Nate Johnson

In the final episode of Season One of The Linsider, Ming Beaver Kwei and I discuss his career in film crisscrossing around the US, Europe and the Greater China region. Beaver's producing credits include: I REMEMBER (2020), THE MEG (2018), SOPHIE'S REVENGE (2009), THE PAINTED VEIL (2006) and the upcoming LEGEND OF SUN AND MOON.

No guest this week so I talk to you straight from the heart and share some of my thoughts. I discuss skills I picked up during this 1+ year of stay at home quarantine. I call them COVID skills. I talk about my experience podcasting over the last 3 months and where I plan to go with The Linsider. Finally, I share what I mean when I say that media and entertainment coverage and representation of Asia and Asian Americans is full of stereotype, tropes, click-bait and fear mongering. I'd love to hear from you so shoot me a message!

Nate and I have a conversation on his upbringing and experience as an entrepreneur. He cites his belief that we should acknowledge and celebrate our differences and understand what makes each of us unique and excel. Nate talks about listening, respecting and serving our communities.

Christina Eichelberger Holding and I share a conversation about music and movies. Christina comes from a family of filmmakers / artists and supporters of the arts. We chat about the importance of understanding the balance between art and commerce and the insane amount of work it takes behind the scenes to make art / music commercial.

Mei Melançon and I share a conversation about working a cross-cultural storyteller in Hollywood. Mei has started with acting and successfully transitioned to a screenwriter and producer. We discuss how her childhood and upbringing as a third culture kid has had an impact on the stories she writes and the perspectives she can bring to the table.

Thuc Doan Nguyen discusses her career from advertising on Madison Avenue to Hollywood screenwriter and essayist. She's got a differentiated and valuable perspective so listen in to our conversation this week on The Linsider!

Gregory J Bradley and Lee Anthony Smith are the writers of WAR a movie starring Jet Li and Jason Statham. We recount Greg and Lee's journey to Hollywood (with some wild stories!) and they give an honest and respectful account on the making of WAR. This movie was a mixed bag and we all learned a lot from the making of the film and we hope you will learn something as well from listening to our experience.

Amy Huang on her adventures as an amateur standup comedienne and her work as a VC as a mainland Chinese in the US. Amy hails from the most populous province in China and grew up heavily influenced by famous Chinese female comediennes and actresses. We discuss the importance of storytelling for a company attracting investors and also as a VC attracting companies to partner. Jason Lin and Amy Huang share a candid conversation about how they went from business classmates to arch rival frenemies.

Sharing a workshop I did put together by The Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition (HCGEC). This workshop was held on March 26, 2021 under the title of Industry Leaders: Storytelling in Television and Film, with Eli Attie and Jason Lin. Eli Attie is an Emmy-winning TV writer and producer on drama series including THE WEST WING and HOUSE.

Arune Singh on how the comic book industry has evolved over the years and the acceptance of geek culture. How he initially started as a reporter and recently took on the role as Director of Brand, Editorial at Skybound Entertainment. Jason Lin and Arune Singh share a frank conversation about representation in entertainment and how achieving mediocrity with stories with Asian culture will represent a defining moment.