A UCLA alumna, Ziyu Zhu is no stranger to the creative arts. During her time as an undergrad, she was actively involved in producing films, plays, and helming multiple positions at the UCLA Student Spring Festival Gala. Through her work she has cultivated a process rooted in value creation. This process would be the guiding principle through her pursuits in the creative industry and would eventually lead her to the MSLCE program.
“For me, it’s about self-actualization,” she explains. Her criteria for projects are driven not by the end product but rather by the value she is adding in the production of the final component. “It’s my creative products, I think they have the power to impact people so I’m okay with any type of problem,” she adds.
While she is open to a diverse set of creative mediums, her core interests lie in TV and Film production along with Entrepreneurship. Breaking into the TV industry has been difficult in the past. However, she believes that her time in the MSLCE program can help her alleviate this difficulty by providing her with the necessary skills she needs along with exposure. “I think this program will help me to have a better understanding of the industry, based on what I’m learning now,” she explains, “I know that this kind of experience will be limited if I go back [to] my own country for my career. I think the theories or just a general sense of industry [and] what things we may face when we work in the industry can have a universal value.”
As a student and a professional dedicated to her craft, she is constantly evolving and takes inspiration from everything she comes across — be it books, music, briefings, or magazines. As her time in MSLCE progresses, she hopes to be able to land her first job in the television industry and personalize the process to achieve her goal of self-actualization.
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By Priyanshi Katare