Asia Society Southern California (ASSC) is hosting the annual U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit on Sunday, October 30, 2022 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Growing each year, the Summit continues to bring together leading Asian and Asian American talent, creators and innovators in entertainment who are carving new paths in representation and cross-cultural understanding.
This year, ASSC is thrilled to honor the creative talent behind the critically acclaimed Disney+ series from Marvel Studios, Ms. Marvel, as well as Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live, Fire Island, Bros.), Sherry Cola (Good Trouble, Turning Red), and music platform and record label 88rising, with Asia Entertainment Game Changer Awards. This award was introduced in 2019 to recognize achievements and people whose impact in entertainment transcends borders between Asia and the world. In addition, Janet Yang, ASSC’s U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit Chair, and recently-elected President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will receive the Career Achievement Award.
This year’s honorees are leaders in a tectonic shift that is bringing more and more Asian voices and stories to the masses – in must-see, must-hear, inspiring, relatable ways. The award for Ms. Marvel, the hit show that introduced the world to the first Muslim and South Asian woman to be a Marvel superhero, reflects ASSC’s Asian Women Empowered initiative, which is focused on convening influential Asian women to inspire and invest in the next generation.
Honorees will be recognized at the Summit’s Gala Dinner from 7-9 p.m., which will also feature a performance from singer-songwriter Paravi. Her music has built an audience of over 3 million followers and was recently featured on the Elvis soundtrack.
Now in its 13th year, the Summit’s daytime conference from 1 – 5 p.m. will feature several panels and must-see speakers. Highlights include:
- Spotlight on Showrunners featuring Jessica Gao (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law), Georgia Lee (Partner Track), and Alan Yang (Loot, Master of None), who will share their insights and experiences as people of Asian descent leading shows that are breaking through in the broad TV and streaming landscape.
- Evolution of Entertainment featuring trailblazers at the intersection of tech and entertainment including Randy Ahn, Head of Subscriptions, Roku; Jason Kwong, Chief Innovation Officer, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment; Rebecca Liao, Co-Founder and CEO, Saga; and Tina Trankiem, Video and Entertainment Partner Marketing, Global Media Partnerships, Meta. The discussion will be moderated by Heidi Chung, Media Analyst and Correspondent, Variety.
- Asian Women Empowered: Wavemakers in Animation featuring writer Adele Lim (Raya and the Last Dragon), writer/director Domee Shi (Turning Red), and Netflix executive in animation Janet Wu, who will discuss their unique perspectives as women whose work is improving representation in animation. The discussion will be moderated by Rebecca Sun, senior editor of diversity and inclusion, The Hollywood Reporter.This panel is also part of ASSC’s AWE initiative.
- A Fireside Chat withBowen Yang, comedian,writer, actor and the first Chinese American cast member of Saturday Night Live, for which he has been nominated for multiple Emmys, and Andrew Ahn, director of Fire Island, which stars Yang alongside a talented and diverse cast.
- A Fireside Chat with Janet Yang, President, Janet Yang Productions and Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning producer, and Bing Chen, President and Co-Founder of Gold House.
