Asian Pacific Voices Radio

Film is a scary venture, but Dan Chen embraces the challenge of centering AAPI stories rather than keeping them in the periphery. Filmmakers like him and companies like Jubilee Media are changing the direction of film as AAPI representation has increased on screen and behind the scenes.

Dan Chen developed his love of film as a Chinese American teenager growing up in small town Kansas. He picked up the camera to connect with others, partnering with friends to make elaborate coming of age movies, and documenting the moments they'd later be nostalgic for. He studied fine art film photography in college, and graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts focusing on cinematography and directing.

His work at Jubilee Media has garnered over 100+ million views, and his films have been featured on Vimeo Staff Picks, Short of the Week, Slamdance Film Festival and most recently the 2021 Tribeca Festival, where he premiered his documentary feature debut Accepted to critical acclaim. Accepted follows four high school seniors at the controversial TM Landry school as they grapple with college admissions, national scandal, and the pains of growing up.

Dan has decades of directing experience in narrative and documentary, and he trained his eye as a cinematographer and analog film photographer. He sees filmmaking as a way to create life-changing memories for audiences and collaborators alike, and he tells character-driven stories about outsiders, human flaws, and coming of age.

Much has changed from the 1990s to now in the film industry for the AANHPI community. Chris Chan Lee is a key proponent that has inspired many Asian Americans to pursue filmmaking since his groundbreaking feature, "Yellow." On this episode, Chris and Rasha talk about his journey, how the film landscape has changed, and how it can still be improved.

Chris is a Korean-American filmmaker based in Los Angeles, C He graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and has spent his career of over 25 years developing and producing Asian-American content. His debut feature film as writer/director was "Yellow" (1997), a coming of age movie about a group of teens in Los Angeles. The film features the first performances of John Cho and Jason Tobin, and re-envisioned the American teen comedy with an ensemble of Asian-Americans in the lead roles. "Yellow" world premiered at the 1997 CAAMFest Film Festival (then called NAATA) with three sold-out screenings, and was selected for more than a dozen film festivals including Raindance U.K., Slamdance, Singapore International, Hawaii International, and the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. The film won the Gold Carp 1st Place Audience Award for Best Feature Film and the Golden Reel Award for Best Independent Feature Film. "Yellow" had a successful limited national theatrical release including a 5-week run in Southern California across 9 screens. He served twice as a judge for the Filmmakers Media Fund Initiative at CAAMFest, and was an independent filmmaker panelist at events hosted by KASCON (Korean American Students Conference), WGA (Writers Guild of America), LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, and a number of other professional and community organizations. The film is considered a milestone in Asian American filmmaking.

San-Diego born and raised, Navy veteran Harley Pasiderio is a Southwest Airlines First Officer and Gold Seal Flight Instructor. He is also President and Founding Member of a nonprofit called Professional Asian Pilots Association. Also known as PAPA, it isdedicated to inspiring individuals to look past the barriers and encourage the pursuit of a career they wouldn’t otherwise consider. As a kid with dreams to work as an airline pilot, Harley didn’t realize how company culture or work environment would matter so much and PAPA is helping to improve that culture.

Harley remembers taking his first flight in the third grade. He traveled to the Philippines, which is where his parents are from. The short haul flight from San Diego to Los Angeles, where his family made the international connection, solidified his dream. Growing up, Harley was fortunate enough to attend Morse High School, which had an aeronautics program that offered flight lessons and ground school. Harley had his first flying lesson at just 14 years old!

As a pastime, Harley was also Principle Clarinetist for the San Diego Young Artist Symphony Orchestra and a Clarinetist for the San Diego Youth Symphony’s Wind Ensemble. After Harley graduated high school, he served his Country by joining the Navy where he would eventually become a Nuclear Reactor Operator and then Nuclear Power Instructor for the Navy.

From a dumpster baby in China to TikTok comedy queen in Hollywood, Jiaoying Summers is one of the hottest rising comedians today. She is also one of the most popular comedians on TikTok with more than 1.2 million followers, 23.2 million likes and over 400 million views. She is a regular headliner at The Laugh Factory and also performs at The Comedy Store and The Hollywood Improv, where she has her own monthly show. She recently headlined at Carolines NYC and starred in Netflix is a Joke Festival's Women in Comedy Show. Her 30-minute comedy special is streaming on Peacock TV and Prime Video.

In this episode, Melissa and Jiaoying talk about empowerment through humor and overcoming obstacles like beauty standards as an Asian Woman.

Jiaoying is an activist and philanthropist empowering women and children and helping causes that touch Asian American communities. She was recently featured on FOX News 5, NBC4, NBC Bay Area, KRON4, The LA Times, LA Confidential, San Francisco Chronicle, and Vogue. She is the owner of The Hollywood Comedy in Los Angeles, and focuses on producing shows that promote representation in comedy. Jiaoying is a headliner at New York Comedy Festival 2022 and will be inducted into The Asian Hall of Fame in November.

Sami Khan is an Oscar-nominated independent filmmaker whose work has been supported by the Sundance and Tribeca Film Institutes, the Impact Partners’ Producer’s Fellowship, Rooftop Films, IFP, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and the NBC/Universal’s Directors Fellowship. His films have screened at leading festivals including Tribeca, Toronto, Hot Docs, and Mumbai.

In this episode, Sami and Rasha talk about being a creative of color working in film, the concepts of home and identity, and what keeps him making films. 

Sami’s first feature documentary THE LAST OUT won a Jury Prize at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival and his 2019 short documentary ST. LOUIS SUPERMAN was nominated for an Academy Award. 

ST. LOUIS SUPERMAN is available on Amazon Prime and Paramount Plus! 

Brittanie is a bilingual PMP and Six Sigma Green Belt-certified I.T. project manager with the United States Air Force and a Cybersecurity Specialist with the California State Guard Army Component Command.

Born in Vietnam, she escaped before the fall of Saigon. Her history and upbringing inspired her to pursue the American Dream, which eventually led to a career with the Department of Defense. It also fostered her passion for honoring Vietnam veterans and the legacy of warfighters that made her life and freedoms possible.

In this episode, Brittanie and Melissa talk about her experiences as a refugee from Vietnam having to assimilate in America. She also highlights the significance of being a minority in the workplace and overcoming stereotypes.

Michelle Li is a news anchor and reporter at KSDK, the NBC affiliate. In January 2022, she went viral after posting a racist voicemail that launched a series of really exciting things, like going on The Ellen Show and launching The Very Asian Foundation with fellow journalist Gia Vang. 

On this episode, Michelle and Sheena talk about Asian and Asian-American existence. They also delve into Michelle's experiences as a Korean adoptee and her experiences working in journalism and media.

In this episode, actor/filmmaker Arnold Chun shares his life journey and how he entered the creative industry. He and Rasha discuss career changes, representation, and the ever-changing media landscape.

Arnold was born in Boston, MA and raised in Los Angeles since he was 3. While earning his BA in European/East Asian History at UC Irvine, he worked as a supervisor of Intramural Athletics and formed the UC Irvine men's Volleyball Club in 1997. He then taught English for the Nagano Board of Education in Japan from 1998-1999, working part-time for the local English journal. With the completion of his service in Japan, Arnold found work for a fortune 500 mechanical engineering firm. He was a top consultant before leaving that field to pursue a career in Pharmaceuticals. Arnold volunteered as a Production Assistant for a project for Eric Kim (EKFilms). Within a week, the job led to future opportunities that brought him into a career in acting.

Over the years, Arnold has quickly risen to be a top player in the entertainment industry. He has worked with Academy Award Winning director: Clint Eastwood. He has worked with Michael Bay, David Schwimmer, and countless other top directors. In 2007 Arnold stepped into his directorial debut with a short film about life in Koreatown called, "Eli's Liquor Store," It traveled to over 20 Festivals and was distributed by Imaginasian Cable TV. He was nominated for the Melvin Van Peebles Award, won Best Short at Harlem Int. Film Fest, won an award for Excellence in Filmmaking at the Honolulu Film Fest, and was selected to be an opening presenter at the Smithsonian National Martin Luther King Consortium during Black History Month.

In this episode, Sheena and Steve discuss the various issues faced by at-risk youth and the various minority groups that live in LA's Koreatown. The Koreatown Youth and Community Center works to help the community and provide accessibility with anything from education and health to housing and finances. 

Steve S. Kang is the Director of External Affairs, overseeing communications, grants, special events, government, and community affairs. In addition, Steve is a Commissioner on the Central Area Planning Commission at the City of Los Angeles. Prior to joining KYCC, Kang served as District Director in the California State Assembly and Executive Director of the Korean American Coalition (KAC). He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with honors from Columbia University and a Master of Science from The London School of Economics and Political Science - LSE. In 2016, Kang was honored by the Empowerment Congress as one of 40 Emerging Civic Leaders Under 40.

Michelle Sugihara is the Executive Director of CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment). In this episode, she joins Rasha to talk about the its role in cultivating opportunity and education for AAPI creatives. They also discuss creating positive portrayals of AAPI onscreen, leadership, and the business side of the industry.

A prolific public speaker, Sugihara speaks across the country on Asian Representation in Media; Women in Entertainment; Diversity and Inclusion; Leadership; and other topics. She is also an associate member of Cold Tofu, the nation’s premier Asian American comedy improv and sketch group. She teaches “Improv for Lawyers” and has performed improv internationally.Sugihara is a fourth generation Japanese American born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. She graduated with honors from Claremont McKenna College with a dual major in Economics and Psychology and a minor in Asian American Studies, followed by a law degree from UCLA. Prior to joining CAPE, she was an entertainment attorney, film producer, and adjunct professor for the Claremont Colleges’ Intercollegiate Department of Asian American Studies.