CSULB Student Wins 'Light What You Love' Video Contest

LONG BEACH, CA — A Cal State University of Long Beach student won the nationwide Lamps Plus "Light What You Love" contest thanks to a video she made about the inspiration of family, friends and an illuminated living room, Lamps Plus announced Tuesday.

Cathy Bui won Lamps Plus' first user-generated video contest by submitting her video on Instagram, showing her interpretation of lighting the things she loves. The contest, which was promoted through social media, drew dozens of video submissions featuring subjects like children, pets, food, art and room designs.

Bui, a junior from Fountain Valley who is studying film, opens her video by narrating the importance of the people in her life and their impact. A connection is made to the lighting of the living room, where her memories with those people are frequently created, the press release said. Bui appears in the film, alongside her parents, grandparents and friends.

"The importance of family to Lamps Plus is what drew me to enter this contest," Bui said. "I love that this company is impactful in transforming homes of families in not only adding color to their furniture, but also to their lives. That sentiment means more than simply selling products and that was the inspiration for this video."

Bui wrote, directed and edited the video over two days, collaborating with Bobby Kelley, her director of photography, and using a pocket cinema 4K camera. She started with developing a story adhering to the contest theme, then wrote her script and sampled music to include in the video.

"Cathy’s video shows that she is a talented visual storyteller who created a unique personal video that should inspire others," Angela Hsu, Senior Vice President of Marketing and eCommerce for Lamps Plus said. "Our family owned company helps families improve their homes so naturally we felt a connection with her video."

Bui, who wants to pursue a career as a short-form director within commercials and music videos, won a $3,500 shopping spree from LampsPlus.com for winning the contest. She said she plans to use her winnings to help furnish her parents' and grandparents' homes.

"There’s a certain kind of magic in the living room when we are able to connect memories shared in this space with the lighting and furniture surrounding it," she said. "Bringing my family and friends into this space that we’ve shared all our lives and embracing it with light felt like the right setting for my story."