by REERA YOO | @reeraboo
editor@charactermedia.com
To celebrate this year’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) has launched its 2015 #IAM Campaign to put a spotlight on Asian American talents and leaders in media, entertainment and food.
This is the second year CAPE is running its #IAM Campaign. Last year, the organization teamed up with Verizon for the first time ever and created a comedy web series and mini-documentary series featuring eighteen Asian American artists and personalties, including Steven Yeun, David Choi, Randall Park, Jessica Gomes, Lisa Ling, Brian Tee, Leonardo Nam and Bobby Lee.
Among the role models featured in this year’s campaign, there were several Korean American talents: Daniel Dae Kim, Ki Hong Lee, Arden Cho and Seoul Sausage Co. In the videos below, these four representatives share their success stories and the lessons they’ve learned in their journeys.
#IAM Ki Hong Lee
“The only way to change [Asian American perception] faster or to launch a new wave of how people see Asians is to create our own content, to create our own stories, and make opportunities for ourselves as actors and as entertainers,” says Ki Hong Lee. “I think the only way to change anything is to just take it and change it yourself.”
#IAM Arden Cho
“Don’t be afraid to fail because failure adds character and color and it’s those imperfections, flaws, and mistakes that you make along the way that add to a great story,” says Arden Cho.
#IAM Daniel Dae Kim
“In this career as an actor, regardless of your race, there are so many variables that are beyond your control,” says Daniel Dae Kim. “What you can control is your level of talent, your work ethic. Be excellent at what you do. That way, if you’re good and the opportunity train rolls by, you’ll be able to hop on.”
#IAM Seoul Sausage Co.
“If you just start thinking ‘I am…,’ that’s the first step in figuring out what you want to be, what motivates you, what excites you, and who you’re going to become in the future. I think that’s very powerful,” says Ted Kim of Seoul Sausage.
You can watch the rest of the #IAM Campaign representatives (Constance Wu, Jason Chen and Cassey Ho) on the campaign’s official website.
Join the conversation and share your #IAm story via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. To learn more about CAPE, check out their website or YouTube channel.
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Featured image via CAPE
