Episodes
Tuesday Feb 13, 2024
Weaving Stories, Shaping Culture, Inspiring Change | 4x2
Tuesday Feb 13, 2024
Tuesday Feb 13, 2024
A multifaceted creative force, Nic Cha Kim is an award-winning television reporter, documentary filmmaker, playwright, and cultural activist. With a remarkable career spanning across various artistic disciplines, Nic has made significant contributions to the world of arts and culture in downtown Los Angeles.
In this episode with host, Rasha Goel, Nic Cha Kim shares his experiences in the '92 LA Uprising, how he views the intersection of technology and art that shape the future of creative expression, and what trends he is currently excited about in the world of digital art. We also get insight on his views in regards to the ever evolving relationship between media, storytelling, and social change, especially in the context of today's fast-paced digital world.
He has won 4 LA Emmys for his work on SoCal Connected (KCET) and Artbound (KCET), as well as, the LA Press Club's 'Television Journalist of the Year Award'. Executive Director of Niche.LA Video Art, Nic directs and produces documentaries for public television and curates digital and video art shows. (Editor of Niche.LA Video Art featured in the Tumblr Art Spotlight). His plays Trapezoid, RE:verse, Rise Up!, and Like Yesterday have been produced for the stage by Lodestone Theatre Ensemble and Company of Angels.
Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
Rasha Goel, an experienced TV host and producer, brings her dynamic storytelling skills to the forefront. With a keen eye for impactful narratives, she has a proven track record of delivering engaging content that resonates with diverse audiences.
Sasha Foo is a multifaceted talent, who seamlessly transitions from her roles as an accomplished actress and playwright to her previous position as a distinguished news anchor. Her unique blend of creativity and journalistic insight promises to infuse the show with depth and authenticity.
Introduced as a new host to Season 4, Major Joanne Whitlock is an Airforce officer who adds a distinctive perspective to the program. With a background rooted in service and leadership, she brings a wealth of experience that enriches the discussions, offering a unique lens on people and topics of interest.
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
For this Season 3 finale episode, we are joined by a remarkable power couple who have left a significant mark in the entertainment industry. Joining us is a versatile actor, Amit Sarin, whose inspiring journey from Indian television to global recognition has captivated millions, and his incredibly talented wife, Vineesha Arora-Sarin, who is a producer and creative powerhouse behind the scenes. Together, they create magic both on and off the screen, weaving captivating narratives that resonate with audiences worldwide.
Vineesha Arora-Sarin is an award-winning filmmaker based in Los Angeles, with her film journey beginning in Mumbai in 2000. She started in the Indian entertainment industry with her acting debut in the film Supari (2003), distributed by Yashraj Films. She is a Filmmaker and Founder of Lady With A Hat Productions and CEO/Executive Director of Woman In Showbiz Everywhere (WISE). Vineesha is the Executive Producer of the indie horror film Natty Knocks (2023), directed by Dwight Little. Vineesha's storytelling reflects her humanistic and spiritual perspectives, aiming to open doors for the underserved.
Amit Sarin's long and respected association with the Indian television industry, combined with a business background in real estate has given him a dynamic experience to spearhead the business affairs at RRF, where he also oversees the company’s day-to-day operations. Alongside his successful acting career, Amit had ventured into his family’s real estate business in Varanasi, India, where he owns and runs a chain of heritage hotels. Amit’s strong business acumen and intuition helped guide him into expanding the entertainment fund across the media spectrum. Some of Amit’s most noteworthy performances are from the series Kyun Ki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kkusum, Doli Saja Ke, and Pavitra Rishta, among many others produced by Balaji Telefilms.
Blessed Films is an independent film studio founded and managed by Amit Sarin and Vineesha Arora-Sarin, based in Los Angeles that develops and produces film, television and digital content for a global audience. They specialize in bringing together two of the biggest and most influential entertainment industries in the world - Hollywood and the Indian film industry. Watch Natty Knocks (2023) by renting or buying on Apple TV, VUDU, and Amazon Prime.
Tuesday Oct 24, 2023
Maru Kim: Bridging Cultures, One Mic at a Time | 3x35
Tuesday Oct 24, 2023
Tuesday Oct 24, 2023
Known as MC MARU, Maru Kim is a Korean-American professional emcee, motivational speaker, and CEO of @maruonthestage Entertainment. With his unique, uncanny trilingual (Korean, English, Spanish) ability, cross-cultural sensitivity, and 600+ appearances on the stage as MC and speaker, he has been entertaining, motivating, and growing with Korean, Hispanic, and many other multi-ethnic immigrant communities.
Maru is based in LA, and with an enormous amount of support and recognition from his Korean American and Latino community, he has been traveling all around the United States, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Paraguay, etc. to embrace and connect multicultural audience gathered at all kinds of events such as K-pop concert, multi-ethnic festival, leadership conference, fundraising gala, business expo, showcase, fan meeting, corporate/private events, weddings, and so on. With his “No one left out” emceeing philosophy, MC MARU does his magic on stage firing up the audience with his charisma, character, and passion.
In this episode, MC MARU talks about his ongoing journey as the face of the Korean American community, and his relentless efforts to expand his territory and influence to embrace and engage with the Latino community. You can see his footprints on his Instagram @maruonthestage.
Tuesday Oct 17, 2023
Illuminating humanity through laughter and narratives | 3x34
Tuesday Oct 17, 2023
Tuesday Oct 17, 2023
Joining us in this episode is a remarkable storyteller and creative activist, Alaudin Ullah, whose work resonates deeply across cultures and communities. One of the first South Asians to appear as a stand-up comedian on national television, including Comedy Central, BET, MTV, and PBS, his groundbreaking one-person, multi-character play, Dishwasher Dreams, has captured the hearts of audiences worldwide, shedding light on the immigrant experience with humor and profound narrative depth.
Ullah's three-act play Halal Brothers centers on the interactions between African American and Bengali Muslims in a Harlem halal butcher's shop on the day of Malcolm X's murder in 1965. In his autobiographical solo show, Dishwasher Dreams, Ullah and musician Avirodh Sharma take audiences on a journey of vivid remembrances and discoveries from 1930s India (now Bangladesh) to 1970s Spanish Harlem to present-day Hollywood.
Alaudin shares his experiences growing up in a culturally divided household, and opens up about the significant impacts in his life that had shaped his cultural identity. As a creative activist, Alaudin expresses the role as an artist and storyteller when it comes to shaping societal perceptions and fostering empathy, especially in today's diverse and often divided world.
Tuesday Oct 10, 2023
Geeranan Chuersanga: Connecting Global Thai Community through Art | 3x33
Tuesday Oct 10, 2023
Tuesday Oct 10, 2023
Geeranan Chuersanga (Jeer-rah-nahn Choo-er-sahng-ah) , also known as Cartoon, is a Thai American, diversity, (health) equity and inclusion advocate as well as a self-taught artist based in Los Angeles, CA. Fun fact: Her nickname "Cartoon" was given by her parents since birth and derived from the popular cartoon character "Tweety" for her big eyes.
Her full-time career and art endeavors were heavily influenced by her parents' experiences navigating their Thai cultural beliefs with the US healthcare system. As a result, she received her BA in Public Health Policy from the University of California, Irvine and her MS in Medical Anthropology and Cross-Cultural Practice at Boston University.
Her interest in art and niche in capturing Thai elements led to the creation of @kwamsookxo on Instagram. With increased exposure of Asian American art and artists on various social media platforms, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, she noticed a lack of Thai-American representation and switched gears to shift her art to educate about Thai culture and capture the experiences of the Thai diaspora community.
Tuesday Sep 26, 2023
Tuesday Sep 26, 2023
Paloma B. Concordia (She/her) was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and gives credit to New York City for developing her business-savvy state of mind. Her education and career began in the fashion and retail industry and transitioned into the music business at the height of the digital media boom.Inspired by progressive artists in the Bay Area, Paloma began to explore youth empowerment programs and social justice initiatives and found her passion in supporting the progressive arts community through public relations.
Paloma has served as a program coordinator in partnership with Beats Rhymes and Life, and the East Bay Asian Youth Center in Oakland, CA, as well as a Program Director with a non-profit arts organization, the Estria Foundation. Combining her experience in these fields, she founded the PapaLoDown Agency in 2009, a boutique public relations company specializing in a client base of entrepreneurs and community organizations in the arts, culture, and community spaces.
Paloma is passionate about empowering APIA women through entrepreneurship and public relations and has served on Daly City’s inaugural Small Business Commission, was a founding advisory board member for Pinayista, and is currently an advisory board member for the Asian American Women Artists Association, and the Pinays Rising Scholarship fund. She now lives in Oxnard, CA where she serves on the city’s Cultural Arts Commission. When she's not working with clients, she enjoys running, practicing yoga, and raising a family of three boys with her husband.
Tuesday Sep 19, 2023
Tuesday Sep 19, 2023
In this episode we are joined by coffee expert, entrepreneur, and internet personality Nick Cho. Known for his online persona "Your Korean Dad," he uses social media to share heartwarming and relatable content that fosters a sense of connection and positivity among his followers.
Nick was born in Seoul, Korea in 1973. He immigrated to the US in 1975 with his father and mother, eventually settling in the Washington DC suburbs in Northern Virginia where he and his younger sister, Jennifer, grew up. After a number of different jobs including car sales, music teacher, and assistant to a radio producer for a nationally syndicated comedy radio show, he opened a small coffee shop in Washington DC in 2002 called "murky coffee." It quickly became renown throughout the country as one of the pioneering cafes for what would be called "third wave coffee."
He moved to San Francisco in 2010, starting a new coffee company with Trish Rothgeb called Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters. Both Nick and Trish would split time between running the coffee company and traveling the world, being invited as leading industry experts to speak and teach at various venues and events throughout the coffee world.
Nick started on TikTok in late 2019, and started posting videos as what would be known as "Your Korean Dad" in April of 2020. His audience has been growing rapidly ever since.
Tuesday Sep 12, 2023
Kathy Khang: Inspiring Change, One Voice at a Time | 3x30
Tuesday Sep 12, 2023
Tuesday Sep 12, 2023
As a writer, speaker, and yoga teacher, Kathy Khang is also the author of Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent & How to Speak Up (IV Press, 2018) and Alabaster Guided Meditations, Psalms Vol. 1 and 2 (IV Press, 2020), and a contributing author in More Than Serving Tea (IV Press, 2006) and Voices of Lament (Revell, 2022). Her next book co-authored with Matt Mikalatos, Loving Disagreement, releases in October.
Ms. Khang is the board chair for Christians for Social Action, co-host of The Fascinating Podcast, and president of the Northwestern University Asian and Asian American Alumni (A-5) Club.
Ms. Khang was a newspaper reporter in Green Bay and Milwaukee, WI before spending more than two decades in vocational ministry where she focused on leadership development and training leaders in diversity and justice. She holds a BS in journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.
She is based in the north suburbs of Chicago and blogs at www.kathykhang.com, is on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok as @mskathykhang, and posts at www.facebook.com/kathykhangauthor
Tuesday Sep 05, 2023
Tuesday Sep 05, 2023
Dante Dauz was born and raised in San Diego and developed and implemented numerous community engagement and empowerment programs with the Union of Pan Asian Communities (UPAC) throughout San Diego for 13 years. Programs included: community violence response, victim support, gang prevention, homeless advocacy, youth mentorship, employment, and business development for individuals with serious mental illness. Over the last 5 years, Dante spearheaded the development of a community center and social enterprise called “UPAC
Neighborhood Enterprise Center” (NEC) that focuses on advancing diversity, building neighborhood unity, and developing youth leaders. NEC’s focus is providing training and employment for disadvantaged youth in City Heights and Southeast San Diego through its café,
catering company, and print shop/graphic design operations; more importantly, youth are trained to lead and supervise numerous community impact programs. Dante is currently working on two
other social enterprise programs. One will be located in downtown that will train and employ homeless youth and modeled after NEC. The other will be coffee kiosk operations that will employ youth on probation. Another unique project is the development of a “cultural” food
distribution program. These new ventures have potential to impact and employ up to 150 youth within the next year. Dante has been a well-respected and reliable community advocate for 25 years and earned a reputation of being at the front-line of serious matters that impact the
community. Prior to joining UPAC, he was a successful probation officer, business owner, and community advocate. He is the recipient of several awards including: Probation Officer of the Year, Restaurant of the Year, Peacemaker of the Year, and recently named the Anthony Medina
People’s Champion. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from San Diego State University in Criminal Justice and his Juris Doctorate and Certificate in Global Legal Studies from Thomas Jefferson School of Law.