Junior Jacob Vu has always had a passion for cinematography. Starting at the age of nine, he began his journey to entertain others.

During eighth grade, Vu founded a club, Vuboy Productions at Creek Valley Middle School. And now what started as a club, has turned into a production company that handles commercial, entertainment and real estate films.

“The club dispersed whenever we moved to high school and it became an online business,” Vu said. “Nowadays, we’re filming real estate for realtors and making profit off of it. We’re also working on entertainment; [we have] now a couple of projects and some with the middle school. It’s exciting that I’m branching out and I’m getting new workers so that’s cool.”

Junior Jeremy Joseph has been a member of Vuboy Productions since eighth grade. He has worked with Vu on multiple projects during their years at Creek Valley like “The Co Director.”

“Vuboy productions has taught me to cooperate with my teammates,” Joseph said. “It taught me a lot about how to be a leader. I learned how to work with those who don’t want to cooperate. It influenced me by helping me adapt to new work environments.”

Currently Vu is working on projects individually and alongside his crew. The trailer for his web series on YouTube is coming out soon.

“One of my projects is a web series called Broke,” Vu said. “This is a project on our own behalf. We plan on airing [this] fall. That’s all I can tell you on that. Another project that I’m working on is called “Spectrum.” It’s a very visual effects and CGI (computer-generated imagery) inspired project, that deals with the future like a science-fiction about the US government weaponizing light.”

Vu is currently taking courses at Career Center East to expand his knowledge in video production. He is also a member of LISD’s news show, The Lead, working in video playback, allowing him to manage and produce motion graphics.

“Jacob is very driven and works very hard,” Vu’s mom Jeanne Arguello said. “Especially when he’s excited about a project. I think he can pursue whatever he is passionate about, and now he is all about film. The career center has really helped [to] enhance his interests and has given him a vision of what he’d like to someday pursue.”

Vu is planning on pursuing a career in cinematography as a director. He has started taking video productions classes and changed his endorsement to business and industry.

“[My parents] originally wanted me to become a doctor because they want me to be able to support myself financially,” Vu said. “They didn’t believe that an art field would be a good way to support myself in life. But I just continued going through it and they realized I had a chance.”

His parents have supported him and his love for cinematography, and after seeing his dedication to this field, they have warmed up to his career choice.

“I am very excited for him,” Arguello said. “I am happy that he has found something he loves to do, and wants a career in it as well. I think film and video is challenging and competitive [but] I hope he continues to be driven for success in this field.”

Vu’s decision was inspired by his love for cameras. He tries to experiment with different types of film in order to get a grasp on what best works for him.

“I think probably [what] I love to work with the most is cameras in this career field,” Vu said. “Being a director for film, which I’ve done before, wasn’t my forte. I’m more of a guy who likes to direct how it’s perceived. And the best way to do that is through a camera.”