Meet Yassin Koptan | Filmmaker & Skateboarder

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

Hi Yassin, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
The same ones that make me feel like they don’t help sometimes. But in general the first one would be that I take my time with my projects and the fact that my inspiration is fueled with my frustrations with the world and the solutions I have to offer from my perspective. I rarely watch movies, shows etc anymore so I know its coming from an organic place in my heart, mind and soul.

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?
Nothing comes easy even if it seems easy. I don’t believe I’d be here without all the tragic occurrences throughout my adolescence. From getting kicked out of college, to living away from home for 7 years to coming back home and trying to settle again to losing an opportunity that I equate to missing the winning penalty shot at a World Cup Final. This is is what makes or breaks a character and right now I can’t say I’m not broken, but I can definitely say I’ve matured and I’ve found something bigger than passion & purpose. And that’s resilience. It’s the idea that I will never stop no matter how broken I end up being because I have the ability to recycle these trauma’s into something we can all laugh and cry about.

I think the best way to live life is to work on making it better by solving a shared problem or finding a new way to do something more efficiently. My favorite quote is “Be ashamed to die until you have scored some win for humanity”. I hope people just recognize when all is said and done, that I tried.

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.
Well day time probably Venice Beach cause it’s that special. Evening I’d take them to have some Korea BBQ and then we’d be off to experience LA nightlife. DTLA, West Hollywood or Santa Monica.

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?
Even though we had tough times, my family never shied away from having my back at the end of the day. So full credit to them for putting up with me and my desires.

Skateimpact for providing a safe space for myself and others to be part of a second family that stands the test of time through the love of skateboarding culture.

Website: www.kitchenfilmsglobal.com