Tran Hoang Calvin: What Makes TikTok Special

0:00 – Intro: Tran Hoang Calvin of Nodehaus
0:39 – Changing your name for SEO
2:08 – Growing up in Grand Rapids and film school at NYU
3:20 – Being mistaken for Chinese on the subway
5:03 – Leaving New York for Michigan at the start of COVID
5:51 – Building Nodehaus, an impact studio
7:52 – Why young creatives can't afford big cities
10:18 – Midwestern humility and building a creative network
12:09 – Supporting a great local restaurant in New Jersey
16:22 – Making TikToks for FIRE with high school friends
18:47 – Film tax breaks and the cost of film school
20:47 – What Lou looks for when hiring
22:45 – Apprenticeships vs. film school debt
27:13 – Calvin's elaborate voicemail greetings
32:42 – If TikTok goes away, bring back Vine
34:23 – TikTok's secret sauce and the absence of pleasure
37:22 – Why followers don't matter on TikTok
39:14 – Does China control what goes viral?
42:44 – Why we don't post our kids online
46:56 – How becoming a parent changes your priorities
50:59 – Montessori parenting and not reacting to meltdowns
55:05 – Snowblowers, homeownership, and mopeds on the subway
56:24 – Nolan Gray, zoning, housing, and Detroit's comeback
1:00:22 – Calvin's films: Shoot, Shovel, Shut Up and Has Heart
1:03:11 – Rainbow Rider and A Clean Slate
1:06:14 – Making films outside LA and New York, and wrap-up