looking to make a move to a new city, Rosanna advises finding a balance between hustling and networking. Overdoing either one can lead to burnout and the loss of support from close friends. It’s important to stay balanced and take care of oneself in order to achieve success in any new environment.
In addition to her work in film, Rosanna is also an avid runner and enjoys listening to podcasts in her free time. Throughout her long career as a creative, Rosanna has persevered and learned from her past experiences, “I think it’s important to acknowledge that I’m still in my journey,” Rosanna says. Ever-evolving, the creative is always shifting towards new ideas, submerging old thoughts with new resolutions in the pursuit of art.
One of Rosanna’s current aspirations is to bring a short film about the dual identities of a second-generation immigrant to fruition. She hopes that through her work, she can shed light on the stories of other immigrants and encourage empathy and understanding among viewers.
To learn more about Rosanna’s work and journey, follow her on Instagram at www.instagram.com/rosizzle.
