Self-Proclaimed Geek Follows Passion in Life
Comments (0) Not to toot my own horn again but I was featured once again in my affinity group’s newsletter across the company. Here is the article written by Mei-ling Andreen on December 21, 2007
Johnny Lam, NBC Universal, was presented with a distinguished honor in volunteerism by Ron Meyer, President and COO, Universal Studios, during NBCU’s Volunteer Day.
Born in Saigon, Vietnam, Johnny Lam, Project Manager (Publicity & Marketing Systems Group), NBC Universal, immigrated with his family at the age of three to Pomona, California. Raised in the San Gabriel Valley, primarily in Alhambra, Johnny watched his father, the “sole breadwinner†work full days as a mold-maker, while his mother stayed at home to care for Johnny and his younger sister. This upbringing led Johnny to one aspiration while growing up – to be the first in his family to graduate from college.
After graduating from Alhambra High in 1994, Johnny continued on his promise to himself and was accepted at the University of California, Irvine. Originally an Economics major he switched majors as the lure of the Internet fascinated him. Five years later, Johnny proudly earned his Bachelors of Science in Information and Computer Science.
Upon graduation, Johnny landed a job at Plutus Enterprises as a Systems Administrator and managed the entire company’s server systems and supported all consultant laptops – a big job for a new college graduate, but Johnny was up for the task. This was a clear indicator for what this self-proclaimed geek had in his future. After a year, Johnny left and joined a dot.com called Popcast, which led him to a Developer position at 10th Degree, an advertising company in Orange County. There, Johnny was able to work on projects closer to his personal passions, motorcycling – one of the company’s main clients was Mitsubishi and Johnny redeveloped their entire website while there. But it was landing at Universal that really impressed Johnny. “I remember coming to the theme park as a child and wondered how it would be to work here and here I am. It’s a dream come true and it’s awesome! He thanks a former co-worker at Plutus who asked if he was interested in working at Universal – that was October 2003 and Johnny’s been happy ever since.
As a Project Manager for the Publicity and Marketing Systems group, Johnny is the owner of three web applications for various businesses within NBC Universal, primarily extranet applications used by other business and internal groups (TV Distribution, NBC Casting and TV operations group.) His responsibilities include ensuring that the applications are up and running, rolling out improvements to the applications and those new applications are managed properly with the inclusion of all business partners.
In addition to enjoying being on the Universal Lot, Johnny agrees he not only gets to work with great people but he receives the support needed to succeed in his current role. One of those ways is his involvement with APAF and the SoCal Hub. “It’s refreshing to see a group of people who are dedicated to improving the involvement of all GE employees with their communities and with each other.†Johnny also added, “Without APAF, I would not have had opportunities to meet and become friends with individuals in various businesses of GE , as well as meeting members of upper management.†But it’s Johnny’s passion in helping others in need that has really made the biggest impact to the APAF family and community. Johnny’s tireless commitment to the website relaunch and redevelopment for the Asian Pacific Women’s Center (APWC), as featured in SCOOP, October/November 2007), earned him praise not only within the Hub but the company. During NBCU’s Volunteer Day, Ron Meyer, President and COO, Universal Studios presented Johnny with a distinguished honor in volunteerism.
Johnny continues to be a community leader within APAF and looks forward to becoming more active in various non-profits and to continue to bring awareness to APAF within other parts of the company. He also looks forward to bringing more to his team and in helping GE/NBCU and APAF to continue to attract quality people and continue to contribute positively to our communities and society.
Single, with no children yet, Johnny enjoys his spare time motorcycling, Moto GP races and talking bikes. He also works on various website projects for two APA non-profit organizations, APWC and Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA). For fun, he gets together with friends to play Texas Hold’em, eat, drink and laugh. “As a true geek, I’m always tinkering with computers and various gadgets.†When asked what his perfect weekend would be, Johnny answers simply, “To hop on my bike, ride up the coast, and stay overnight and stopping whenever I like.â€
This down-to-earth, sincere, plain, old-fashioned nice guy is setting the standards for the SoCal Hub. And for the single ladies, he is definitely the kind of guy you would take home to meet your parents. With a continuous smile on his face, you can always find Johnny ready to help. And with that said, Johnny stands true to his favorite quote by Donald Trump, “If you’re interested in ‘balancing’ work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable.†For this self-proclaimed geek, he’s already achieved it.
Themocracy