- Chinese Name: 崔震東
- Born: Oct. 26, 1959
- Did You Know That …?
- Before entering the film industry, Tsuei was a heavyweight music producer who successfully promoted singers such as Jay Chou (周杰倫), Jolin Tsui (蔡依林), Andy Lau (劉德華), and Faye Wang (王菲), and helped them build successful careers.
Adam Tsuei is an entrepreneur-turned-filmmaker who served as the driving force behind the 2011 box-office hit "You're the Apple of My Eye (那一年, 我們一起追的女孩).” Though he made a career change rather late in life, Tsuei made a breakthrough in Taiwan cinema with his 2016 directorial debut "The Tenants Downstairs (樓下的房客)” that explores the dark side of humanity.
Holding a law degree and a MBA from the University of California, Riverside, Tsuei used to serve as the president for BMG Music Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment, where he was responsible for selecting and promoting singers.
However, the rise of digital music and the decline of music records made Tsuei question the future of the music industry. In 2011, the success of "You're the Apple of My Eye” and its soundtrack spurred Tsuei to start his second career in the film industry at the age of 50.
Tsuei then attended the National Taiwan University of Arts to study film, and established the Amazing Film Studio in 2012. In the following year, he collaborated with Chinese writer Guo Jing-ming (郭敬明) to produce and release two films based on Guo's novels, creating a sensation in both Taiwan and mainland China.
In 2014, Tsuei partnered with Taiwanese novelist Giddens Ko (九把刀) to release the romantic comedy "Café, Waiting, Love (等一個人的咖啡).” He also produced the original soundtrack, of which the movie theme songs attracted more than 24 million hits on YouTube.
"The Tenants Downstairs” is another film adapted from Ko's writings. Serving as the director, producer and music director for this film, Tsuei's music experiences allowed him to pick the right music to elevate the impact of key scenes, making the dark and grotesque comedy another hit at international film festivals
"Before 50 years old, it was a career; after 50, it is a vocation,” Tsuei noted. In contrast to making music, he says that making films offers a real sense of achievement. Following the dark thriller "The Tenants Downstairs,” Tsuei hinted that he would like to try his hand at the detective genre in the near future.