Jonas Lai is an Asian-American screenwriter, author, salesperson, futurist, tech enthusiast, photographer, comedian, graphics designer, artist, diplomat, gamer, family therapist, relationship counselor, former eSports athlete, and a flagrant egomaniac.
1999
Born in Alhambra, California, his parents separated when he was seven-years old, with the custody battle that followed leading to a bitter relationship with his mom who stunted his development of social skills by not allowing him to leave home to visit friends, nurtured trust issues by verbally assaulting him for the slightest mistakes, and raising him to be content with being mediocre, as anything short of perfect was never good enough for her. (And she hated his dad. And videogames.)
Instead of his mother, his grandma, Lisa, on his dad's side was his moral compass. From her, he learned compassion, forgiveness, and trust. Being the only person he could confide in, the only person who cared for him emotionally, Jonas was heartbroken when he was forcefully separated by the courts from his father's side of the family (including his beloved grandma). His lasting memories of his dad were of guns, computers, and videogames. So he played videogames with guns on a computer to remember them. (And to spite his mother.)
For the next ten years, he dedicated his life to being the "best" at shooters, building computers, and sharing his passion for both with the world. Experimenting with countless gaming peripherals, squeezing every drop of performance he could from his 13-inch Dell Inspiron, playing nearly every Call of Duty / Halo / Battlefield title. Muscle memory, fatigue, and wrist pain developed at an exponential rate.
But where would his visual creations capture the most eyeballs?
YouTube. Or Hollywood.
But YouTube will do for now.
But YouTube will do for now.
2014
In high school, he spent the majority of his time making YouTube videos, editing video for group projects, and working for his first major client, Volta Charger, acting as a freelance media consult reporting directly to CEO Adedayo Charis, exploring a developing visual media campaigns.
Ironically, his mother was the one who bought him his first iPod touch, iPhone, and Xbox, all of which furthered his ability to record footage and play more videogames. Eventually, he would build his first computer by using his lunch money to save up for parts. He eventually met like-minded individuals with their own varying degrees of emotional trauma, parental disillusionment, and wild dreams of popularity.
These individuals would be successful in their own right, with hundreds to thousands of followers, and he did what he did best. Technical support, editing, graphic design, whatever they needed.
In December 2019, on a bunny slope at Mountain High Resort, Jonas was in a snowboarding accident. With the ground. On his back. He walked away with a chest brace, dropped out of his pre-calculus winter course on account of the terrible chairs leading to more pain, and changed his major. However, a 20-percent compression fracture of his lumbar L2 vertebra didn't stop him from learning to ski the following year.
Realistically, the next step was obvious. Hollywood.
After graduating from Arcadia High School (2018) and transferring out of Pasadena City College (2020), Jonas attended the University of California, Riverside (after being rejected from UCLA) to get his Bachelor's in the field of Theatre, Film, and Digital Production with a concentration in Film Making.
In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. For a film degree.
After many sleepless months re-enacting a season of Lost with the rest of the world,
Jonas stumbled his way into a job with Apple Inc. (yes, that Apple) working as a Specialist.
Jonas stumbled his way into a job with Apple Inc. (yes, that Apple) working as a Specialist.
In December 2021, on month two of a five-month contract, Jonas was in a car accident. With a guardrail. On a wet freeway. He walked away with severe whiplash, a destroyed 2012 Hyundai Veloster, and a poor attendance record with one of the biggest companies in the United States. However, the death of GRNAPL (the car's plate) along with terrible neck and back pain wouldn't stop him from graduating from UC Riverside with his Bachelor's and getting a sick new Hyundai Ioniq.
2022 -
After a brief stint with BOE Varitronix as an office assistant, Jonas now works for Verizon as a Retail Sales Specialist, doing what he did best at Apple without the looming dread of school or not having a vehicle to commute to work with. He plans to work his way into Media/Communications/Public Relations within the company, having lived a third of his life, with the back of someone in their final third.
No regrets, only back pain.
Special Thanks
Lisa (Peifen) Wang - Love You Grandma
Cyrus Chan
John Lai
Ivan Chan
Priscilla Lau
Wilson Gu
Jonathan Wang
Ryan Phan
Anthony Chen