Meet Jaap Deinum | Creative Producer

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

Hi Jaap, how do you think about risk?
Taking risks is what led me to work in the arts and took me to the US to do so, too, but it’s also been the cause of some of my biggest failures. Those are pretty scary in the moment, but the lessons learned from them really do make it worthwhile. I also think it’s important to keep pushing your boundaries as a creative. You get so caught up in the demands of daily life—a 9 to 5 job not in the arts, the complications of maintaining your immigration status, or whatever it is in your situation—that you’ve no time or energy left to be excited by art. That’s why, if within your means, you’ve got to push your limits with creative risks.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I take much pleasure in writing and directing, but helping shape and bring to life as a producer the works of other creatives fascinates me most because it opens me up to their different worldviews and more ways to tell a story. A fun byproduct of this is it makes me a better director, too! At the moment I’m most excited by and proud of a short film I produced and directed that’s currently being submitted to festivals, about a Chinese immigrant trying to reunite with her daughter through green card sponsorship. I’m really interested in immigrant narratives as someone who grew up between cultures and always a foreigner in different places. This lack of feeling tied to a place or culture has often made it hard to know what angle to tell stories from, but I’m learning to see it as more of a strength than a hindrance.

Currently, I’m in post-production for an upcoming music video by KAI as well as a film I produced in association with the media arts nonprofit Asian CineVision. Both projects have incredible teams behind them so I’m excited to share them!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is of course Shoutout LA, but as a resident New Yorker I’ll offer my thoughts on the Big Apple. First, I’d rent a Citibike to hit a few art museums, then find cheap eats in Chinatown, then continue on down to Governor’s Island. Depending on the time of year there may also be outdoor food markets and festivals popping up around the city like Smorgasburg and Japan Fest, which are all musts. I also recommend spending time in some parks like Tompkins Square or Washington Square Park even just to people-watch. With a little sunshine they quickly turn into hubs of eclectic musicians, strange performance artists and vendors, NYU film students shooting their freshmen year projects, and so much more.

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?
Along with any employers who have taken a chance on me, I’d be nowhere without a handful of professors at NYU who were incredibly patient and taught me invaluable lessons inside and outside the classroom, including Gay Abel-Bey, Janet Grillo, Alrick Brown, and Christina DeHaven. I also want to shoutout my college roommates/creative companions—known collectively known as 207—for being the best collaborators one could ask for and keeping me excited about filmmaking.

Website: www.jaapdeinum.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/jaap.deinum

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jaapdeinum-nyu

Image Credits
Marwan Ramen, Dominic Wang