SHINING A LIGHT ON HER VALUES
Videographer highlights LGBTQ community
As a videographer, Anita Kwan's office changes with the day. h To view her portfolio is to take a trip from cycle studios and bakeries to manufacturing plants and dance parties in the street. h But no matter the assignment, Kwan seeks to capture authentic moments and elevate marginalized communities when she can. h “I really looked deeper into what my values were,” said Kwan, 33, of the South Side, who founded Reel Hoot Productions five years ago. “I was thinking about what I really cared about, which was working with women, people of color and the LGTBQ community—basically all the things that I encompass. There's just not as much media coverage or videos of people like me out there. So, I wanted to intentionally shine a light and just show how awesome we are.”
“I was
Specializing in branding, event and corporate videos, Kwan has clients all over the country. In the Columbus area, she shot a crowdfunding video for Heartfelt Cycle Studio, an inclusive, queer-owned business near Grandview Heights. She also shot a brand video for Bake Me Happy, an Lgbtq-owned, womanowned, Black-owned gluten-free bakery in Merion Village.
From a broader film industry landscape, women account for just 19% of directors on broadcast network programs and 31% on streaming programs, according to the Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film.
“When it comes to video, the people behind the camera are mostly cishet (cisgender, heterosexual) white men,” Kwan said. “They don't necessarily know all the places and where to go to get the stories.”
Kwan once traveled to Maine to film content for Transtape, a company that provides backless, waterproof chest binding for trans, nonbinary,
gender-fluid and gender non-conforming individuals.
“We were documenting people having fun in their Transtape, playing in the pool, mowing the lawn, cutting wood, being by the fire and just having fun, looking comfortable in the product,” she said. “I was also doing tutorials on how to apply the tape and remove it safely.”
Beyond niche businesses, Kwan has worked for larger companies like Tide Cleaners, T. Marzetti Co., Covermymeds and Mount Carmel Health System. She also collaborated on a documentary, “Kings, Queens, & In-betweens,” and shot footage of body-positive collective the Fat Babes Club of Columbus for the Today Show.
Decades ago, Kwan's father was the videographer in her home in Middleburg Heights, in northeast Ohio. She recalls him filming family events every birthday, holiday and vacation with an old camcorder.
thinking about what I really cared about, which was working with women, people of color and the
LGTBQ community— basically all the things that I encompass.”
Anita Kwan videographer
“My dad wasn't trying to be artsy or anything,” she said. “It was just documenting everything in one long take. I just got comfortable being around a camera. He would let me hold it as a little kid. He was very brave.”
As Kwan got older, she began borrowing her father's camera to make videos with friends in middle school, including Katie Ashwill Allen.
“We did a lot of recreating movies that already existed and liked putting our own spin on it,” said Ashwill Allen, 33, of Oberlin. ”I remember we were trying to recreate scenes from ‘Donnie Darko.' ‘Napoleon Dynamite' was another one. Her parents had this projector in the basement. We would go down there a lot, just filming ridiculous music videos.”
Kwan said she realized she had a talent when her teachers began to encourage her work. She went on to study film at Ohio State University Following graduation, she and a friend started their own video business, This is Columbus, documenting things to do in the city.
“I still have videos on file and it's just so funny to watch because it's all so bad,” Kwan said. “We did that for about a year because we weren't making money. We weren't really good with the whole business plan part of it.”
Kwan spent several years as a wedding photographer. Later, she was laid off from a small video company. She decided to start another business after a round of interviews at other video companies.
“I felt like I didn't really fit in whenever I walked into these offices,” she said. “It was cishet, white male-dominated. And during the interview process, sometimes I just felt like I was getting grilled. It didn't feel good to me. I was like, ‘I think I'll just do my own thing.'”
Columbus entrepreneur Beth Menduni echoed Kwan's concerns.
“Most of my mentors have been male, and I 100% felt like it was a boy's club,” said Menduni, 37, of Hilliard, who owns a video production company, Mkg Dept. “I was not given opportunities and I was not listened to. That is what really drives me for wanting to have diversity behind the camera.”
Menduni has hired Kwan for multiple projects, including a job documenting COVID-19 vaccination stories in partnership with the Ohio Urban Resources System.
“Anita's my go-to person for videography,” Menduni said. “She thinks in moments and details, and I really love that perspective because it just lends itself to deeper and more creative storytelling and connection with the audience.”
Kwan said working with the Ohio Progressive Asian Women's Leadership organization was especially meaningful. She spoke with people who came to the U.S. from Asia about their struggles with the immigration process.
“It was amazing hearing these people's stories,” said Kwan, who is Chinese American. “And I was able to relate to them as well. It felt like, ‘OK, my business matters. This organization felt comfortable to hire me because of what I stand for and what I represent.'”
Kwan also is passionate about creating safe spaces off-camera.
She and Anna Hetzel are co-founders of Professionals Business & Queers, an online organization for queer women, trans and gender nonconforming people. About 100 people worldwide have joined the community, which hosts events each month.
While it's vital for people in the LGTBQ community to engage with each other, it's also important for others to lend support—especially by patronizing Lgbtq-owned businesses.
“We struggle with resources and finances,” Kwan said. “And people are spending money at the corporate places and franchises. We do have our community, but it's just not enough. We need allies to come support us.” ethompson@dispatch.com @miss_ethompson