Producer-led projects across live theatre and short films — fundraising, partnerships, marketing, and team management.
Musical “Dear Evan Hansen”
Producer, Editor, Cast – Cynthia
Oct 2020 – Jul 2021 | Shanghai, China
Produced a student-led Dear Evan Hansen musical, leading 100+ personnel across 10 departments, publishing 20+ promo videos and 50+ posts to reach 2,700+ followers, 897,000+ views, RMB¥10,000+ budget, and delivering 2 sold-out shows for 1,200+ audiences.
- Production Leadership & Recruiting: Recruited and onboarded 100+ cast/crew, led 10 departments (music, choreography, tech, costumes, marketing, etc.); raised and managed a ¥10,000+ budget; built department runbooks (rehearsal schedule + deliverable deadlines), issued weekly task lists, and maintained a live cue-to-cue/tech-week checklist.
- Design & Content: Designed programs/brochures and sponsor artwork in Adobe Photoshop + InDesign, and edited 20+ promo/trailer videos in Adobe Premiere Pro; published 50+ posts/articles via Bilibili, WeChat, and Weibo, driving 897,000+ views and 2,700+ followers.
- Partnerships & Sponsor Deliverables: Built partnerships with 10 theatre companies/universities (e.g., iMusical, Fudan) through promotion swaps + workshop exchanges; executed sponsor deliverables, including logo placement and program ads.
- Venue & Pricing: Secured and price-negotiated Bandai Namco Shanghai Venue; set ticket tiers and comp/discount rules, set up ticketing, staffed and briefed ushers/front desk, managed audience check-in/seating and late-seating policy, and delivered 2 sold-out shows for 1,200+ total attendees.
Tools: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Premiere Pro
Skills: Live Event Production, Team Management, Social Media Marketing, Partnership Development
Short Film “Scrambled Eggs”
Producer
Oct 2021 – May 2022 | New York, NY
Produced a short film, fundraising USD$5,000, managing permits/insurance for 2 locations, and executing a 3-day shoot with 20 cast/crew; drove festival submissions with selections at New York International Women Festival, Student World Impact Film Festival, International Social Change Film Festival, and Indie House.
- Budget & Admin: Fundraised $5,000 via grants + crowdfunding; wrote grant packages (narrative, budget, impact statement, work plan, deliverables) and ran crowdfunding ops (campaign copy, reward tiers, updates, donor tracking, thank-you/fulfillment); managed invoices/reimbursements/receipts and locked vendor/location agreements with quotes/payment terms for gear, locations, catering, and transport.
- Scheduling & Recruit: Built StudioBinder schedule (scene order, call sheets, location moves), hired 20 cast/crew via Backstage + NYU databases, held cast auditions, coordinated availability around daylight/location constraints, and maintained a production tracker (deliverables, deadlines, owners).
- Locations & Set Ops: Secured 2 locations (power/sound/light/parking/access/holding checks), negotiated access terms, pulled permits, and managed insurance; onboarded crew (contacts, call times, deal memos/releases), ran production meetings, managed equipment holds + pickup/returns + kit lists, and handled time checks, meals, and daily wrap notes.
- Post & Festivals: Structured post workflow (editor handoff, naming/version control, cut review cadence) and packaged festival materials (logline/synopsis, credits, stills, poster/trailer, screener exports/captions as required); tracked fees/deadlines/status and secured official selections.
Tools: StudioBinder, Backstage
Skills: Film Production Management, Fundraising, Talent Acquisition
Short Film “The Red Veil”
Producer, Director, Writer, Editor
Oct 2023 – Dec 2024 | New York, NY
End-to-end short-film creation from script to final master: wrote and packaged the shooting draft, designed coverage via storyboards/shot lists, directed on set, and finished picture, color, and sound in Premiere/Avid, DaVinci Resolve, Pro Tools, and Audition.
- Script Packaging: Wrote and revised original scripts in Final Draft + Celtx from outline to shooting draft; delivered script packets with beat sheets, scene breakdowns, and locked dialogue/ action for production use.
- Coverage Design: Built storyboards and shot lists specifying blocking, lens/shot sizes, transitions, and lighting intent; designed coverage plans (masters, OTS, inserts, cutaways) to protect continuity and edit flexibility.
- Directing & Editorial: Directed camera movement and scene layout (marks, eyelines, screen direction), captured pick-ups/alt takes for cut-proof coverage, and cut in Premiere Pro + Avid Media Composer (selects, continuity repairs, pacing, L/J-cuts) with versioned review exports.
- Color & Sound Post: Color-graded in DaVinci Resolve (shot matching, curves, keys/masks) and engineered Foley/ADR, dialogue edits, sound design, and final mixes in Avid Pro Tools + Adobe Audition (Equalization, compression, noise reduction, loudness targets).
Tools: Final Draft, Celtx, Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer, DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Audition, Avid Pro Tools
Skills: Screenwriting, Video Editing, Color Grading, Sound Design & Mixing, Film Directing
Short Film “3 PM”
Producer, Director, Writer, Editor
Jul 2022 – Aug 2022 | New York, NY
Short Film “When I Wake Up”
Producer, Director, Writer, Editor
May 2021 – Oct 2021 | Shanghai, China
Tong Zhao 