Apr. 16 & 23: BACKSTAGE PASS with Lia Chang: Highlights of Farland Chang’s Docuseries EAST MEETS WEST: JOURNEYS ALONG THE SILK ROAD with National Geographic Photographer Michael Yamashita, airs on FIOS 34, RCN 83, and Spectrum 56/1996, and streams on MNN2

The 30th episode of BACKSTAGE PASS with Lia Chang, executive produced and hosted by Lia, airs on April 16 and 23 at 1:30pm and 6:30pm on FIOS 34, RCN 83, and Spectrum 56/1996, and streams on MNN2. If you miss the episode, it is archived on my youtube channel.

Michael Yamashita and Lia Chang

My mentor, National Geographic Photographer Michael Yamashita has captured some of the world’s most awe-inspiring photos for four decades, combining his dual passions of photography and travel.

On this edition of Backstage Pass with Lia Chang, you’ll get to see highlights of “East Meets West”, a nine part docuseries, produced by Emmy award winning journalist Farland Chang, which brings epic chapters of history to life as this legendary photographer shares his lifetime of secrets.

“East Meets West” is based on Mike’s award-winning stories, books & films: Marco Polo: The China Mystery Revealed; Marco Polo: A Photographer’s Journey; Ghost Fleet: The Adventures of China’s Zheng He; The Great Wall: From Beginning to End; Shangri-La: Along the Tea Road to Lhasa; and New York: Flying High.

Farland Chang and Michael Yamashita. Photo by Lia Chang

I met Mike and Farland in 1993, when I attended my first Asian American Journalists Association convention in LA.

Mike is known for epic stories that retrace the paths of famous travelers, like Marco Polo, the Japanese poet Basho, and the Chinese explorer Zheng He. After graduating from Wesleyan University with a degree in Asian studies, he spent seven years in Asia, which became his area of specialty. Returning to the United States fluent in Japanese, he began shooting for National Geographic as well as many other U.S. and international clients. His feature documentary, The Ghost Fleet, won the Best Historical Documentary prize at the New York International Independent Film Festival. His National Geographic Channel documentary, Marco Polo: The China Mystery Revealed, received two Asian Television and Film Awards and was also included in the top 20 most popular NG Channel documentaries of the decade.

Sharing a vision of Bridging East and West. It has been invaluable to be part of an organization of Asian  American storytellers, educators, and  journalists working towards accurate and fair coverage of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islanders and AANHPI issues.

Episodes 1 & 2 of East Meets West are currently streaming worldwide. Episodes 3, 4, and 5 will launch this summer. www.eastmeetswestfilm.com.

Lia Chang. Photo by Erich McMillan-McCall

Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer, activist, documentarian, corporate photographer and an Award winning filmmaker and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Lia is also the host and Executive Producer of BACKSTAGE PASS WITH LIA CHANG, an Arts and Entertainment and Lifestyle program that airs on Sundays at 6:30pm on FIOS 34, RCN 83, Spectrum 56/1996, and streams on MNN2.

Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. Her short film, When the World Was Young garnered a 2021 DisOrient Film Audience Choice Award for Best Short Narrative. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman. She stars in and served as Executive Producer for the short independent films Hide and Seek, Balancing Act, Rom-Com Gone Wrong, Belongingness and When the World was Young. She is also the Executive Producer for The Cactus, The Language Lesson, The Writer and Cream and 2 Shugahs. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations.

Lia is the recipient of the 2022 Prospect Muse Award, 2000 OCA Chinese American Journalist Award, the 2001 AAJA National Award for New Media. Lia is an AAJA Executive Leadership Graduate (2000), a Western Knight Fellow at USC’s Annenberg College of Communications for Specialized Journalism on Entertainment Journalism in the Digital Age (2000), a National Press Photographers Association Visual Edge/Visual Journalism Fellow at the Poynter Institute for New Media (2001), a Scripps Howard New Media Fellow at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism (2002), and a National Tropical Botanical Garden Environmental Journalism Fellow (2003). She was a syndicated columnist for KYODO News, writing about arts and entertainment in her “What’s Hot in New York” column.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2023 Lia Chang Multimedia, unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang, unless otherwise indicated. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at backstagepasswithliachang@gmail.com.

Feb. 22 & 26: BACKSTAGE PASS with Lia Chang: 2023 Doris Duke Artist Kristina Wong; Interview with THE HARVEST Star Perry Yung; Lunar New Year at The Met and in New York Chinatown airs on on FIOS 34, RCN 83, and Spectrum 56/1996, and streams on MNN2

The twenty first episode of BACKSTAGE PASS with Lia Chang, executive produced and hosted by Lia, airs on February 22 at 6pm and February 26 at 1pm (EST) on FIOS 34, RCN 83, and Spectrum 56/1996, and streams on MNN2. If you miss the episode, it is archived on my youtube channel.

David Lee Hyunh, Kristina Wong, Daniel K. Isaac and Lia Chang attend the 2023 Doris Duke Artist Awards Ceremony at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York on February 13, 2023.

On this edition of Backstage Pass with Lia Chang, Kristina Wong came to New York to receive the 2023 Doris Duke Artist Award which included $550,000.

Lia Chang and Perry Yung

I sat down with actor Perry Yung to chat about his latest film, The Harvest; enjoyed many family friendly Lunar New Year and Year of the Rabbit activities at The Metropolitan Museum of Art with Laura Brandel and her daughter, Haven Tuesday, including visiting with Sesame Street’s Alan Muraoka and puppeteers Jennifer Barnhart and Pam Arciero. The Met’s Lion Dancers were the Chinese Center on Long Island’s Lion Dancer Troupe, and the AAPI Jazz Collective played several sets in the Main Hall.  My extra bonus – heading down to New York Chinatown and catching up with Lion Dancers from the NY Chinatown Freeman Athletic Club and the Chinatown Community Young Lions.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival recently screened the World Premiere of Caylee So’s THE HARVEST on February 12 and 13.

Written by and starring Doua Moua (Mulan, Gran Torino), the cast also features Perry Yung (“Warriors,” “The Knick”), Dawn Ying Yuen, Chrisna Chhor, Lucas Velazquez, Hua Lee, Alfonso Caballero, Saikong Yang, Tomas K Thao, Mai Moua, Tsabmim Xyooj, Kue Lee, Chai Yang, ZhongKhang Yang, Mary Ly, Amery K Thao, Anneston Pisayavong, Arianna Rivas, Tin Tin, Blake Kevin Dwyer, Greg Yoder, Christine Lin, and Tress Glenn.

After a car accident leaves his family in need of his help, Thai returns home to Southern California, only to find his whole world in disarray. With mounting medical bills and secrets of their own, the family watches as Cher, a tough and stubborn Hmong father, suffers through the devastating effects of kidney failure. Thai struggles to chose between his fractured relationship with his family, or a life free from the burdens of traditions.

Check out my interview with Perry and all of my Lunar New Year fun.

Lia Chang at the Museum of Broadway with the display of Winter Wonderland Gingerbread Houses currently on view through December 31, 2022. Photo by Erich McMillan-McCall.

THE HARVEST is produced by John Houselog and Doua Moua; with Executive Producers Yoson An and Money Vang. The production team includes Director of Photography Brian Nguyen, Composer Roman Molino Dunn, Editor Frank Martinez, Production Designer Christy Gray, Makeup by Dou Pothmolita, Costumes by
Juliette Lunger and Casting Director Dea Vise.

Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer, activist, documentarian, corporate photographer and an Award winning filmmaker and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Lia is also the host and Executive Producer of BACKSTAGE PASS WITH LIA CHANG, an Arts and Entertainment and Lifestyle program that airs on Sundays at 6:30pm on FIOS 34, RCN 83, Spectrum 56/1996, and streams on MNN2.

Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. Her short film, When the World Was Young garnered a 2021 DisOrient Film Audience Choice Award for Best Short Narrative. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman. She stars in and served as Executive Producer for the short independent films Hide and Seek, Balancing Act, Rom-Com Gone Wrong, Belongingness and When the World was Young. She is also the Executive Producer for The Cactus, The Language Lesson, The Writer and Cream and 2 Shugahs. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations.

Lia is the recipient of the 2022 Prospect Muse Award, 2000 OCA Chinese American Journalist Award, the 2001 AAJA National Award for New Media. Lia is an AAJA Executive Leadership Graduate (2000), a Western Knight Fellow at USC’s Annenberg College of Communications for Specialized Journalism on Entertainment Journalism in the Digital Age (2000), a National Press Photographers Association Visual Edge/Visual Journalism Fellow at the Poynter Institute for New Media (2001), a Scripps Howard New Media Fellow at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism (2002), and a National Tropical Botanical Garden Environmental Journalism Fellow (2003).

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2023 Lia Chang Multimedia, unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang, unless otherwise indicated. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at backstagepasswithliachang@gmail.com.

Feb. 22 & 26: BACKSTAGE PASS with Lia Chang: 2023 Doris Duke Artist Kristina Wong; Interview with THE HARVEST Star Perry Yung; Lunar New Year at The Met and in New York Chinatown airs on on FIOS 34, RCN 83, and Spectrum 56/1996, and streams on MNN2

The twenty first episode of BACKSTAGE PASS with Lia Chang, executive produced and hosted by Lia, airs on February 22 at 6pm and February 26 at 1pm (EST) on FIOS 34, RCN 83, and Spectrum 56/1996, and streams on MNN2. If you miss the episode, it is archived on my youtube channel.

David Lee Hyunh, Kristina Wong, Daniel K. Isaac and Lia Chang attend the 2023 Doris Duke Artist Awards Ceremony at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York on February 13, 2023.

On this edition of Backstage Pass with Lia Chang, Kristina Wong came to New York to receive the 2023 Doris Duke Artist Award which included $550,000.

Lia Chang and Perry Yung

I sat down with actor Perry Yung to chat about his latest film, The Harvest; enjoyed many family friendly Lunar New Year and Year of the Rabbit activities at The Metropolitan Museum of Art with Laura Brandel and her daughter, Haven Tuesday, including visiting with Sesame Street’s Alan Muraoka and puppeteers Jennifer Barnhart and Pam Arciero. The Met’s Lion Dancers were the Chinese Center on Long Island’s Lion Dancer Troupe, and the AAPI Jazz Collective played several sets in the Main Hall.  My extra bonus – heading down to New York Chinatown and catching up with Lion Dancers from the NY Chinatown Freeman Athletic Club and the Chinatown Community Young Lions.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival recently screened the World Premiere of Caylee So’s THE HARVEST on February 12 and 13.

Written by and starring Doua Moua (Mulan, Gran Torino), the cast also features Perry Yung (“Warriors,” “The Knick”), Dawn Ying Yuen, Chrisna Chhor, Lucas Velazquez, Hua Lee, Alfonso Caballero, Saikong Yang, Tomas K Thao, Mai Moua, Tsabmim Xyooj, Kue Lee, Chai Yang, ZhongKhang Yang, Mary Ly, Amery K Thao, Anneston Pisayavong, Arianna Rivas, Tin Tin, Blake Kevin Dwyer, Greg Yoder, Christine Lin, and Tress Glenn.

After a car accident leaves his family in need of his help, Thai returns home to Southern California, only to find his whole world in disarray. With mounting medical bills and secrets of their own, the family watches as Cher, a tough and stubborn Hmong father, suffers through the devastating effects of kidney failure. Thai struggles to chose between his fractured relationship with his family, or a life free from the burdens of traditions.

Check out my interview with Perry and all of my Lunar New Year fun.

Lia Chang at the Museum of Broadway with the display of Winter Wonderland Gingerbread Houses currently on view through December 31, 2022. Photo by Erich McMillan-McCall.

THE HARVEST is produced by John Houselog and Doua Moua; with Executive Producers Yoson An and Money Vang. The production team includes Director of Photography Brian Nguyen, Composer Roman Molino Dunn, Editor Frank Martinez, Production Designer Christy Gray, Makeup by Dou Pothmolita, Costumes by
Juliette Lunger and Casting Director Dea Vise.

Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer, activist, documentarian, corporate photographer and an Award winning filmmaker and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Lia is also the host and Executive Producer of BACKSTAGE PASS WITH LIA CHANG, an Arts and Entertainment and Lifestyle program that airs on Sundays at 6:30pm on FIOS 34, RCN 83, Spectrum 56/1996, and streams on MNN2.

Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. Her short film, When the World Was Young garnered a 2021 DisOrient Film Audience Choice Award for Best Short Narrative. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman. She stars in and served as Executive Producer for the short independent films Hide and Seek, Balancing Act, Rom-Com Gone Wrong, Belongingness and When the World was Young. She is also the Executive Producer for The Cactus, The Language Lesson, The Writer and Cream and 2 Shugahs. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations.

Lia is the recipient of the 2022 Prospect Muse Award, 2000 OCA Chinese American Journalist Award, the 2001 AAJA National Award for New Media. Lia is an AAJA Executive Leadership Graduate (2000), a Western Knight Fellow at USC’s Annenberg College of Communications for Specialized Journalism on Entertainment Journalism in the Digital Age (2000), a National Press Photographers Association Visual Edge/Visual Journalism Fellow at the Poynter Institute for New Media (2001), a Scripps Howard New Media Fellow at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism (2002), and a National Tropical Botanical Garden Environmental Journalism Fellow (2003).

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2023 Lia Chang Multimedia, unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang, unless otherwise indicated. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at backstagepasswithliachang@gmail.com.

Video: SESAME STREET: Proud of Your Eyes Song Featuring Alan Muraoka, Wes and Analyn – Part of “ABCs of Racial Literacy”

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, released new bilingual videos and resources today as part of an ongoing initiative to help families have open and honest conversations with young children around race, provide strategies to cope with racial trauma, and engage allies and advocates to become upstanders against racism as part of its Sesame Street in Communities initiative. The new “ABCs of Racial Literacy” Resources, which are free and available in English and Spanish, can be found at SesameWorkshop.org/ComingTogether.  

Alan Muraoka, Wes and Analyn. Photo: Sesame Street Workshop

“Children begin to observe and internalize messages of race at a young age, during a critical time for building one’s identity and sense of self,” said Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, Senior Vice President of US Social Impact, Sesame Workshop. “That’s why it’s important for families to feel equipped to have conversations about race and racism with their children. The new “ABCs of Racial Literacy” resources are designed to give children and caregivers additional tools to cope with the impact of racism and navigate difficult situations together as a family.” 

The resources feature 5-year-old Wes and his father Elijah, two Sesame Street Muppets first introduced in March to discuss skin (and fur!) color with Elmo. Wes and Elijah are back to help kids continue to talk about race and provide families of color with strategies to discuss the impact of racism. The new resources, which are part of Sesame Workshop’s Coming Together commitment to racial justice, include: 

 

Alan Muraoka and Wes support Analyn to feel strong and proud of who she is. They sing “Proud of Your Eyes” to help comfort Analyn after someone said something hurtful about her eyes/how she looks. Watch and sing along as we celebrate how our eyes and other features tell the story of ourselves and our families. Find out more about developing children’s positive racial, ethnic, and cultural identities at: https://www.SesameWorkshop.org/Coming…

– Breathe, Feel, Share: Wes, Abby, and Elijah discuss an incident that happened at school – Wes was teased about his lunch, curry chicken. Together, they practice a simple coping strategy. 

– Ongoing Video Series for families with new content featuring The Clutes, a Native family, exploring the different ways families can talk to their kids about race, culture, and allyship. 

– Articles and how-to guides for caring grown-ups, including The 4 S’s of Anti-Racist Parenting and Racial Trauma and Responding to Racism. 

– Printable Activities for children including Welcome to Sesame Street, Wes and Elijah! coloring pages, I Am Somebody cut-apart affirmation cards, and the Sing-Along to the “Giant” Song lyric sheet. 

– Professional development webinar and resources for community providers, such as educators, healthcare providers, and social workers (coming soon). 

– New materials and music to help families continue the conversation, including Let’s Stand Up for What is Right (Random House), a new book featuring Sesame Street Muppet friends uniting against racism, and a streaming Power of We (Warner Music Group’s Arts Music division) playlist of uplifting and inclusive Sesame songs. Coming Together, Change the World: A Sesame Street Guide to Standing Up for Racial Justice (Lerner Publishing Group) will publish in September. 

The “ABCs of Racial Literacy” resources are part of Sesame Workshop’s new Racial Justice educational framework and curriculum for young children. The new resources were developed in close consultation with expert advisors and will be implemented with committed partners, including Abriendo Puertas/Open Doors, the American Psychological Association, the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, and the National Black Child Development Institute. In addition to being freely available to families online, the resources will be distributed through national and community providers as part of Sesame Street in Communities. 

Sesame Workshop believes that talking to young children about race and racism is crucial. According to a recent study conducted by Sesame Workshop with children ages 6-11, children themselves have witnessed unfair treatment, and parents report close to half of these children (42%) have personally experienced discrimination of some kind, including nearly two-thirds (62%) of Black children.  

“Having open conversations with children about race and racism is critical, not only for building understanding and empathy, but also for beginning the healing process for children who experience racism,” say Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung, Co-Executive Directors of Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF), who served as advisors on the new resources launching today. “The reality is that many children grow up experiencing racism, including Asian American children who for years have reported high levels of racial harassment—a number exacerbated by heightened xenophobia and scapegoating during the COVID-19 pandemic. With a long history of building trust with families, Sesame Workshop is the ideal organization to engage parents and caregivers in critical conversations with their little ones, help families cope with the harms of racism, and help build solidarity among communities.” 

The “ABCs of Racial Literacy” is part of Coming Together, Sesame Workshop’s ongoing commitment to racial justice. Content is released on a rolling basis and available to parents and caregivers at SesameWorkshop.org/ComingTogether. 

About Sesame Workshop  

Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, the pioneering television show that has been reaching and teaching children since 1969. Today, Sesame Workshop is an innovative force for change, with a mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. We’re present in more than 150 countries, serving vulnerable children through a wide range of media, formal education, and philanthropically funded social impact programs, each grounded in rigorous research and tailored to the needs and cultures of the communities we serve. For more information, please visit www.sesameworkshop.org.  

SESAME STREET’S Jennifer Barnhart Nominated for 1st Daytime Emmy

Jennifer Barnhart and Alan Muraoka. Photo by Lia Chang

Congratulations to Jennifer Barnhart on her first Daytime Emmy nomination in the category of Outstanding Limited Performance in a Children’s Program for her work on Sesame Street as Zoe, Charlie’s Mom and Maggie Cadabby, She is competing against Derek Gaines, as Isaac Ice, Helpsters;  Lupita Nyong’o, as Self – Storyteller, Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices; Alicia Silverstone, as Elizabeth Thomas-Brewer, The Baby-Sitters Club; and Tom Wilson, as Doug Reynolds, Sydney to the Max. 

Jennifer Barnhart was an Original Broadway Company member (Outer Critics Circle Award) of the smash Tony Award-winning hit Avenue Q, and she remained with the show in the role she created for its entire six-year run on Broadway. As a puppeteer, Jennifer has performed on numerous children’s television shows, including the upcoming series “Helpsters for Apple+ TV,” as well as “Between the Lions,” “Bear in the Big Blue House,” “Johnny & the Sprites,” “Julie’s Greenroom” (with Julie Andrews, for Netflix), and “Sesame Street,” where she plays Zoe. Some favorite ‘human’ roles include: Lady Macbeth, Goneril and Veronica in God of Carnage (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), and Officer Randy in Superior Donuts (The Arden Theatre). She has also appeared on Law & Order: SVU (once as a puppeteer) and was the Speaker of the House on Season 5 of “House of Cards”. Most recently, Jennifer starred in All Hallows’ Eve, a wild, eclectic horror musical created by Martin P. Robinson (Little Shop of Horrors) Her voice can be heard on various educational apps, and as a narrator for the YA novel, “The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle” (Penguin/Random House). Website: www.jenniferbarnhart.com Follow on Instagram: #iamjenbarnhart

AVENUE Q/Sesame Street’s Jennifer Barnhart Sparkles in Cabaret Debut At The Laurie Beechman 

Click here for the full list of nominees.

The news was unveiled Monday by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences as part of its announcement on the nominations for the 48th annual Daytime Emmy Awards in the children’s & animation and lifestyle categories. The awards which will be presented in two live-streamed events on July 17 and 18 on the Emmy® OTT platform at 8:00 p.m. (The Daytime Emmy Awards in several other categories, including daytime drama series, talk show, game show and morning news program, were handed out Friday night.)

The Daytime Emmys are presented to individuals and programs broadcast between 2 a.m. and 6 p.m., as well as certain categories of digital and syndicated programming of similar content.

The Daytime Emmy Awards Children’s Programming and Animation ceremony will be presented in a stand-alone show streaming on the Emmy® OTT platform on Saturday, July 17, 2021 at 8p.m ET.

Awards for individual achievement in animation are selected by a juried panel of peers which selects winners in each of six craft areas without a nomination stage. Accordingly, these winners will be announced at the ceremony on July 17.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2021 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com