Meet Jeff Lam | Producer & Actor

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

Hi Jeff, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Interesting enough I was raised in Hawaii by 2 very loving and very Asian parents. So risk taking wasn’t a part of the Asian culture. You went to school, graduated and either became a doctor, engineer or business major. So I always had that fear of disappointing and playing everything safe. I’ve always had this dream of going to Hollywood and becoming an actor. But it wasn’t till 2000 that I decided to take a risk and moving to LA to pursue my life long childhood dream. Mind you, I had no friends or relatives there. It was a leap of faith that I believe changed my life/career forever.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
So as you already know, I’m a Gen X’er and love my 80’s – 90’s pop cultural movies, music and etc. Being in the times we live in now. With Millennials and Social Media (Instagram, Youtube, TikTok). It’s really hard to keep your finger on the pulse for trends and such, unless you allow yourself to be submerged in it. I always joke about being an Elder Millennial to my colleagues. This is the thing I’ve learned to embrace and follow. I’m on Instagram and very active. Funny story is, my Instagram has become a monster on it’s own. I’ve somewhat become this Influencer as they would call it, specifically in the Spirits Industry (Whiskey, Vodka, Scotch). Go figure since I started it for the Entertainment Industry to keep myself current. But during the lockdown, I’ve met a lot of great friends in the spirits industry that allowed my Hollywood side and my love for whiskey merge in my Instagram Post/Stories.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is such a dangerous question? LA has so many amazing things to eat, drink and see. I’ll rattle off some places that I’d take them in no particular order. First is the food! Best breakfast hands down in LA, The Griddle Cafe in Hollywood. The Mamma’s French Toast, the Pancakes and the Bacon. Everything is better with Bacon! For sites, I’d of course take them on a hike. Specifically the Griffith Park behind the Hollywood Sign Hike. It’s a 3 hour hike around Griffith Park canyons that ends right behind the Hollywood Sign. The closest you can get to it without trespassing and jumping the fence. And my favorite part of LA is the night scene. The bars and lounges. I love speakeasies. There’s a hidden bar in Culver City called The Blind Barber. It’s a working Barbershop in front, but through the back doors it leads you to a hidden bar area for all your cocktail or libation needs. If you’re about Bar/Pub/Restaurant there’s a couple I can rattle off. In Sherman Oaks there’s Boneyard Bistro. I frequent their bar here and their BBQ is amazing. Then if you just want to relax and have a drink or 3, there’s Foreman’s Whiskey Tavern in Toluca Lake. And who knows what celebrity you may see there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Being that I’m a Gen X’er. I was taught to have mentors that could guide you and share wisdom whether it was mistakes or success. Moving to LA I’ve had many mentors. The stand outs in my life to date would be number one my Showrunner / sister ND Brown-Jones. She had seen my potential of Producing in 2008 in the first film we did together as a co-production and ultimately asking me to join her company after. The war stories we had together, the head butting and the success we’ve accomplished together. She has made me a better Producer and person through the 13 years we’ve been together. And my second and last mentor that guided my creative aspect of me was Mark Morgan (Producer of the Twilight Franchise). He taught me to think freely no matter how outrageous it sound or be. You never know when you have the next great story!

Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1344057/

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

Image Credits
All photos by Matthew Jong