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1990 Institute | Serica
Beyond Shang-Chi: Superheroes, Masculinity, and Asian American Representation
Join the Serica Initiative and the 1990 Institute as we gather film industry and culture experts to demystify changing notions of gender, superheroes, and AAPI representation in entertainment — in Shang-Chi, Eternals, Squid Game, and beyond.
Marvel’s Shang-Chi and Eternals — plus Squid Game, Netflix’s #1 show of all time — raised the game for films and TV centered on Asian American characters, and superheroes to boot. In what ways have these visual blockbusters expanded Asian and AAPI representation in America’s mainstream media? How do their stories subvert or substantiate stereotypes around Asian men and women, filial piety, and Asian familial values? Will Hollywood offerings be affected by China’s and growing social conservatism (with a crackdown on “sissy men”) and an infusion of Korean cultural influence?
Join the Serica Initiative and the 1990 Institute as we gather film industry and culture experts to demystify changing notions of gender, superheroes, and AAPI representation in entertainment — in Shang-Chi, Eternals, Squid Game, and beyond.
Watch the video and the event
Speaker
Bing Chen
Bing Chen is a new world builder, leveraging storytelling and systems to deliver greater socioeconomic equity. He is General Partner and Co-founder of AUM Group, a multicultural film fund; and President and Co-founder of Gold House, the premier collective of Asian founders, creative voices, and leaders dedicated to uniting the world’s largest populace–Asians & Pacific Islanders–to enable more authentic multicultural representation and societal equity. He also serves as a Board Director and Senior Advisor to several of the world’s most promising digital media companies including Google’s Global Marketing Board, Snap’s Yellow Incubator, Omnicom’s Sparks & Honey, Baobab Studios, Oura Health, and Musely.
Speaker
Minji Chang
Minji Chang is a Korean American actor, producer, podcast host, and entrepreneur based in Los Angeles. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Minji had her sights set on a career in medicine and public policy before switching gears to pursue the creative arts and entertainment industry. She volunteered as a founding director of the Bay Area chapter of Kollaboration - a non-profit organization focused on discovering, connecting, and elevating Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) artists. She moved on to become the Global Executive Director for Kollaboration, presiding over all the national and Canada chapters, national programming, artist community and in 2015 launched the annual EMPOWER Creative Leadership Conference to develop AAPI creative professionals.
Speaker
Kaiser Kuo
Kaiser Kuo is co-founder of the Sinica Podcast, the most popular English-language podcast on current affairs in China, which he hosts with Jeremy Goldkorn. The show has run since April 2010, and has published nearly 400 episodes. Until April 2016, Kaiser served as director of international communications for Baidu, China’s leading search engine. In 2016, Kaiser returned to the U.S. after a 20-year stint in Beijing, where his career spanned the gamut from music to journalism to technology. Kaiser also spent a year in Beijing from 1988 to 1989, when he co-founded the seminal Chinese heavy metal band Tang Dynasty as lead guitarist.
Moderator
Daniel Tam-Claiborne
Daniel Tam-Claiborne is Senior Associate at the Serica Initiative, the non-profit organization operated by SupChina. An author and essayist with a background in journalism, communications, and grant writing, Daniel has spent over five years living and working in Greater China and is an outspoken advocate for Asian American issues and increased global understanding through education, cultural exchange, storytelling, and effective philanthropy. He holds degrees from Oberlin College, Yale University, and the Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College, and is currently completing a novel set against the backdrop of contemporary U.S.-China relations.
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