Tuesday, April 2, 2013

The Unexpected Voice of Asian American Cinema

There are millions of people in Los Angeles, and everyone has a fascinating story about their life or experiences.  Meeting new and interesting people has always been something that I love to do because I find inspiration in learning about their unique trials and tribulations.  I recently had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Scott Eriksson, the co-founder of AsiansOnFilm.com, a site that promotes Asians in the entertainment industry.  And yes, Mr. Eriksson is not Asian... not even a little bit.

Intrigued?  So was I.  I reached out to Scott mostly to offer my help with Asians On Film because it is unique in that it aims to showcase up-and-coming Asian talent in the Hollywood film industry and encompasses all aspects of the film making process, not just actors.  But I also wanted to find out why a non-Asian was working so hard to promote Asians in the entertainment industry to the point where I would consider him the new voice of Asian American cinema.

Scott's strong love for the unknown and unfamiliar paired with him being a foodie makes having an affinity towards Asian culture inevitable, as Asian food and traditions are considered to be interesting and unfamiliar to most people in western society.

According to Scott, Asians On Film started as a reference site for... well, Asians on film; kind of like an Asian imdb, if you will.  But he credits actor Dustin Nguyen (from the original "21 Jump Street") for really jump-starting (no pun intended) Asians On Film into what it is today.  Dustin introduced Scott to key players in the entertainment industry and encouraged Scott to continue to develop Asians On Film into something bigger.  Of course Scott was met with plenty of negativity from naysayers.  "And when I hear 'no'," says Scott, "it really lights a fire under my ass!"  Yes, that's the only quote that I took away from our deep and philosophical conversation.

I was very impressed with Scott and admire him for continuing to press forward with the Asians On Film movement.  I really do feel like Scott is the new voice of Asian American cinema because he is all about promoting and increasing visibility for Asians in all aspects of film making.  He hopes to continue in this manner and vows to never make choices because they "make business sense."

Help Scott strengthen his grass-roots campaign and triumph over his naysayers by visiting AsiansOnFilm.com and sharing the stories you find there.

You can also follow Asians On Film on Facebook and Twitter.

Who are some of your favorite Asians on film?