The Amplifying AAPI Representation in Entertainment and Media (AAREM) summit series will be held on Wednesday with “prominent AAPI creators, artists, industry leaders, elected officials, tech innovators, journalists and more.”
About the event: Immortal Studios partnered with NextShark, the Los Angeles Times and CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) for the summit to promote dialogue around AAPI representation in film, television and pop culture, framed as a “natural extension of the recent focus on ending Anti-Asian violence.”
- The free, virtual event will begin at 9:30 a.m. PST with speakers on topics such as “Building an Interconnected Storyverse of AAPI Heroes” and “AAPIs in Hollywood Coming Together.”
- The summit will seek to dismantle Asian stereotypes in media over the past 150 years.
- Speakers at the event will include Senator Mazie Hirono, Congressman Ted Lieu, Rotten Tomatoes Co-Founder Patrick Lee, Echelon Talent Management CEO Andrew Ooi, Audible Head of Content Acquisition and Development Pat Shah, MSNBC’s Richard Lui, Political Advisor, Bill Wong, director Jon M. Chu, actor Kelly Hu and NextShark founder Benny Luo.
About Immortal Studios: The content studio focuses on creating stories centered around Chinese martial arts fantasy.
- Known as Wuxia, the studio’s aim is to introduce this genre to the 21st century among mainstream audiences.
- “Through its event series and online campaigns, Immortal engages its audience on a variety of topics ranging from meeting content creators and world-class martial artists to learning about AAPI representation,” according to its biography.
- AAPI representation in the media has to be seen through a “new lens and (with) urgency,” Peter Shiao, founder and CEO Immortal Studios, said.
- “We are in a historically significant time when the predicament of Asians in America is in clear focus from many corners of society, and we now have the opportunity to expand from the current conversation on stopping violence to systemic reform,” he said.
Feature Image via The Late Nigh Show with Stephen Colbert (left), TED (right)
