Meet Ethan Ng | Story Artist

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

Hi Ethan, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
My goals tend to adjust and evolve with every passing experience. During my college career, I had one extremely specific goal in mind. I believed that if this goal was met, it would lead to personal dreams and accomplishments. Each investment, job and opportunity taken during college was driven by the hopes of achieving that goal. And as college came to a close, the hard work, patience and support from my peers came to fruition. However, it became apparent that what I wanted was not what I needed, and my goals changed because of this new perspective. Currently, I don’t have a specific end goal. But in a broader sense, I hope to work on a project I’m passionate about with people I am proud to work with.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
A major factor to where I am in my career is timing. During college, I took a story class outside of school. Out of the blue, a classmate there shared that his coworker was looking for story artists for his personal project. After that job was over, another filmmaker randomly reached out over social media for story work. When the Pixar internship ended, it just so happened that an acquaintance of mine had a friend who was staffing up for a show.

Sometimes, rejections can be incredibly discouraging, but there are so many factors that are out of our control. Sometimes, the opportunity might not come because of budget, availability or location, and not necessarily one’s ability. Hopefully, the timing is right. Given that the end date for my current position is nearing, I’m still applying and facing rejection, but learning about timing has helped with the process.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
San Francisco is an exciting, vibrant city, full of fun activities! But personally, the places you’ll probably find me are generally low key. For the mornings, you can take a peaceful walk along the Marina Green with a cup of joe from the Philz Coffee Truck. From there, you have a view of the Bay where you can see Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. Walk far enough and you’ll visit the Palace of Fine Arts. To pair with coffee, there is no better almond croissant than the one served at Arsicault Bakery. For lunch, after picking up a Vietnamese sandwich from Mr. Bahn Mi, you can drive 5 minutes out to Lands End Lookout where you can sit, eat, and enjoy the view of the Pacific Ocean. Within the same district is the local bookstore Green Apple, full of graphic novels, art books, vinyls, children’s books, zines from independent artists, etc. A couple blocks south from there is the Golden Gate Park which houses the Botanical Gardens, the DeYoung Museum and the California Academy of Sciences. Within the park, along the JFK Promenade, there are sculptures, lounging areas, pianos for the public, ping pong and corn hole. For dinner and some friendly competition, visit The Game Parlour, a board game cafe with multiple vegan and gluten free options, where you can spend hours laughing (or fighting) over games. Their Mochi waffles are to die for. Come visit SF! If you find any other great places around here, let me know!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Throughout my career, there have been many mentors, colleagues and friends who have generously offered their advice and encouragement. But I wouldn’t have met them if it weren’t for my high school teachers, Mrs. Lauren Carpol and Mr. Joel Rangel. If I didn’t have a place to go, they’d let me into their classrooms. If I didn’t know what to do, they’d offer suggestions. If I needed someone to just listen, they’d listen.

During high school, the pressure of picking the perfect career weighed heavily. After hearing back from colleges, I had the option to pursue majors such as graphic design or mechanical engineering. Although the subjects were interesting, it didn’t seem to be the right fit for me. Do I commit to the majors and the schools that accepted me? Or do I decline them and take a risk to pursue my passion? These are the topics I discussed with my teachers. They asked what I wanted to do. I wanted to make movies. They said go for it, and that was that.

Website: https://ethanngart.wixsite.com/ethanngart

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ethanngart/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanngart/