Production company m ss ng p eces has added Bao Nguyen to its directorial roster. This marks the first U.S. commercial representation for Nguyen, an Emmy Award-nominated Vietnamese-American filmmaker known for his nimble, nuanced documentaries.
Nguyen has directed more than 20 short films and documentaries, and worked with clients including Google, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Uber, and Samsung. His most recent short, Don’t Make It Complicated, for Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” series was the tech giant’s first-ever major campaign shot in and for Vietnam. Nguyen and his local crew successfully bridged worlds to make one of the most-watched films in Apple’s history, with close to 60 million views. His latest feature documentary, The Greatest Night In Pop, about the making of the seminal global hit song, “We Are the World,” had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. It launched globally on Netflix shortly after, where it quickly became the number one film internationally on the platform.
Nguyen made his feature documentary directorial debut with Live From New York!, a film celebrating 40 years of Saturday Night Live. The film opened the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival and was broadcast in primetime on NBC. Nguyen’s second feature documentary, Be Water, was a deep dive into the life and journey of Bruce Lee. The film competed in the U.S. Documentary Competition category at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was invited to other festivals such as SXSW, Cannes, Telluride, and Hot Docs, among many others. It broadcasted nationally on ESPN and is one of the most-viewed 30 for 30 episodes ever on the platform.
Before Nguyen began his career as a director, he earned his BA in Politics and International Relations at NYU, to become an international human rights lawyer. Post graduation, he joined the Peace Corps and worked at AmeriCorps helping to revitalize NYC’s Chinatown neighborhood after September 11th. He also worked as a staffer for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. Later, Nguyen returned to school to earn his MFA at the School of Visual Arts in New York City to pursue his passion for filmmaking.
“Bao brings so much skill and imagination to his work,” said Kate Oppenheim, managing partner at m ss ng p eces. “He’s clearly one of the best documentary directors working today, and the craft and storytelling in his ‘Shot on iPhone’ film is just a peek at his dexterity as a filmmaker and storyteller. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of his next chapter in branded storytelling.”
“My main goal is to continue doing what I love in ways that feel authentic and meaningful,” said Nguyen. “I’m very happy to be taking this next step in my career with such a wonderful team and am looking forward to telling great stories together.”
In 2021, Nguyen was recognized for his work in the Asian community and selected as one of the year’s Most Impactful Asians by Gold House on their A100 List. He’s also a 2022 BAFTA US Breakthrough recipient.
