2022 Summit Schedule

Join Asia Society Southern California for the 13th Annual U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit & Game Changer Awards! This year’s event will take place on October 30, 2022 featuring high-level keynote conversations and panel discussions.

AWE Luncheon (Invitation Only)

12:30 - 2:00 p.m.

U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit

Registration

1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Summit Opening

2:00 - 2:05 p.m.

How Asia Markets Changed and What it Means for Hollywood

2:05 - 2:35 p.m.

  • Apoorva Bakshi, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Golden Karavan, Awedacious Originals
  • Lindsay Conner, Partner, O'Melveny
  • Erika North, Head of Asia-Pacific Originals, Amazon Studios
  • Bennett Pozil, Executive Vice President, East West Bank

Moderator: Patrick Frater, Asia Editor, Variety

Keynote Spotlight

2:35 - 2:50 p.m.

  • Peter Ho-Sun Chan, Director, Producer
  • Patrick Frater, Asia Editor, Variety

Asian Women Empowered: Wavemakers in Animation

2:50 - 3:30 p.m.

AWE: Wavemakers in Animation forum will feature Asian women creatives making great achievements in animation – especially in recent years, where there has been increased visibility in AAPI representation. Being at the forefront of AAPI representation in animation, this circle of women have pushed outside familiar conventional narratives. Their impact is felt beyond the entertainment industry as their contributions affect traditionally underrepresented viewers around the world. With their profound list of titles, they have paved the way for new possibilities in animated content. 

  • Adele Lim, Screenwriter, (Crazy Rich Asians, Raya and the Last Dragon)
  • Jennifer Yuh Nelson Director (Kung Fu Panda 2)
  • Domee Shi, Writer, Director, and Creative VP, Pixar Animation Studios (Bao, Turning Red)
  • Janet Wu, Director in Film, Animation, Content, Netflix

Moderator: Ramsey Naito, President of Animation, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation

Coffee Break

3:30 - 3:45 p.m.

Honoree's Fireside Chat

3:45 - 4:10 p.m.

A Fireside Chat with Bowen Yang, comedian, writer, actor and the first Chinese American cast member of Saturday Night Live, for which he has been nominated for multiple Emmys, and Andrew Ahn, director of Fire Island, which stars Yang alongside a talented and diverse cast.

Evolution of Entertainment

4:10 - 4:50 p.m.

Entertainment and technology have always been at the forefront of innovation, and where imagination turns into reality. Streaming broke the paradigm of how people consume entertainment, and now, with the emergence of Web3 and the metaverse, how do industry leaders envision the future? The panel will discuss Video on Demand distribution systems in an increasingly competitive market, interconnected streaming devices, as well as the role of social platforms, and how the decentralized web can shape the trajectory of digital media. 

  • Randy Ahn, Head of Subscriptions, Roku
  • Jason Kwong, Chief Innovation Officer, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment 
  • Rebecca Liao, CEO and Co-Founder, Saga
  • Tina Trankiem, Global Marketing Lead for Entertainment & Music Partnerships Marketing, Meta

Moderator: Heidi Chung, Media Analyst and Correspondent, Variety Intelligence Platform

Spotlight on Showrunners

4:50 - 5:30 p.m.

In a shifting television industry landscape, where the sheer number of shows make standout programs hard to find, discovering a binge-worthy series makes the search all the more rewarding. Behind the scenes, showrunners develop compelling stories to fruition on screen, but connecting to an audience is easier said than done, especially among the plethora of options available today across platforms in tv's Golden Age.

  • Jessica Gao, Showrunner, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
  • Georgia Lee, Showrunner, Partner Track
  • Alan Yang, Showrunner, Master of None, Loot

Moderator: Piya Sinha-Roy, Entertainment Journalist, Editor

Summit Closing

5:30 - 5:35 p.m.

Gala Reception

6:00 - 7:00 p.m. 

Entertainment Game Changer Awards Dinner

Gala Opening

7:00 - 7:05 p.m.

Marvel Studios' Ms. Marvel Award Acceptance

7:05 - 7:10 p.m.

Park Chan-wook Award Acceptance

7:10 -7:15 p.m. 

88rising Award Acceptance

7:15 -7:30 p.m.

Dinner 

7:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Asian Comedy Spotlight Award Acceptance

8:00 - 8:15 p.m.

  • Sherry Cola
  • Bowen Yang 
  • Jimmy O. Yang 

Everything Everywhere All at Once Award Acceptance

8:15 - 8:20 p.m.

Artist Performance 

8:20 - 8:30 p.m.

  • Paravi

Career Achievement Award Janet Yang Acceptance

8:30 - 8:40 p.m.

Fireside Chat

8:40 - 8:55 p.m. 

  • Janet Yang
  • Bing Chen

Gala Closing

8:55 - 9:00 p.m.