Dare to Leap with Yuanhao Du
Yunahao Du is a filmmaker…but that label boxes him and imposes an idea about his abilities and motivation. It is much more accurate to say that this Chinese born talent is a storyteller. Whether his title is Executive Producer, Producer, Director, or Writer; Yuanhao is interested in collaborating with other professionals to tell stories that excite, move, and hopefully connect us. As a major force behind award-winning films like Patrick, On the Other Side, and others, Yuanhao has solidified his reputation in the Indie film community. While onscreen talent has traditionally avoided commercial advertisement work, it’s both a creative and lucrative avenue for professionals who utilize their skill off-camera. When Boyong Du of El Studio contacted Yuanhao to work on Realme’s “Dare to Leap” campaign, it was due to the impressive work he had done on such diverse projects as NASA’s BRAILLE rover, a production for ELLEN MEN×HUGO BOSS, and his films. What Boyong recognized was a unique identity and exceptional production on every one of these projects; one which El Studio wanted to manifest for “Dare to Leap” by enlisting Yuanhao DU.
Those involved in the industry understand very well that communication is key. Balancing the expectations of the clients and the creatives at the same time is often a herculean task. His background in film makes Yuanhao a strong advocate for the artists involved in any production; his financial studies background makes him the ideal professional to communicate with clients. He explains, “You have to speak with someone on their own terms, especially where finances are involved. The clients’ concerns are completely understandable when you consider it in the terms that are intuitive for them. I find that the key to communicating with them is explaining more about the budget influence instead of arguing the creativity. I help them to imagine that the whole production is just like running a company, which is very understandable for them. Explained in these parameters, they can appreciate why we might cut the budget for something and put that money into another department. While production professionals understand that certain things ‘read’ differently on camera, the client might not be aware of this. I can help them to see these things and keep both sides happy. Often, it’s as simple as the fact that I have a financial degree that implies to them that we already see things the same way.” The “Dare to Leap” spot has been immensely successful for Realme, airing on several TV channels in China such as CCTV and Hunan TV, Realme’s website, and accumulating more than 2.8 million views on the China’s Weibo (social media) platform.
Always excited by new opportunities, producer Yuanhao is preparing to work on an International Parenting Class series for the Chinese education organization Baijia. This will consist of six different shot movies, written by screenwriting company For Me and My Kids, which discusses how parents should deal with typical parenting situation with their kids. Additionally, 2020 finds him collaborating with writer Spenser Querry on a new webseries that will appear on American and Chinese streaming platforms.
