Justin Wu: From aspiring photographer to Kim's Convenience's youngest director

When Justin Wu first got the call that he would be directing an episode of Kim's Convenience, he instantly broke down into tears out of sheer excitement and disbelief. 

Previously enrolled in a biology program at Queen's University and set to pursue a career in medicine, Wu never thought that he would one day direct for a multi-award-winning Canadian TV series.

Back in university, Wu and his flatmate would go out and shoot street photography until one day his friend encouraged him to submit his photos for an exhibition. 

"I was very lucky in that in my second year I was given my first solo show and from that point on, my interest in photography became much more than just a passion. I actually wanted to pursue it as a career, so I kind of dabbled across the full range of photography, from photojournalism, to taking portraits and posting my photos online," says Wu. 

While directing episode 508 of Kim's Convenience, Wu explains that he had a "meta moment."

Similar to Andrea Bang's character Janet, Wu began his career in photography and has guest-lectured at colleges in the past. 

"To teach [Andrea] how I taught class was really a full circle moment. I was able to see how far I've come, how far I've evolved to where I am now," says Wu. 

"I was also very pleased that the show runner was gracious to offer me the possibility of using my own photography in the scene, and I actually used photos from that first solo exhibition… it's in my episode and it's actually on the projector that Janet uses when she presents to the class."

Reflecting back on the start of his career as a young amateur photographer, Wu explains that getting his first big break in the industry was quite difficult and the road to success was not always an easy one. 

Having graduated from the biology program at Queen's, Wu knew that he wanted to pursue a career in photography, so he enrolled in business school to buy himself some time from pursuing the career in medicine that his parents were pushing him toward. 

"I transferred to the University of Western Ontario all under the guise, as I told my parents, 'Oh, I'm here to learn business, I'm here to learn entrepreneurship'. But in reality, I was actually trying to understand, can I make photography into a business and in what field?"

During his time in business school, Wu enrolled in an exchange program where he went to Paris to study for a few months. 

"I was certainly the worst student they had ever seen. I, of course, was there not really to study at school, but to to pursue photography. But I only had a very limited time with my student visa. So what I did was I took all the time I could from school and I went and cold called ad agencies and would actually just show up at the door, to try to present my portfolio."

On many of these occasions Wu says he was met with rude and hurtful comments, with many people laughing him out the door. However he didn't let the negative responses deter him.

Wu says an instance that was truly a defining moment in his career was when an agency manager took his portfolio book and tossed it in the trash.

"I picked up my book from the trash. And this is the true story. And I directly asked the manager, what could I do better? Apparently, very few artists ask that question, especially after this embarrassing moment and the manager actually was quite shocked by me asking that question and took interest," Wu explains. 

"I thought at the time I had nothing to lose. I only had two months left of my visa. This is my chance to try to break into an industry and if not, then fall back to the conventional career that I could always go back to."

This moment and the mentality of having nothing to lose is something that stuck with Wu for the rest of his life and is in part how he became a successful photographer and Kim's Convenience's youngest director. 

Wu has an extensive resume having worked with major brands and A-list celebrities such as Selena Gomez, Serge Ibaka, Bella Hadid, Gucci, Dior, Adidas, Ferragamo and so many more. 

However he was keen on having his TV directing debut on Kim's Convenience, a show that he says deeply inspires him. So having nothing to lose, he contacted the show runners directly, and a few months later got the call.

"I very fondly remember the first day walking into the studio, I was pinching myself… I've been lucky to have worked with many different personalities and big celebrities. But this was quite different for me," says Wu. 

"It was like a dream. I really couldn't believe it. And to be able to meet the actors behind the characters and the store, no less, the store itself is almost a character on the show. They're all personal heroes of mine."

Kim's Convenience is a show that Wu says he and his mother watch together each week and have bonded over, similar to many other families that he knows.

"They've really found the right balance of comedy, heart and soul and characters that really had emotional depth. So it was a show that brought people together… It just shows how impactful the show has been, how meaningful it is and how inspiring it was," says Wu.

"It played with archetypes and not stereotypes. I think that is a very important distinction. It put Asian-Americans in front and it shared that experience very truthfully."

Although Wu says he was heartbroken by the news of Kim's Convenience ending, he is extremely grateful for the opportunity to have had his television directing debut on the show and considers it one of his "proudest moments."

"What really kind of made me feel so happy was that the show runners, the producers, the writers, the incredible cast and the crew immediately opened their arms to me and welcomed me into the family. They were so kind and generous and I really couldn't have asked for a better intro and experience overall."

Wu is continuing to work on projects that uplift the diverse voices of underrepresented communities, including his most recent documentary which sheds light on the current refugee crisis in Canada and is set to premiere this year.

"That is sort of the direction that I do want to take with my career. I want to continue filmmaking… and tell these much-needed stories, these diverse stories, these stories that matter because I feel that that's the only way we can progress."

Catch the final season of Kim's Convenience right here on CBC Gem, subscribe to the Kim's Convenience YouTube channel here, and follow CBC Comedy's Facebook, Instagram & Twitter for the latest on all CBC Comedy series.