PASSIONATE PROFESSIONALS

The Queens World Film Festival, New York Women in Film and Television, Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, The Gaia Zine and Epicenter – NY proudly announce PASSION in ACTION, a day-long mentoring event to bring high school and college students together with Passionate Professionals in the Arts, Sciences, Finance, Women’s Sports, Nonprofit Sectors and More.

The morning session of this day long event will concentrate on developing personal professionalism related to the arts including developing a mission statement, compiling ideas on how to promote your work and creating your back pocket networking tool kit. The afternoon is devoted to a round robin speed networking event so that all attendees have the opportunity to spend 30 minutes with 3 different Passionate Professionals.

The morning will concentrate on developing personal professionalism related to the arts with the afternoon devoted to a round robin networking event so that all attendees, have the opportunity to spend 30 minutes with 3 different Passionate Professionals.

Thank you to Susy Chu for being one of our Passionate Professionals!

  • Learning and Development Manager

  • Professional Affiliations

    Queens Public Library, The Trevor Project, The Trade Desk, Queens World Film Festival, Association of Talent Development (ATD)

Susy Chu

Learning and Development Manager at The Trade Desk

Susy is a Queens native, born and bred in the city of Elmhurst. Growing up she knew that one day she would fight for justice and for others to have a voice. Being raised by immigrant Taiwanese parents, she was grappled with her many identities and learned the strength of family, both by blood and chosen. Over the years, Susy would find herself immersed in the arts earning an Associates degree at the School of Visual Arts and gaining a scholarship to SUNY FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) to earn her Bachelors degree. Though her career brought her to communicate with others behind a computer screen and other mediums, the need to fight for a voice for herself and others eventually led to her landing a role at the Trevor Project, where she created training for crisis counselors to support the mission of ending LGBTQ+ suicidality. The training she created with her team was awarded a Tier III which is the highest level of accreditation from the American Association of Suicidology. She is currently at The Trade Desk, an advertising technology company fighting for the open internet. During her free time, she works part-time at the Queens Public Library, getting to know the community and training Queens residents as a Computer Literacy Instructor. Her passion for training, leadership and mentorship stems from her need to constantly learn and grow.

Question & Answer

What is a personal character trait that you have leaned on in your career?

Not initially, but my introversion. I’ve leaned on that to stand out from others and find my people.

What is your best advice for young creatives who are thinking about college?

Having been through it, I think it builds good behaviors and networks, but is absolutely not necessary if it is not something you can afford, though you’d need to make up for the education inflation another way.

What is your best advice for young creatives who are beginning their careers?

Knowing that you must believe in yourself when no one does is a must. Failure is the precursor to success – it’s in assessing your “failure(s)” that you know your weaknesses and how to improve the next time. Positive attracts positive. And finally, moments of hardship and pain will pass and you will be stronger for it.