# Brandon Li

> Brandon Li is a nomadic filmmaker who turned a Sony mirrorless and a one-way ticket into a career. Former MTV 'True Life' producer turned solo travel-doc director, his short films for clients like Nike, BMW and Cathay Pacific have been picked by Vimeo Staff, BBC, National Geographic, TIME and the Smithsonian. He runs Unscripted Studio, an online film school built around the idea that you learn cinema by shipping films, not by watching tutorials.

- **Role:** Founder, Unscripted Studio; independent travel filmmaker
- **Organizations:** Unscripted Studio, MTV (former)
- **From:** St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Film, University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA)
- **Known for:** Webby Award winner, Vimeo Travel Video of the Year 2018 ('seoul_wave'), Multiple Travel Video Awards

## Career timeline

- **childhood** — Grew up in St. Louis, Missouri; made flip-books on Post-it notes, drew comics, wrote short stories.
- **high school** — Joined the school TV station after getting his first video camera.
- **college** — Studied film at UNCSA in North Carolina.
- **post-college** — Moved to Los Angeles; worked as a producer on MTV's True Life.
- **transition** — Quit LA reality TV, began traveling the world as a solo nomad filmmaker.
- **2018** — Short film 'seoul_wave' named Vimeo's Travel Film of the Year.
- **ongoing** — Films for Nike, BMW, Cathay Pacific, Etihad Airways, MTV; coverage on BBC, TIME, National Geographic, Smithsonian, South China Morning Post.
- **ongoing** — Runs Unscripted Studio, an online film school and community.

## Achievements

- Webby Award winner
- Vimeo Travel Video of the Year 2018 ('seoul_wave')
- Multiple Travel Video Awards
- Numerous Vimeo Staff Picks
- Featured by BBC World News, TIME, National Geographic, Smithsonian, South China Morning Post, TEDx, The Telegraph

## Latest updates

- **2025-04** — Featured by Insta360 in 'Through the Eyes of a Filmmaker' campaign for the X5 360-degree camera.

## Links

- Website: https://brandonli.com/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/rungunshoot
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BrandonLi
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandon_l_li/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RunGunShoot/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/brandon-li
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-20