Asian Pacific Voices Radio

Inspiring Aspiring Filmakers | 3x12

Jing’s love of storytelling began on the floor of the library. The only child of immigrants, reading stories was his way of feeling less lonely and learning the ways of America. This love eventually transferred to filmmaking which he saw as a means to not only entertain others but also to free those hard to express thoughts and feelings within himself.

Mother and Son’s Journey of a Thousand Miles | 3x11

Journey of a Thousand Miles is a 90 minute feature documentary film written, shot, directed and produced by Zhu Shen, a multiple award-winning filmmaker who was formally trained in biomedical research and business. She is best known for producing two Oscar-qualified, critically acclaimed animated documentary shorts: Changyou’s Journey about her late husband’s life, written and directed by her son Perry Chen in 2018, and Ingrid Pitt: Beyond the Forest about a young Holocaust survivor, character design and storyboarded by two-time Oscar nominee Bill Plympton, animated by her 11-year-old son Perry Chen in 2011. Both films qualified for best animated short film Academy Awards, won multiple US film festival awards, and screened at dozens of film festivals worldwide.

The Beauty of Dance | 3x10

Jessica Chen, a Choreographer and Dancer, who uses movement as a vehicle to heal wounds, share stories and better understand our human existence. Jessica believes that the visceral experience of witnessing a moving body can elicit a profound sense of empathy and that empathy is vital in navigating today's cultural landscape. Jessica is the Artistic Director of a contemporary dance company based in New York City called J Chen Project, whose mission is to create dance works that deconstruct identity, cultural diversity, and belonging, and to promote radical, equitable access to the arts.

Making Changes for the Better | 3x9

Nghiep “Ke” Lam is the Program and Facility Manager for Asian Prisoner Support Committee and a former juvenile lifer. He was incarcerated at the age of seventeen and served 23 years. He assists formerly incarcerated, i.e. API and "Stranded Deportees" with accessing resources (ID, Work Permit, Mentorship, etc.) in their transition back into society. He is also the Facility Manager to oversee the maintenance of the office. He is one of the Co-founder of the ROOTS program inside San Quentin State Prison. One of his passions is fixing bicycles and donating them to our system's impacted communities.

Never Too Late To Change | 3x8

An actress, director, writer and comedian, Veronica was born in Pennsylvania to a large family who escaped Saigon alongside the last U.S. troops in Vietnam. Veronica is a rising star featured in various television shows, ranging from hipster who finds a dead body on Law & Order: SVU, to representing sweatshop workers on Saturday Night Live.  Veronica has also starred in independent films and Off-Broadway shows and been featured in a wide variety of commercials and print campaigns. She is the founder of NYC's premier All-Asian American Sketch Comedy Team Model Majority which has sold out all their New York Times and Timeout NY recommended live shows. Learn more about her up bringing, how she switched to comedy and what she is up to now!

Balancing Life as Attorney and Music Teacher | 3x7

A woman of many talents, Robin is the President and CEO of San Diego Music Studio since 1994. She’s also the founder of the Phillipines Ukulele Project that connects donors to children at risk in impoverished areas internationally, brining music education and inspiration to a global level. Additionally, she is a licensed attorney with a private practice and serves on the board of Storix, an AIX and Linux backup and recovery solution company. Get ready to learn more about how she has broken through societal stereotypes!

Developing Asian Theater | 3x6

Gingerlily Lowe is one of the founding producers of the Asian Story Theater/Chinese Story Theater in which she also serves as the educational director, using live theater as a medium for education as well as truly exciting entertainment and bringing multi-cultural theater experiences to thousands of young audience members every year. Gingerlily has served on various community boards such as the San Diego Chinese Center, and Teatro Mascara Magica, and the Magic Machine. Ms. Lowe was a founding member and served as president of Pacific Asian Actors' Ensemble (PAAE), a company specializing in theater opportunities for Asian and Pacific Island performers. In this podcast we get to learn how Gingerlily has began growing Asian theater and her journey through out her life!

Pushing Through Challenges | 3x5

Grace teaches the Tisch Scholars foundation course "Civic Identity, Reflection, and Action," and in the 1+4 Bridge Year Program and Civic Action Gap Semester for the Tufts First-Year Global Programs. She taught writing for many years at Tufts University and Grub Street, and is currently the Fannie Hurst Writer-in-Residence at Brandeis University. Grace is the author of THE BODY PAPERS, which won the Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant writing and the Massachusetts Book Award for Nonfiction. In 2022, she was awarded fellowships from United States Artists, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Brother Thomas Fund, and in the fall, will join the English Department at Brown University where she will teach nonfiction writing.

During the podcast we get to hear insight into her award winning memoir, The Body Papers where she talks about racism at school after you and your family immigrated to the US in the 70s. We get to learn about how she grew up facing a multitude of challenges and how she overcame them. Grace discusses how she went back to the Philippines with her husband and tried to reclaim a lost piece of herself. Finally giving words of advice to those who have or are experiencing racism or bullying at school or abuse at home.

Building Your Own Brand | 3x4

Eric Nguyen has been a staple of the comic book industry for over 20 years, working for Marvel, DC, and every other major publication, drawing classics such as X-men, Batman, Hulk, Old Man Logan, Quicksilver, Sandman, Fables, and many more. A graduate from the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena with a degree in entertainment/transportation design, Eric got his start in comics partnering with Rick Remender, where they co-created "Strange Girl" with Image Comics and "Gigantic", published by Dark Horse Comics. As a concept artist, Eric has design credits for Xbox live video games and worked on the Halo franchise as well. One of his greatest accomplishments was when R&B superstar "The Weeknd" personally chose him to draw his futuristic epic comic "Starboy" for Marvel Comics. His latest, "White Savior," is his first foray into both writing and comedy, and he's proud of the work and the message it brings to readers. We get to learn a little bit more about Eric’s upbringing after moving to the US at 3 years old. He tells us about how he got into comics and what his parents thought about this decision in pursuing a career as a comic book artist. We get some insight into the challenges Eric has faced throughout his career and the importance of having AAPI representation in this industry. For all the comic book lovers we get to hear about what his favorite characters are to draw, his experience working with DC and Marvel, and we get a better understanding of his newest series “White Savior”. To end it all off for future comic book artists he gives some words of wisdom and encouragement!

Building UpThe Film Community

Ysa began her art activism with VAALA in 2000, serving as VAALA’s Board as President from 2004-2008, and then as Executive Director from 2008 until now. She is one of the original co-founders of Viet Film Fest. We get to learn more about her background as a radio host for the Viet Nam California Radio (VNCR), from 1995 to 2010. Where she would interview a lot of different local artists and talk about events in the community. Thanks to this she was able to meet a lot of artists and attend a lot of artistic events which allowed her to step into the art world. We get to learn more about how she started off in VAALA and what she and the organization has been doing to support and help the Asian film community. Did I mention that 

Ysa received her Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree from the University of Southern California (USC) in 1994. She currently works as a clinical pharmacist at St. Joseph Home Infusion Pharmacy in Anaheim on top of leading VAALA!