Ticked off by the runaround I got from the Producer’s Guild of America, I wrote this open letter which sparked more controversy than I expected. But the outpouring of support really came when the Producer’s Guild wrote their own open letter in response. Why they couldn’t just email me in the first place, I don’t [...]

Ted Hope asked via Twitter what instances of microbudget filmmaking were cropping up on the global landscape. I tweeted back, he emailed me, I wrote a blog post, he posted my piece, and then several other platforms picked it up, including Fandor. Here’s the original piece on Ted’s blog: “What American Indies Can Learn From [...]

It’s been a long time since I visited my namesake on the world wide web. Question – how do you make time to update yourself online when the real you is running around trying to keep up with everything offline? Blogging is a luxury of time. If anyone has the answer, don’t hold back.

It’s been a hot, busy summer. And too long since my last post. So a series of announcements to start things off. I’ve been working with Center for Asian American Media for two years to develop a professional mentoring program. This is our way to grow Asian American cinema, from within. We don’t have nepotism, [...]

It was with a heavy heart that I moved out of my Chinatown office. But I soon forgot why I chose to move. I was wistful after the boxes were packed, but when I arrived at my new office, I was knocked sideways by despair. What did I do? I lived and worked in Chinatown [...]

So rarely do film producers get any love in the media, that it was a bit of a shock to read about my profession in print. This article tackles a particular breed of Hollywood studio producers, hence the middle men moniker. But some generalizations rang true: “Producers are a problem-solving bunch. It’s their job. They [...]

The first film I produced, ROBOT STORIES, premiered at Cinema Village in 2003. Last week, I was walking down 12th Street and glanced up to see my most recent film on the marquee. Did I know I would be producing films 7 years later? THE EXPLODING GIRL played in New York for 5 weeks, and [...]

It took 100 years for the first feature in Tibetan language, shot in Tibet, with a 100% Tibetan cast and crew to be made. That is, it took until The Search by Pema Tseden (or Wanma Caidan in Chinese). The Search is a beautiful film. It’s a road movie whose characters are searching for actors to [...]

After winning the Producers Award, I still couldn’t believe I won – what did I do to deserve it above my colleagues? So out of curiousity, and trying to pair rhyme with reason, I compiled a list of all the past winners. It’s a shame our industry only awards independent producers once a year – [...]

Five best things about winning the Independent Spirits’ Piaget Producers Award: 5. Thanking people on stage, and on camera. 4. My 92-year-old grandmother reading about it in the Chinese newspaper. 3. Uber-publicist David Magdael escorting me every step. 2.  The check from Piaget of course. 1. Seeing the folks rooting for me, and how much this [...]