Helen Keller once said, “Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.” Speaking of success and leadership, successful leaders always believe in harboring a collaborative approach to growth. In team work they believe, and in collaboration, they invest. A prime example of a successful business leader who propels with such a mindset is demonstrated by Huang Yin-Yu (Producer, Director, Distributor). Huang is a visionary leader who epitomizes the principles of collaboration and strategic foresight. With a passion for filmmaking that began in high school, he founded Moolin Films, Ltd. (Taiwan) in 2015 and has since expanded the company’s reach to Japan and Taiwan.
The Journey of Successful Leadership
Huang developed an interest in filmmaking in high school at 16, inspired by a homework assignment requiring a short video. During this project, he took on the roles of director and editor, discovering his passion and potential talent for filmmaking. He pursued his passion by enrolling in university, specifically in the TV and radio department. When he was around 20 years old, he delved into documentary filmmaking, producing short documentaries while continuing his studies. This journey took him to Tokyo, Japan, where Huang Yin-Yu eventually established his company, Moolin Films. Ltd. in 2015.
Collaborative Effort for Passion Projects
During his filmmaking course, Huang has been greatly influenced by many filmmakers and directors whose work has shaped his understanding of cinema as a unique art form. He believes that cinema is a powerful medium for expressing the director’s vision and the collaborative effort of a team.
Huang Yin-Yu values teamwork immensely and enjoys the creative synergy of working with others to produce a larger creation. From his early days as a student working on film projects, Huang knew filmmaking was perfect for him. When he established his company, he prioritized maintaining a simple yet professional approach to teamwork, even as the projects grew in size and complexity. This collaborative spirit is something he deeply appreciates in the filmmaking process.
While many films and filmmakers have influenced Huang, the art of filmmaking fascinates him. He finds joy in the entire process, from the initial idea to the final product, and takes pride in the collective effort that goes into each project. Throughout his career, Huang has always been driven by a passion for storytelling and a commitment to quality. He believes that every film has the potential to make an impact, and he strives to create work that resonates with audiences on a deep level. His dedication to his craft is evident in the success and growth of his company, which continues to push boundaries and explore new creative avenues.
Huang’s journey from a high school student with a passion for filmmaking to the head of a successful company is a testament to his talent, hard work, and love for the art of cinema. He looks forward to continuing to create meaningful and impactful work, collaborating with his team to bring their shared vision to life.
Beyond Film and TV Programs
Under Huang’s leadership, Moolin continuously expands its services beyond film and TV programs. While the company specializes in these areas, it also launched a film festival last year, a cultural event to connect with local governments and organizations. This initiative aims to give these entities international visibility and enhance their cultural branding. Moolin Films works with languages and cultures in Japan and Taiwan. He aims to act as a bridge between these markets and the international scene. This vision extends beyond film and TV to include cultural events, exhibitions, and other forms of cultural branding.
The company can facilitate these cultural exchanges, attracting interest from European and international clients who come to Japan or Taiwan. These clients seek the company’s help bringing their content to the international stage. Similarly, the company is the go-to partner when Taiwanese or Japanese content needs to reach a global audience. At the helm, Huang Yin-Yu and his team are dedicated to expanding their service offerings in cultural content. This commitment aligns with their goal to not only produce high-quality films and TV shows but also promote cultural exchanges and branding on an international level.
While Huang is uncertain about the company’s level of success, he firmly believes in the importance of having a diverse team. The Moolin team members come from various backgrounds and cultures, which helps the company avoid focusing solely on the domestic market. This international perspective is crucial for producing content that works globally. Having team members from different countries allows for a rich exchange of ideas.
When discussing the best ways to produce content, the varied cultural perspectives lead to innovative solutions and a more universal appeal in their films. This approach starts with the team but extends to all content they create. Huang ensures that every project is developed with an international audience in mind, leveraging the diverse insights of his team to produce content that resonates on a global scale.
A True Collaborator
Moolin Films operates with a clear philosophy: quality over speed. “We are not in the business of making fast food,” Huang Yin-Yu often says. Each project, whether it’s a documentary, fiction, or other content, takes years to develop, produce, shoot, and go through post-production. The timeline for bringing a film to the audience can span three to five years or even longer. One of Huang’s key insights is the challenge of changing market dynamics. “Sometimes, a film might take ten years to complete, and by then, the audience and market have evolved,” he explains.
This can result in the final product feeling outdated. To counter this, Huang believes that while the company must stay close to the current market, it must also anticipate future trends. “We need to foresee the future,” Huang emphasizes. This means understanding what will be important and relevant three to four years down the line. The company puts significant effort into predicting these trends, ensuring their films remain impactful when they finally reach the market.
Additionally, Huang’s philosophy extends to expanding the company’s services beyond just film and TV programs. Last year, they launched a film festival, a cultural event connecting with local governments and organizations. “We aim to give these entities international visibility and enhance their cultural branding,” he explains. The company acts as a bridge between these markets and the international scene by operating in both Japan and Taiwan.
This vision includes cultural events, exhibitions, and other forms of cultural branding. “We want to spread our service to include these cultural aspects,” Huang says. The company’s growth from its inception in 2015 in Taiwan to expanding to Japan in 2019 illustrates Huang’s commitment to a broader vision. Initially focused on international co-productions of documentaries, the company quickly recognized the advantage of a diverse team in handling projects with a global perspective. This has allowed them to work with corporate users and international investors, even as the domestic market in Japan becomes smaller.
Attending numerous film festivals and building a strong international network has been key to this success. “We established a new film festival in Okinawa to further our goal,” Huang shares. This festival helps the company maintain its international focus and strengthen its network. One of Huang’s biggest challenges is increasing the company’s productivity without compromising quality. “We aim to produce more than five films each year,” he states.
This increase in output is essential for maintaining a strong presence in the international market while ensuring their films meet the high standards they set for themselves. Huang’s dedication to storytelling and quality is evident in every aspect of his work. “We believe that every film has the potential to make an impact,” he says. His commitment to this belief drives the company’s success and growth. With a clear focus on international markets and a diverse, innovative team, Huang looks forward to continuing to create meaningful and impactful work.
Young at Birth, Mighty at Heart
“We are still a young company,” says Huang while acknowledging how Moolin is a relevantly young company. His immediate goal is to consistently produce and release new films annually. Looking ahead to the next decade and beyond, Huang Yin-Yu envisions a larger goal for the company. “Maybe in the next 10 years, or as a life goal, I want our company to be iconic,” he shares. He aspires for Moolin Films to be known for creating unique films and content that can only come from their team.
This vision is grounded in the company’s philosophy of quality over speed. Each project, whether a documentary, fiction film, or other content, takes years to develop, produce, shoot, and complete post-production. The timeline for bringing a film to the audience can span three to five years or even longer.
Huang Yin-Yu is aware of the challenge of changing market dynamics. To counter this, Huang believes that while the company must stay close to the current market, it must also anticipate future trends. “We need to foresee the future,” he emphasizes. This means understanding what will be important and relevant three to four years later. The company puts significant effort into predicting these trends, ensuring their films remain impactful when they finally reach the market.
How does the future look like?
Moolin Films has made significant strides this year by establishing a new office in Tokyo. “From this year, we established our Tokyo office,” Huang Yin-Yu says. Over the next two years, he plans to solidify the company’s operations across Okinawa, Tokyo, and Taipei. This expansion aims to strengthen their relationships with local markets and foster new opportunities.
Huang’s vision includes leveraging the strong connections they’ve built through their film festival. “Due to our Film Festival, we have a strong connection with the local community,” he notes. This network provides a solid foundation for packaging new cultural events and collaborations. “We think that packaging a new cultural event or this kind of cultural collaboration is something we are really interested in,” he adds.
Moolin Films is now expanding into new business areas beyond film and visual content, venturing into physical events. This move aligns with Huang’s broader vision for the company. “We are expanding our new part of the business outside of film or visual content into physical events,” he adds.
Token of Knowledge for Aspirants
“The film industry depends on teamwork,” says Huang, asserting that effective communication and the ability to lead a group are crucial traits in this field. Huang Yin-Yu sees a strong parallel between leading a film crew and managing a company. “Leading a team in film is quite similar to leadership within a company,” he notes. In his role, Huang emphasizes that he cannot manage everything alone. “It’s not possible to handle everything by myself, especially when the company has numerous projects and team members,” he explains. As the company grows, the complexity increases, making collaboration essential.
Huang Yin-Yu’s company operates with a small core team, including himself. “We have a core team of three people, including me,” he says. This team functions like a business management unit, where decisions and responsibilities are shared. “We have a small team to handle business management and share all decisions,” Huang adds. For Huang, having trusted colleagues to share responsibilities is crucial. “Having partners who share the responsibility is very important to me,” he states. This approach helps manage the complexities of running a company and ensures that decisions are made collaboratively.
