Welcome to the Potluck, a new podcast collective featuring unique stories and voices in the Asian American community!
You are cordially invited to the official launch party, where attendees will have a chance to celebrate and talk about everything podcast-related with their favorite hosts and producers.
POTLUCK LAUNCH PARTY
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
7-10pm
SEOUL SAUSAGE
236 S Los Angeles St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
In addition to supporting each other's podcasts, Potluck members aim to collaborate with folks in the community to create new podcasts. Here’s a glimpse of the shows we have so far:
Sound and Fury: The Angry Asian Podcast
(Host: Phil Yu, Producer: Joanna Lee)
If you like Aisha Tyler's Girl On Guy, this one's for you. Aisha Tyler's podcasts are one-on-one interviews that are proudly long-winded and free-flowing. She often begins with "Let's start from the beginning," and dives into the guest's past -- willing to listen, go deep and follow any trains of thought that emerge naturally.
Sound and Fury has this vibe too. As a veteran of the Asian American blogosphere, he's a trusted guide, and there's an insider-y feel to the conversation, like he's talking to his friends (which he often is!).
Check out the latest episode, "Jenny Yang Returns" and then go back and listen to Jenny's first Sound and Fury appearance in 2013, to see what a difference three years make. @angryasianman
#GoodMuslimBadMuslim
(Hosts: Taz Ahmed and Zahra Noorbakhsh, Producer: Quincy Surasmith)
If you like Call Your Girlfriend, but feel more at home with girlfriends that are badass Muslim American rock stars. Not literal rock stars, but Taz is an activist, artist, and politico who was recently honored by the White House with a "Champions of Change for Asian American and Pacific Islander Art and Storytelling" award, and Zahra is a writer, actor and comedian who recently killed it in an appearance on Snap Judgment where she told a story called "Heaven Points." They've been in Oprah Magazine, Terry Gross thinks they're cool, they've recorded a #GoodMuslimBadMuslim episode IN the White House, and they recently got the 2016 Rising Star award from OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates Los Angeles. No big deal.
The content is driven by their commentary about what's going on in the world, structured by clever recurring segments such as "Awkward Ask-A-Muslim," "Good Muslim Award" and "Creeping Sharia."
Check out: "Secrets and Safety," aka "the one where Zahra discovers the true meaning of Fatwa, Taz gets the Hiba-jabis for being late, and both decide the world needs more gay pride." @tazzystar, @zahracomedy
KollabCast
(Host: Marvin Yueh, Minji Chang, Producer: Marvin Yueh)
Length: about an hour
If you like Pop Culture Happy Hour, check out Kollabcast, a podcast about pop culture and the creative life from the Asian American perspective. Marvin's the steady leader who conducts discussions, and Minji's the spirited one that goes off on rants that make you want to cheer. The two of them are Associate Director and Executive Director (respectively) of Kollaboration, a global platform to discover, empower, and connect AAPI artists and leaders to promote diversity representation in media.
This podcast is the closest one to a morning talk show. It's weekly, usually they're joined by one to two guests, and it starts with a round-table segment, followed by a few curated topics. It feels like you're listening to a conversation your friends are having over lunch, or at a bar to wind down after a long day of work.
Check out "Episode 82 – Singles and Cargo Shorts w/ Philip Wang" and "Episode 68 - Sensory Overload w/ Andrew Ahn & Naomi Ko." @marvinyueh, @minjeeeezy
Asian Americana
(Host and producer: Quincy Surasmith)
If you like 99% Invisible and This American Life, you must check out Asian Americana. Only two episodes in but already knocking it out of the park in terms of sheer ambitiousness, this is #GoodMuslimBadMuslim producer Quincy's foray in front of the mike. It was inspired by his desire to fill a need for more produced/story-based podcasts from the Asian American community.
Asian Americana weaves multiple interviews together with voiceover into a well-crafted and entertaining narrative. So, this is for folks who want the depth of a Radiolab or Planet Money episode, while learning about everything from Hmong farmers in CA's central valley to the popularity of boba (or pearl milk tea or whatever you call it!).
Check out their debut episode, which is about the history and evolution of punk-rock zine Giant Robot. @quincysurasmith
The Drunk Monk Podcast
(Hosts: Will Choi and Keiko Agena; Produced by Will Choi )
Length: about 45 min to an hour
If you like Gilmore Guys, but wish it had a touch of improv like With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus, you'll really love The Drunk Monk Podcast. Because there is drinking. And actually, if you like Gilmore Guys, you'll automatically be a fan, because Gilmore Girls actress Keiko Agena is one of the hosts, along with actor Will Choi, that guy from your local improv class. (They both also host the popular Asian American comedy and improv show, "Scarlett Johansson Presents."
This podcast started on a drunken evening after Keiko and Will watched a live Gilmore Guys show and thought it'd be fun to do a re-watch podcast. Keiko's favorite TV show is Monk (while Will had never seen it), so they thought it'd be a funny premise to go through the episodes one by one while consuming alcohol. Aside from talking about each specific episode of Monk, the co-hosts also share their own personal stories and opinions, layered with their Asian-American experiences, and they've implemented an improv section with a rotating cast of characters.
Check out the episode, "Mr. Monk Goes to Mexico." Find The Drunk Monk Podcast on iTunes, Soundcloud, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Google Play. @willschoi, @keikoagena
Saturday School
(Hosts/Producers: Ada Tseng and Brian Hu)
If you like fangirl/boying along with a podcast like Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period, check out Saturday School with journalist Ada Tseng and San Diego film festival artistic director/scholar Brian Hu. But instead of revisiting the filmography of Denzel Washington, they're digging up some of their favorite works in Asian American pop culture history.
It's released once a week on Saturday mornings, when they were forced to go to Chinese school as kids, and the first season concentrates on Asian American comedy films. The idea is that, while we’re excited that more and more Asian Americans are being given opportunities in Hollywood, it's also important to go back to pay tribute to these older works that helped paved the way, even if they didn't get as much mainstream attention as they should have back in the day.
Check out their pilot episode Season 1, Ep. 1: Randall Park Shorts," and "Season 1, Ep. 9: Chutney Popcorn." @adatseng, @husbrian.
Untitled Asian Amerian Music Podcast
(Hosts: Sean Miura, Dan Matthews, Mesmi, Richie and Tricia Menchvez: Produced by Richie Menchavez)
If you think music is best when presented in a mix tape from your friends, accompanied by a hand-written letter explaining what each song means to them, this is the podcast for you.
With five hosts, there's five different perspectives: Sean is the Lead Producer of Tuesday Night Cafe, the longest currently running Asian American mic series in the country. Dan Matthews is not only the rapper known as DANakaDAN, but also the director of productions at ISAtv. Mesmi is a singer/songwriter who was recently a top 10 Finalist in the 2016 GRAMMY Amplifier Competition, and Richie and Tricia Menchavez are from Traktivist Radio, a platform to discover, promote, and historically archive music made by Asian Americans. In summary, they’re all people who listen to a lot of Asian American musicians and can help us find new music that we might not otherwise come across in our daily lives.
Check out "Asian American Music Origin Stories," where they talk about the songs that first piqued their interest in Asian American music. @seanmiura, @danakadan, @mesmix, @traktivist
Books & Boba
(Hosts: Marvin Yueh and Reera Yoo)
If you like the Audio Book Club Podcast from Slate or the Sword & Laser podcast, Books & Boba is a book club and podcast discussion works by Asian and Asian American authors. Listeners can also discuss their monthly picks on the Books & Boba Goodreads Forum. @marvinyueh, @reeraboo
Check out their pilot episode: "Books and Boba #1 - Heroine Complex" about Sarah Kuhn's Asian American superheroine novel.
Fresh Creatives
(Hosts: Marvin Yueh, Chris Dinh, and Porter Duong)
If you like listening to Cool Games Inc or eavesdropping on the creative process, Fresh Creatives is a podcast where hosts Marvin Yueh, Chris Dinh, and Porter Duong source one-sentence story ideas from the public, and through deep insight and improvisational skill, craft a story treatment with special consideration to diverse characters and stories! Pitch an idea to Fresh Creatives at http://bit.ly/PitchFC.
Check out their pilot episode: "Episode 1: The Order of the Potter: The Pottery Barn." @chrisdinh, @porterduong, @marvinyueh
Bullet Train
(Host: Ada Tseng, Producers: Ada Tseng, Craig Stubing and Brian Hu)
If you like Freakonomics, but instead of talking about economics or anything that has a practical influence on your life, you have some really random questions about Asian pop culture -- then Bullet Train is for you.
Each episode is centered around a question. Why aren't there more Asian American women creators on YouTube? What can we learn about love from Japanese romance simulation games? What's up with the "hot mom" phenomenon in China? And the way that it's structured is directly influenced by Freakonomics: Ada is the journalist/host (Stephen Dubner) who has a question, and she consults her resident expert (Brian Hu in the Steve Levitt role) as well as other scholars, fans, or friends who she thinks can help her answer her question.
Check out the most recent episode: What can lip sync battle contestants learn from Bollywood?" @adatseng, @husbrian, @craigstubing
For more, go to PodcastPotluck.com, and get updates on Facebook and Twitter.
