Born in Southern California, Joel's a half-Japanese, multi-hyphenate, Emmy award winning Film and Commercial Director who seeks to give a voice to marginalised individuals. "Being half-Japanese, I’ve always been proud showcasing my Japanese, AAPI culture and storytelling. I’ve been putting it out into the world for a while now to tell more Japanese, AAPI stories - whether it’s writing half-Japanese scripts set in the US and Japan, Almost Asian web series with my sister, or directing a piece with Ayumu Hirano for the Olympics."