You may not know Lon Takiguchi, but you probably know some of the major television projects he has worked on over the years: "Lost," "Hawaii Five-0," and ABC's "Black-ish."
Originally from ʻEwa Beach on Oʻahu, Takiguchi has worked his way up through the entertainment industry over the last 25 years as a second and first assistant director.
He recently got the chance to direct his first project, Wednesday's episode of "Grown-ish," a spin-off of "Black-ish."
"I got bit by the bug, it was amazing. I love being in that big chair of being the director and having the creative control. So I just want to go and continue this and then hey, maybe one of these days, I'll come shoot something in Hawaiʻi," Takiguchi said.
"The fact that I'm like in Los Angeles directing something for Disney is just, I can't stress how it feels like a dream and how appreciative I am to have this opportunity."
Takiguchi said that if Hawaiʻi wants a bigger film and television industry, then it needs to institute more aggressive tax credits.
His episode of "<i>Grown-ish</i>" airs May 1 on Freeform. The episode will also be available on Hulu the day after.
This interview aired on <i>The Conversation</i> on May 1, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
