By Jared Ho, Storimatic Studio | Calgary, AB
The short version: I immigrated from Vietnam at 18 with zero English. I mopped floors, danced through loneliness, became an auditor, then quit everything to learn video. That path is exactly why I can tell construction stories that no one else can.
Key Takeaway: Every step of my journey — the loneliness, the dance, the accounting career, the move back to Vietnam, the free work — built something I use today. Storimatic Studio exists because construction deserves real storytelling. My immigrant background, business degree, and hands-on video training let me connect with crews and tell stories that actually win jobs.
I came to Canada from Vietnam when I was 18. I was an international student. I did not speak a word of English.
That is where this story starts. Not in a boardroom. Not at a film school. On the floor of a kitchen, mopping grease, trying to learn a language one word at a time.
The Garbage Boy
My first job in Canada was cleaning kitchen floors. People called me the garbage boy. I was fine with that. I had bigger problems. I could not communicate with anyone.
“Back then, every time I encounter a word that I can’t pronounce, I would wipe the floor. Every wipe is a practice, and I would practice that word the whole night when I clean the floor of the kitchen.”
That was my system. Mop the floor. Say the word. Mop the floor. Say the word again. All night. Every night. It was slow. It was lonely. But it worked.
I enrolled at Mount Royal University. I learned English. I became a business student. But the loneliness did not go away just because my English got better.
Dance Saved Me
Nobody understood me. I did not have the words to explain what I was feeling. I did not have friends who had been through what I was going through.
“I felt extremely lonely. I felt that nobody understood me. So I used dance as a creative outlet to tell my story, to de-stress in the darkest time of my life.”
Dance is the simplest form of storytelling. Movement tells stories before language was even created. You do not need words. You do not need grammar. Your body says what your mouth cannot.
That was my first real lesson in storytelling. You do not need a camera or a script. You need something true to say and a way to say it.
The Business Detour
I graduated from Mount Royal. I got a job at one of the biggest accounting firms in Canada as an auditor. It was a good job. It looked great on paper.
I did not like it.
I tried bookkeeping for two more years. Still did not like it. Numbers were not my thing. Stories were.
But those years were not wasted. I learned how businesses actually work. I learned about operations. Sales cycles. Cash flow. Profit margins. I learned the language of business owners. That matters more than most people think when you are making marketing content for a company.
Back to Vietnam, Forward to Video
I quit my job and moved back to Vietnam. This time, I went to learn video production.
Think about that for a second. Dance is the simplest form of storytelling. Video production is the most complicated. I went from one end to the other. Movement to cameras, lights, editing, sound, color, pacing, narrative structure. All of it.
I came back to Calgary and offered to work for free at big production companies. I wanted experience, not a paycheck. I shot real estate videos. Weddings. Corporate work. Commercials. I learned every style. I learned what works and what does not.
And then I found construction.
Why Construction Needed a Storyteller
Here is what I saw when I looked at the construction industry.
Nobody was using marketing to get jobs. The biggest, most skilled contractors in Calgary were relying on word-of-mouth and nothing else. No video. No content. No online presence that showed what they could actually do.
At the same time, demand for construction is rising. The physical world needs more building, especially as the digital and AI age keeps growing. Someone still has to pour the foundation. Someone still has to frame the walls. The need for skilled trades is not going away. It is getting bigger.
But here is the catch. Competition is increasing too. More players are coming to town. More companies are bidding on the same projects. Word-of-mouth alone will not cut it anymore. The contractors who show their work, tell their story, and build trust online are the ones who will win the next decade.
Construction is undervalued. The people who build our cities deserve better marketing. That is what I set out to fix.
Omega 2000: Where It All Started
“I started working with one concrete contractor, Omega 2000, and we were able to deliver a large amount of value to them. We became good friends, and I want to scale that friendship into multiple contractors and business owners.”
That is the short version. The long version is that Omega 2000 showed me what happens when you combine real storytelling with a real trade. The content worked. It brought attention to their business. It made their crew proud of what they do. And it built a relationship based on trust and results.
I did not want that to be a one-time thing. I wanted to bring that same value to every contractor who deserves it.
That is why Storimatic Studio exists.
Why My Background Makes This Work
Most videographers do not understand business. Most business consultants do not understand storytelling. I sit in the middle.
My business degree and years in accounting mean I understand how contractors make money. I understand sales cycles, bidding processes, and why marketing feels risky when cash flow is tight. I do not show up and talk about “brand awareness.” I talk about getting jobs.
My immigrant experience means I connect with the workforce. A huge part of construction crews in Calgary are immigrants. I have been the guy who could not speak the language. I have been the guy mopping the floor. When I walk onto a job site and meet someone from Vietnam or the Philippines or Mexico, there is an instant understanding. That connection unlocks stories no outsider could get.
And my storytelling background — from dance floors to film sets — means every video has a narrative. Not just footage. A real story that makes people care.
To better understand how immigrants shape Canada’s workforce, you can explore this official overview from the Government of Canada.
Key Takeaway
I went from mopping kitchen floors without knowing English to running a video production studio for contractors. Every step — the loneliness, the dance, the accounting career, the move back to Vietnam, the free work — built something I use today. Storimatic Studio exists because construction deserves real storytelling. And my path is exactly why I can deliver it.
FAQ
Who is Jared Ho and what is Storimatic Studio?
Jared Ho is a Vietnamese-Canadian video producer based in Calgary. He founded Storimatic Studio to provide video marketing for contractors and construction companies. His background in business, immigration, and video production gives him a unique ability to tell construction stories that drive results.
Why did Jared Ho start a video production company for construction?
Jared saw that construction companies were undervalued and under-marketed. Most contractors relied only on word-of-mouth, even as competition increased. After delivering strong results for Omega 2000, he wanted to scale that success to more contractors.
What makes Storimatic Studio different from other video production companies?
Jared combines a business degree and accounting experience with professional video production skills. He understands how contractors make money, not just how to make videos. His immigrant background also helps him connect with diverse construction crews on a personal level.
Does Storimatic Studio only work with construction companies in Calgary?
Storimatic Studio is based in Calgary and specializes in video for contractors and construction businesses. Jared’s focus on the trades comes from years of understanding how construction companies operate and what marketing actually helps them win work.
Why is video marketing important for contractors right now?
Demand for construction is growing but competition is growing faster. Word-of-mouth alone is no longer enough to stand out. Video marketing lets contractors show proof of their work, build trust with potential clients, and win bids that used to go to whoever had the best connections.
If your team has ever felt awkward or forced on camera, the problem isn’t them—it’s the approach.
Work with Storimatic Studio to create video that your crew is actually comfortable being part of.
No scripts. No pressure. Just real conversations that show the work the way it actually is.
