Asian vs. Asian-American Stories in Cinema with Arnold Chun │ 2x32

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.