On December 13, the Asian American Committee’s (AAC) meeting included a mixer and the panel discussion, An Evening with the Producers. Held in the DGA Los Angeles headquarters’ Boardroom, the discussion portion featured Producers Georgia Lee (Partner Track), Jonathan Wang (Everything Everywhere All at Once) and Janet Yang (One Night Surprise), in a conversation moderated by Asian American Committee Member, 1st AD Alan Chu (Beyond Paranormal).
The discussion was preceded by a mixer where AAC Co-Chairs Kabir Akhtar and Maureen Bharoocha welcomed the attendees and spoke about how they commenced in the industry, the role they play on productions and the partnership with Directors on projects.
Following the mixer, the panel discussion commenced with an introduction by DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter.
“I am so thrilled to be here and honored to kick off tonight’s incredible panel,” said Glatter. “The AAC was founded in 2000 with the express goal of empowering and supporting Asian American DGA members to take active leadership roles in our industry, to make significant contributions to our Guild, to support one another and to encourage more inclusive stories in both film and television and it’s gratifying to look around this room and see how the world has changed. Tonight, is all about that second goal — supporting one another. The mixer that just happened is one of the many concrete ways the AAC and the DGA support our membership in making connections and finding new synergistic opportunities. It is so important to have and create the opportunities to come together, network and share information, grow relationships so we can grow the number of diverse stories and storytellers…. Each of us helping the others so we can all succeed.”
Guided by Chu’s moderation, Lee, Wang and Yang shared their thoughts, process, and ideas about collaboration and how they got their successful projects off the ground. During the discussion they also covered topics including, how they handled challenges and what characteristics they seek in directors for future partnerships. Following the moderated portion of the discussion, the panelists took questions from the online audience.
About the Asian American Committee:
The Asian American Committee (AAC) was created as a networking group to provide a forum for interests and issues that concern Asian-American Guild members. Through outreach efforts in the entertainment industry that emphasize career development and skills enhancement, the committee provides a variety of networking opportunities as well as screenings, seminars and discussions with industry professionals. The current AAC Co-Chairs are Directors Kabir Akhtar, Maureen Bharoocha and Kai Kim.