Alvin Yao is from Taiwan and graduated with a business administration degree from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Throughout his undergraduate career, he applied his creative eye in the field of marketing, with experience in content creation, organic social content strategy, and paid media optimization.
2020 was a catalyst for Alvin’s creative pursuit, in which he became a freelance photographer and DJ. As a photographer, Alvin’s focus is on capturing candid scenes of the seemingly mundane, and his works have been featured in The Michigan Daily and SHEI Magazine. In 2021, Alvin completed his first solo body of work, Stranger Comes Home, which documents Taipei City behind main boulevards and commercial districts.
He joined Michigan Electronic Music Collective (MEMCO) in 2021 and served as its Photography Chair, Treasurer, and resident DJ. Alvin has performed in multiple events and venues in Ann Arbor, having performed at the Ann Arbor Film Festival, Ann Arbor Art Center, Club Above, and The Blind Pig.
In 2023, Alvin briefly returned to Taipei, further establishing his presence as a DJ, performing at notable venues such as Studio 9, 23 Music Room, Double Check Bar, and Hide Sounds. He founded Open House the following year, with a goal of platforming local talents and sharing diverse perspectives on electronic music.
He is currently in Chicago pursuing a Master of Science degree in applied data science at the University of Chicago, continuing to build his toolkit of storytelling techniques.