Reception for Asian Academy members, sponsored by East West Bank

 When a group of us –  which included Arthur Dong, Freida Lee Mock, Chris Tashima, and David Magdael – launched a protest against the Academy about its 2016 telecast’s offensive jokes against Asians, it unleashed what seems to be a veritable movement for the Asian-American community.

Many of us signed a letter that went viral, and then we met with Academy leadership.  The result of this has been far greater participation and inclusion in many areas of Academy policy and activities.

We decided one way to bring our community closer together was to have a reception for all new members.  We scrambled and put one together quickly with sponsors.

This year, I approached Dominic Ng, the Chairman of East West Bank as a sponsor. He immediately said yes.  For those who don’t already know, Dominic has led EWB to become the largest bank in LA, the 2nd largest in CA.  He has not only quietly funded billions of dollars in production, he has also been a major influencer with such philanthropists as Eli Broad and Wallis Annenberg.

And he has shown an undying commitment to the Asian-American community, and to bridging China and the US.  He fully recognizes the importance of entertainment and media in bridging the perception/reality gap.

So this is our 2nd Annual Reception for Asian Academy members at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.  Newly elected President John Bailey, CEO Dawn Hudson, and Director of Membership and Awards, Lorenza Munoz all joined.  It was so gratifying to bring in the new, and connect with existing members.