We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Wang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Early on in my career, I held a full-time position and worked a day job while simultaneously growing my personal small business and brand. Finding work-life balance at my full time gig was important to me so that I had time to invest in my freelance work. But, looking at my overall time spent working every week, others may have said my work-life balance was not so great. I often worked weekday evenings and weekends on my own business after I was offline for my day job. It didn’t feel like “work” though, because I really loved what I was doing with my freelance work. Sometimes, “work” was taking my pups on a road trip over the weekend and shooting some photos and videos for a client. Over time, I was lucky enough to be able to leave my day job and transition to focusing all of my time on my business, and that’s where I am now. For me, as long as work was fun and didn’t feel like a chore, I was happy to spend more hours “working” in the week!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a digital creator based in Los Angeles. I went to school for strategy & analytics and started off my career working in the advertising world as a strategist. However, on the side, I was always taking photos and videos just for fun, and eventually I was lucky enough to to transition to a creative production role in my career. Though I didn’t go to school for photography & videography, I just loved learning about storytelling through photos and videos, and continued to practice shooting and editing on the side with my main subjects being my fluffy sidekicks. Now, I work for myself and shoot photos and videos for clients in the pet, travel, home, and lifestyle spaces!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Favorite eats – too many to name! Simpang Asia – my favorite restaurant in LA. Street-style comfort food from Indonesia!
Manuela – great spot in the Arts District for drinks and delicious food.

Spots to visit and hang out –
I’m big on the outdoors and dog-friendly places, so you’ll find me most often walking the trails at Kenneth Hahn state park or at a dog beach: Rosie’s Dog Beach or Leo Carillo in Malibu.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without my partner and my group of close friends, who even from day one believed in me and my ability to create before I even believed in myself.

Website: emwng.com

Instagram: instagram.com/emwng

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/emwang

Twitter: twitter.com/emwng

Youtube: youtube.com/emwng

Other: tiktok.com/@emwng

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.