My nephew Jason grew up on the island of Maui with a dream that seemed almost impossibly big. He wanted to become a filmmaker. I had the privilege of mentoring him through his years at NYU and into the uncertain years that followed.
Just seven years after graduating, he received his first Grammy nomination. Since then, he’s won a Grammy for Kendrick Lamar’s HUMBLE., along with Cannes Lions, MTV Video Music Awards, a CLIO Music Award, and has earned multiple Grammy, Emmy, and Critics Choice nominations. Along the way he’s collaborated with artists like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, John Legend, Ariana Grande, Sia, and many more.
Today I honor my nephew, Jason Baum. Not just for the awards he’s collected, but for the person he’s become.
Sitting down to celebrate his birthday, I thought back to my sister’s call, those many years ago, asking me to mentor him. I’d been in the entertainment industry for more than a decade when I left. It was challenging for an Asian American woman. Although I had some success & worked with some amazingly talented people, I realized that the difference I wanted to make in other’s lives could be achieved on a different path, more aligned with my gifts – coaching. So I was happy to mentor and coach Jason.
Jason belongs to the texting generation. Phone conversations weren’t exactly his thing. I’d ask a question & get a word…maybe two. But every weekend, for 4 years, we talked. Little by little, something shifted. One day during his senior year I finally laughed & interrupted him. “Jason…I’ve got to go.” We’d been talking for more than 2 hours. Today he’s interviewed by journalists, speaks to audiences around the world, & tells stories for a living.
Summers he’d stay with me in Los Angeles doing internships for Music Video Production Houses. But getting his first one was frustrating. He’d been emailing out his resume with no response. He soon learned that he needed to “talk” on the phone & nudge his way to the person in charge. I showed him how to do it the first year, getting him four interviews. The next year, he had no problem doing it himself.
Driven & determined to produce and direct, he didn’t understand as an intern why they had him move tables, chairs, do errands & other menial chores. One evening he came home frustrated, dropped onto my couch, & blurted out, “I’m a director…not a PA.” I smiled. “Then become the best PA they’ve ever seen.”
That’s exactly what he did. Excellence has a funny way of opening doors. People noticed. Responsibilities grew. Trust grew. Opportunities followed.
Watching Jason grow into himself has been one of the great joys of my life. Yes, he’s exceptionally talented. But talent isn’t what impresses me most. It’s his humility. Success never became his identity. He still works harder than anyone around him. He still treats people with kindness. He still carries himself with quiet gratitude. All good values that he learned from my sister and brother-in-law.
Awards may open doors. Character is what allows someone to keep walking through them.
If I had to name the gift that’s carried him furthest, it wouldn’t be creativity. It’s his calm presence. In the middle of impossible deadlines, enormous egos, and the beautiful chaos of filmmaking, Jason stays calm. That quiet steadiness has become one of his greatest gifts.
Every young person carries gifts that are waiting for someone to notice. Sometimes all it takes is one adult who sees something before they see it themselves.
A mentor doesn’t create the gift. They simply help uncover it.
Gallup says the leaders of today must become coaches. I couldn’t agree more. Coaching isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about asking the questions that help another person discover their own.
Sometimes we teach. More often, we believe. And that belief becomes the bridge they walk across.
None of us becomes who we’re meant to become alone. Behind every remarkable life is a quiet community of people who believed, encouraged, challenged, opened a door, made a phone call, or simply refused to give up.
Jason’s Grammy isn’t just his story. It’s a reminder of what’s possible when someone’s gifts are seen, nurtured, and given room to unfold.
Somewhere in your life is a future Grammy winner. Maybe not in music or filmmaking. Maybe in medicine. Teaching. Entrepreneurship. Parenting. Public service. Or simply in becoming the fullest version of themselves.
The question isn’t whether they’re out there. The question is…
Who are you helping become who they were born to be?