LA director of photography under fire for alleged abuse, harassment
A Los Angeles-based director, producer and cinematographer is in hot water, as allegations about his “abusive” and “manipulative” behavior were shared to social media last week.
Alan “Airbender” Dang describes himself as having an “acute eye for detail who specializes in collaborations with clients to bring their visions to life.” He is currently a free agent as per his LinkedIn profile.
Dang is being accused by former friends and collaborators of disrespecting boundaries, fabricating stories and threatening to destroy their reputations — all while allegedly playing a victim to others. He recently changed his Instagram handle from @anngdang to @knowthewholestory.
Megan Lee’s Account
Singer-songwriter and actor Megan Lee first came forward to expose Dang on Instagram and Twitter on March 12. In a public document, she detailed how Dang “inserted himself” into her life after meeting him in late 2020 through her boyfriend, Jo Choi, who is also a cinematographer.
“After already having confronted him [Dang] multiple times privately and having since cut him out of my life, I’ve come to learn more and more that other friends of mine have also been experiencing similar patterns and issues with him crossing personal boundaries,” Lee wrote. “And to make matters worse, I’ve come to find out that he has been trying to sabotage my relationships and reputation, as well as those close to me by twisting the truth, making up lies and talking sh*t about me to others.”
Lee said she and Choi often played video games with Dang in the first few months of their friendship. But she said she did not know much about him, “as he only really ever talked about other people,” venting about his problems and “talking sh*t” about his friends.
Lee accused Dang of kissing her hand without her consent during their second-ever meeting.
“However, I did not want to create a scene in front of my friends, nor did I believe that there was any meaning to it at the time,” she recalled.
Later that evening, Dang, who did not want to go home, allegedly invited himself to sleep between Lee and Choi on their bed. The couple insisted that they had left pillows and blankets on a couch for him to sleep on but say he refused to leave them alone.
The next morning, Dang allegedly touched Lee without her consent once again.
“We were just chatting when, suddenly, he inappropriately touched me again, caressing my face,” she wrote.
“Being a passive, nice, and unsuspecting friend, I allowed him to continue getting away with pushing my boundaries further and further,” Lee continued. “But it’s gotten to the point that I can no longer stay silent anymore.”
The next few months saw Dang constantly reaching out and giving her “weird, unsolicited attention,” Lee said. Eventually, she and her boyfriend decided to call him out, but, according to them, he attempted to gaslight them in response.
By January 2021, Lee said she and Choi had begun to cut ties with Dang; however, Dang allegedly continued to disrespect Lee’s boundaries and even tried to sabotage the couple’s relationship.
“Alan would randomly ask me to get lunch with him, that he was conveniently in my area and passing by, and that he had some important things to say to me. He would get me to meet him alone, in-person,” Lee recalled.
“Multiple times at these ‘meetings,’ he tried to convince me that I was in a toxic relationship, that my boyfriend was a bad friend to him, that my boyfriend was a bad co-worker, he would criticize my boyfriend by talking shit about his character to me, and victimize himself by villainizing my own boyfriend to be the problem. Contradictingly, he would also tell me that he’s saying these things because he only wanted to get closer to my boyfriend.”
Dang allegedly continued this pattern of behavior until last month, when Lee underwent a difficult time in her personal life. After repeatedly telling him that she did not want to share details, Lee said Dang “proceeded to use that against me and lie/spread rumors about my life and relationship with Jo, lying to people that Jo and I had broken up (when we were not broken up), that Jo has been a toxic boyfriend to me, and pushed a narrative to our mutual friends that Alan deserved to be with me instead of my own boyfriend.”
Dang ultimately blocked Choi on social media, Lee said, and “had the nerve to ask me out that same day.” He also allegedly claimed that it was Choi who randomly blocked him.
Lee says she eventually learned from Dang’s friends that he had been “obsessed” with her. She also found out that he had “an excessive history of burning bridges and relationships when things get weird/uncomfortable, and especially when he gets confronted.”
Lee says the stories she heard made her realize that the issue went beyond her and stressed that Dang has never taken full accountability for his actions.
“The most disgusting part of it all is that I’ve already started to hear from others that he has made several threats about me, my boyfriend, and my friends, saying that he wants to ‘end [our] careers’ as if he is dangling a sense of manipulative power and control of the truth,” Lee noted. “I’m posting this because even after numerous interventions with him privately to get him to stop, Alan has not stopped lying or spreading rumors about me, hurting me and my friends, and sabotaging my relationship and reputation by use of threats.”
Other Accounts
Lee’s publicized story has since encouraged others who claim to have had similar experiences with Dang to come forward. Among them is actor and TikTok influencer Shuang Hu, who also published a document in which she accused Dang of crossing boundaries and making attempts to ruin her image.
Hu recalled Dang, acting as a producer, greenlighting her as director for a “romantic K-drama style video,” during the filming of which she noticed red flags. Dang allegedly replaced her name with his as the director on their last pickup day without her knowledge, leaving her to offer him a co-director credit “to ensure he felt seen and appreciated.”
Hu also accused Dang of being overly physical and pushing her to share more about her personal life than she was comfortable with. She also corroborated Lee’s account that Dang would tell others that Choi was a toxic boyfriend, among other claims.
“Knowing Megan’s side of the story now completes the picture. Everything that Alan was saying was happening in his head only,” Hu wrote.
Justus Pyo, a creative who has also worked with Dang, also published an account on his experience. He described Dang as someone he has personally known “for years.”
“After being around Alan Dang through friendship and work, his pattern and habits did not change after confronting him many times about his choice of words and actions,” Pyo wrote. “He was always the type of person where if you don’t agree with what he’s saying, he would get angry and create a very uncomfortable setting.”
Pyo echoed claims Lee and Hu had put forward, such as Dang “burning bridges” when he gets confronted and calling himself “Mr. Steal-Your-Girl.” They also stressed that not once did Dang acknowledge his mistakes.
“Watching his journey for years, he’s always left a bad impression with each client too, especially with women,” Pyo added. “He would always fantasize and tell others, ‘Oh, that girl is into me.’ With that being said, after a girl would reject him for his creepiness, he would share their personal stories, constantly thinking that he can’t believe he got rejected, and making them feel uncomfortable by random texts and calls. This would go on for weeks and months until he finds another target.”
Lee has shared screenshots of messages that made similar allegations against Dang on Instagram; however, it remains unknown how many others have had comparable experiences involving the Los Angeles creative.
“Alan was once a friend I cared about and I just want him to admit everything he’s done and to REALLY CHANGE,” Lee wrote. “He’s a hazard to people in professional settings and as a friend.”
“There is no excuse to any of this. Just stop lying to yourself, Alan.”
NextShark has reached out to Dang for comment.
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