Page 11 - MidWeek - Dec 21, 2022

“We deemed ourselves as the Ying Yang Twins like that rap group because we’ re so completely differ- ent and opposite from each other, but so complementary in that sense,” says Nolan. “Like, she would never want to be in front of the camera and I am totally comfortable in front of the camera; she went to ‘Iolani and I went
Pop Creative Media, a biz that specializes in long-for- mat, interview-style videos, began as a passion project, then turned into an official side hustle and now is the Hongs’ full-time job. They mostly work with nonprof- its, families and couples to, as Nolan puts it, “bridge the gap between people and their stories and the audience they’ re trying to reach.”
Jamie and Nolan Hong are the husband-and-wife team behind Pop Creative Media. PHOTO COURTESY NOLAN HONG
“My mom ... was super critical about it — like ‘why are you giving away your business for free?’ ” Nolan says with a laugh. “But not everyone has the means or the desire to go through a service or company like us. But those stories are still there and they need to be captured.
“We’ll do the filming, editing and interviews,” he explains. “We help people communicate their stories through video. We work a lot with nonprofits because
they have so many things to share about who they are and their mission, but it’s hard to communicate that to the gen- eral public. Sometimes, they speak a different language it seems, so I like to describe our videos like we’ re the in- terpreters.”
stories, also work with en- gaged couples who want to document their romance to play at their wedding and for keepsake purposes in the event their future kids ask, “Mom/Dad, how did you meet?”
For more information on Pop Legacy Videos, visit poplegacyvideos.com, and check out popcreativemedia. com for everything else the Hongs have going on.
The Hongs, who know a thing or two about love
Lately, the Hongs have been excited about a new venture: Pop Legacy Videos,
“There’s so many times our friends would say,
DECEMBER 21, 2022 MIDWEEK 11
Who knew that owning a busi- ness could be such a matchmaker? Nolan and Jamie Hong, the hus- band-and-wife team behind Pop Creative Media, estab- lished their company in 2014 purely as partners — and not the romantic kind.
by Ginger Keller
Videographers Are A Couple On A Mission
The two met more than a decade ago while working at a local TV provider. Nolan — who’s acted in countless commercials and TV shows, including Hawai‘i 5-0 and Doogie Kameāloha, M.D — is a natural in front of the camera, while Jamie prefers more of a behind-the-scenes lifestyle.
“And yet, our passion for what we want to accomplish is very simple, and our ap- preciation for each other’s style is matched. So, it’s kind of cool that the result of putting us together cre- ated the thing that we both desperately wanted to, but never felt like we had the tools to do (on our own). ”
Acknowledging that not everyone can afford their services, the Hongs held a free workshop in Novem- ber — which can now be watched on their YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/ meisingproductions) — to share basic tips on how to do it yourself.
“We wanted to desperate- ly convince and empower people that no matter what position they’ re in, they can still capture these stories now while you have your loved ones here, especial- ly while the holidays are coming up and families are getting together. Time is of the essence and we wanted everyone to not lose the op- portunity.”
to Punahou; she’d rather do technical computer work and I’ d rather just talk about it.
a divison of Pop Creative Media. For this, the Hongs sit down with a client’s fam- ily member — namely kūpu- na — and record their life’s stories. It’s a hard truth that nobody lives forever, but by preserving meaningful mem- ories in video format, the oral history can continue on.
‘That’s so amazing, I wish I could have done something like that when my mom was alive’ with a lot of regret. Same thing here — I wish I had this done for me when my grandfather was alive,” Nolan adds. “There’s so many people in this com- munity that have loved ones who are still here and they have the opportunity to cap- ture these stories before they pass.
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