Meet Luu Dagda | Actor, Model & Co-founder of side haus agency

We had the good fortune of connecting with Luu Dagda and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Luu, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve always been drawn to the arts because they create space for people to express themselves in ways that words sometimes can’t. For me, creativity is deeply tied to kindness, and I see it as a way of connecting, uplifting, and seeing each other more fully as humans. Being part of that process, whether through my own personal work or by helping bring someone else’s vision to life, is something I feel really grateful to be a part of.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
One of the things I’m most proud of in my career is my ability to follow my curiosities (albeit with a little fear thanks to my recovering perfectionism), and allow those curiosities to take me places I didn’t even realize were possible.

When I was younger, I loved animation as well as editing, and it was a dream of mine to become an animated film editor.

Fast forward a bit, and after some time in Los Angeles working in the editorial department on different television shows and films (including The Walking Dead and CW’s The Flash), I was offered a full time position at DreamWorks Animation Studios.

You’d think the answer to this offer was a no brainer, right? Sadly, due to some difficult back to back projects prior to this opportunity, I experienced deep burnout and ending up making the difficult decision of turning down this dream job and returned to my roots in Phoenix after completing the original month long contract with them.

The move back was difficult, but I knew being surrounded by family and close friends would help me get back to “Luu”. During this time, I met my now business partner and fellow co-founder of side haus agency, Katelyn Beal, and we connected over our shared love of editing.

After discovering that many of the shared freelance clients we had were calling upon us for edit work, we decided to band together and edit under our own agency, and thus side haus was born.

During my time as a post production assistant on the Walking Dead, being one of only a handful of other women in the office, I was often called to do “temp ADR” (a temporary audio track if additional lines are needed in an edit before the actor can re-record) and little did I know this experience would foreshadow my next endeavors.

After having multiple instances of my voiceover work, which was meant to be temporary until we hired out talent, make it to the final video edits in my freelance career, I was encouraged by a mentor to consider pursuing in front of camera opportunities. After many talks together about representation and being the faces our younger selves needed as Asian Americans, he helped me face my fear of in front of camera opportunities and I signed with the Ford Robert Black Agency.

I love that my behind the camera work informs my work in front of the lens. Years of studying in the edit bay taught me what takes help progress a story thus making me me a better actor, and my acting experience helps me see storytelling in a new lens when behind the computer.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First stop on our list is a delicious strawberry matcha at Harlem Coffee, where we get to say hi to our friend, Kenny, who has created not only a wonderful coffee cart, but also a beautiful community that gathers together weekly at Sauvage.

Next for lunch we’ll make our way to Pho 43, aka the only spot in Phoenix my Vietnamese grandmother has ever asked me to take her to try their pho (especially because she makes it so deliciously herself!). Here we’ll say hi to David and his siblings who run the space, while eating pho and feeling right at home thanks to their kindness and hospitality.

Lastly for dinner we’ll grab Thai food at Glai Baan, which holds a special space in our hearts because that’s where Christopher and I went on our first date. We’ll say hello to our friend, Dan, and peek at the ceramic dumplings on the shelf behind the bar that we gifted him as a thank you for letting us take our engagement photos in their beautiful restaurant – while enjoying Thai tea and my favorite soup, Kao tom.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
In my career, I’ve been lucky enough to be able to see my name roll in the credits of a few different films and television shows, and I’ve always thought these credits need a behind the scenes list of all of the people who help support those folks get through a project, so I love this question!

Without a doubt, my husband Christopher is who I want to dedicate my shoutout to! I self identify as someone who gets lost in the zone often while I’m working, and he supports me in more ways than I can count. He’s my reminder that I when say I need more work life balance, that the life part is meant to be fun.

He’s always there to hear about the ups and downs of my creative pursuits, and the first one to remind me when my imposter syndrome creeps in that it has no business in the way of me and my dreams.

Website: https://www.luudagda.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luudagda/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luudagda/

Other: https://imdb.me/luudagda
https://www.sidehaus.agency/

Image Credits
Sandy Goldstein