Serena Kuo proudly defies labels. The director, videographer and multimedia consultant cofounded her creative firm, Studio Mercury, with business partner Lucas Roy after both had graduated from the MFA program at Rhode Island School of Design. At the time, Kuo was a cinematographer and Roy was a graphic designer. “We were both feeling limited by our previous professions and the notion that we were stuck in mediums we chose to ‘specialize’ in,” Kuo says. “Visual media doesn’t work like that anymore. Mediums merge and evolve, and as long as you know that it can be done, there’s nothing holding you back.” Based in downtown Brooklyn, Studio Mercury houses five permanent staff members with a growing number of freelancers. Her work with the 2008 film Lloyd Neck gained international attention from screenings at the Sundance Film Festival, NewFest LGBT Film Festival and L.A.’s Outfest. Even before putting out her shingle, Kuo sharpened her skills at the New York-based commercial production company Identity on accounts for L’Oreal, Tommy Hilfiger and Hyundai. “Forget about labels when you are discouraged,” she says. “Focus on becoming even better than your best.”
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