As the child of a special education teacher in China, Hongjin Chen ’24 says her mother helped her understand at an early age the value of loving and respecting those with physical and mental differences.
When Chen noticed those students being treated differently by their friends and family, her mother explained that it’s often due to lack of knowledge. “She told me that people don’t always know how to interact with students who have special needs, so it’s important to educate their friends and family through things like writing and storytelling,” explains Chen.
Inspired by what her mother shared, Chen began posting thoughts, experiences, and reflections about her mother’s students online to help people learn more about them. To express her ideas, she eventually shifted from writing to film as another way to educate and inspire.
“The visual arts are a powerful way to tell stories,” she says. “Movies provide entertainment, but you can also learn something from them. So, with permission, I started recording activities and events that were happening at the school.”
Chen loved the feeling of being a director, getting to decide how to visually tell stories and making sure the final cut aligned with her vision. To put the creative arts front and center in her education, she moved to the United States when she was 15 to attend high school. She wanted to focus less on testing and core academics and more on writing and film. This change allowed her to get involved in her school’s yearbook, participate in theater, and study a wide range of creative arts.
To continue on this path, she then earned a BFA in Cinematography and Film/Video production at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Because film requires a mix of creativity and technical expertise, she liked the idea of studying it at an art school. “Film is an industry that requires everything to work together,” she explains. “You need to know sculpture to build your own equipment and be an art director. You need to know photography to take pictures.”
But the pandemic turned her undergraduate experience into something different from what she envisioned; she didn’t get as much in-person, hands-on training as she was hoping for. So, she took matters into her own hands, turning to lessons on YouTube and founding Dope Film Studio to give herself a chance to oversee all aspects of film production, from scriptwriting to post-production.
Through Dope Film Studio, she produced a few films: one focused on human nature and the seven deadly sins, and another on Alzheimer’s disease.
While she was happy with her work, she realized she wanted to do more than make movies: She wanted to know more about how to run her business. “Not understanding business put me in uncomfortable positions with my clients sometimes when I didn’t know how to answer their questions or help them achieve their goals.”
To address those knowledge gaps, she decided to pursue a graduate degree. While she considered returning to film school or pursuing an MBA, Chen didn’t feel like either one could teach her what she wanted to learn. She discovered Northwestern’s MS in Leadership for Creative Enterprises (MSLCE) program with less than 24 hours until the application deadline, and it seemed like a great fit—so she moved quickly to apply.
“I feel so lucky to be part of the program,” says Chen. “The professors are experts in what we need to learn.” She mentions Adjunct Professor Cory Sandrock, who teaches Economics of Creative Enterprises. Before becoming a professor, he was a film director who struggled to get investors interested in his work—until he developed his business skills.
“He came back to teach us what he learned,” she explains. “People like him have already worked hard to pave the way for me, learning the business skills that are needed to connect with the creative industries. What he learned in 20 years, he’s teaching us in one course.”
Chen also appreciates all the case studies that are integrated into the program to offer practical examples of how theories and concepts are applied in real life. Often times, these case studies spark fascinating conversations.
“In Clinical Assistant Professor Allison Henry’s Business Models course, the entire class is based on conversation,” explains Chen. “She takes us through questions and encourages us to share perspectives, propose solutions, and share our own experiences.”
Through these discussions, she’s also discovering career paths she never considered before. Before joining the MSLCE program, she envisioned herself earning a PhD. But conversations in class spurred a new idea: pursuing research while also running her film studio.
“I don’t have to choose one or the other,” she says. “I can apply my own production and research experience and learn everything together.”
Teaching the next generation of film producers is another career possibility for Chen. She envisions not only teaching students about movie production but also how to work business concepts into what they do.
“No matter what I pursue, I know I’ll be more useful and influence more people when I start making movies because of what I’m learning.”
3 Pieces of Advice from a Soon-to-Be Graduate
As Hongjin Chen ’24 prepares to receive her MS in Leadership for Creative Enterprises, she has some advice for future cohorts based on what she’s learned in the past year.
- Study before you choose your courses. “Spend time looking through the curriculum and do research on the professors and their backgrounds to see who you might want to learn from.”
- Attend industry events and conferences. “It feels very powerful to talk to professionals about the things you’ve learned in class. You’ll be able to connect what you learn to real situations. I had a hard time connecting film and marketing until hearing from a distribution company manager to think of my film as a product. I should know my audience and what they want.”
- Do the readings—no matter what. “Sometimes professors don’t refer to the readings they assign in class. But it’s important to read them anyway. As Professor of Instruction Rick Morris explained, after we leave this program, we’ll have an entire library to refer to when we do the reading.”
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