About

My love of storytelling began with my mother, who taught herself English by reading children’s books to my sister and me every night.

I was born in Southern California, raised by parents who arrived here as refugees from Vietnam in 1979. We didn’t have much but we always had books, and when we went on family “vacations,” we went to the movies. So much of my identity and understanding of the world was shaped by the stories I grew up with, whether on the page or on the big screen.

I studied English Literature at Chapman University and earned an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University. I've spent the past decade as a writer/editor/producer, and storytelling has manifested itself in myriad ways: producing a docuseries for Participant on 16 girls from six continents about turning 16 in 2016; documenting humanitarian projects in Haiti, Guatemala, and Chad; writing about social justice issues in developing countries around the world; and interviewing real-life subjects who have inspired films, including the survivors of the Deepwater Horizon. 

Currently, I’m a Senior Storyteller for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, interviewing the fascinating people behind our mighty spacecraft. I was also awarded a one-year fellowship to join documentary filmmaker Blaine Baggett as his Associate Producer on 2021’s Triumph at Saturn, which chronicles the legacy of NASA’s 20-year Cassini mission.

In the summer of 2019, I took my very first filmmaking course at ArtCenter. I produced and directed the narrative short When the World Belongs to You and No One Else, and fell in love with the magic and craft of directing. My aim now is to make films that people can’t look away from, with a focus on character-driven stories that explore subversive narratives and provocative themes through an unexpected lens. I'm currently enrolled in UCLA Extension’s film directing certificate program.

Most recently, I produced and directed the thriller short LINES, written by Paul Knauer and currently making the rounds on the 2022 film festival circuit. Next up, I’m writing, producing, and directing the horror short Rosebud.

Have a project we should collaborate on? Get in touch at celeste.hoang@gmail.com.