Mark your calendars! ASSC's 15th U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit and Game Changer Awards will be held on November 12, 2024, at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. We are thrilled to honor Asia Entertainment Game Changers, again this fall, along with our signature Summit featuring industry leaders and creatives discussing the salient issues and opportunities shaping the entertainment landscape.

ASSC is delighted to announce that the actor and director Joan Chen, who recently starred in the Sundance Film Festival Award-winning film, Dìdi, co-writer and one of the directors of Moana 2 Dana Ledoux Miller, the cast and crew of FX's record-breaking 18 Emmy Award-winning TV series Shōgun, Grammy-winning and six-time Latin Grammy-winning producer Tainy, and CEO of Pony Canyon USA and the President and CEO of Pony Canyon Music Publishing Yumi Yokoo will be honored as Asia Entertainment Game Changers.

Joan Chen, who played the mother of a skater kid growing up in the Bay Area, is unequivocally the soul of Dìdi. The film is as much a touching family story between a mother and son as it is a coming-of-age movie, and the veteran actor with nearly fifty years in her craft has imbued her character, Chungsing, with immense depth and complexity. The unfulfilled and unseen mother, artist, daughter-in-law, and wife channeled by Chen radiates with her gentle gaze toward her son. As a groundbreaking international actor in films, in addition to her role in Dìdi, such as The Little Flower, The Last Emperor, Lust, Caution, and Twin Peaks and director of Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl and Autumn in New York, she has paved the way for the countless number of people of Asian descent who have followed in her footsteps to break into the industry. 

As the co-founder of the non-profit organization Pasifika Entertainment Advancement Komiti (PEAK), Dana Ledoux Miller is a community leader who supports and elevates Pacific Islander talent in entertainment. PEAK's inception originated from her desire to fill the void of Pacific Islander representation across the industry (according to a USC Annenberg study conducted in 2021, 94.2% of the 1,300 films studied did not include a single Pacific Islander in a leading or speaking role). By providing resources for creatives to tell their stories, the Samoan American writer, producer, director, and showrunner helps foster nuanced and diverse narratives of Melanesian, Micronesian, and Polynesian cultures – vital for moving the needle toward better inclusion and portrayal of the Pacific Islander communities.

History was made with Anna Sawai being the first Asian performer to win an Emmy for lead actress in a drama series and Hiroyuki Sanada obtaining an Emmy for lead drama actor, being the first Japanese and second Asian male performer for this recognition. Sanada also shared an Emmy as a producer for the show. Adapted from James Clavell's novel, Shōgun, a story set in feudal Japan, is a tour de force that sets a new bar for the representation of Japanese people and culture in entertainment. The collaboration of the international cast & crew has been integral to manifesting the magical place of precise authenticity enhanced by sublime artistic license. Having reached a vast audience across the U.S. and Japan, the show has become a cultural phenomenon and is charting paths toward better cross-cultural understanding.  Co-creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo will be accepting the recognition at the Awards dinner.

With his recent debut album as an artist partnering with major Japanese creatives, Tainy, credited for transforming Latin American music and known for producing hits with artists Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Rauw Alejandro, Yandel, Rosalía, Selena Gomez, Shawn Mendes, and more, shows With his recent debut album as an artist partnering with major Japanese creatives, Tainy, credited for transforming Latin American music and known for producing hits with Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Rauw Alejandro, Yandel, Rosalía, Selena Gomez, Shawn Mendes, and more, shows the world that his music has no limits or bounds. DATA is inspired by anime, a prominent part of Tainy's upbringing, and series such as Evangelion still influence him today. Conceptualized on the idea of a cyborg named Sena coming to life with emotions and memories fed through music –  an ode to the iconic 1995 anime Ghost in the Shell – the album features artwork by the sci-fi movie's acclaimed art director Hiromasa Ogura. The Grammy-nominated first song “obstáculo,” co-produced by the in-demand Tomoko Ida, opens with a Japanese folk track, adding nuanced sounds to this unique Latin American and Japanese musical collaboration. Earlier this month, he was featured in the music collective Millennium Parade's new single "Kizao," continuing to deepen his ties with Japanese artists. As the personification of Neon16's motto "Fear nothing, impact everything," Tainy boldly, thoughtfully, and artfully connects people of disparate nationalities and cultures. 
 

With her vision and leadership at the Japanese entertainment company Pony Canyon Group, Yumi Yokoo has been instrumental in the impressive growth of its global businesses. Pony Canyon Group is a subsidiary of one of the biggest media conglomerates in Japan, Fuji Media Holdings, which holds ¥146,200 million in capital. Yokoo's keen eye for a worldwide audience led to the launch of Pony Canyon's international anime and music sales. Its wildly popular anime Attack on Titan is described in The New York Times as "one of the defining shows of the modern anime era." In music, she introduced a new generation of listeners across the world to the Japanese 70's-80's music genre City Pop. Among Pony Canyon's artist roster is Miki Matsubara, whose 1979 hit single "Stay with Me," shot up on Spotify charts in 2020 and became a familiar sound on TikTok, with the song being used more than 200,000 times on its platform. Having a thumb on the pulse of pop culture and fandom, Yokoo is currently working on high-profile projects to expand Attack on Titan’s music and concerts globally.

DAYTIME SUMMIT 

At our daytime programming, experts and creatives will delve into their creative journeys and salient issues in entertainment for our daytime program. Don't miss the lively conversations and special presentations from this extraordinary lineup.

AGENDA

2:00pm Daytime Summit Registration Opens

2:30pm AWE (Asian Women Empowered): The Power of Creator and Content Marketing
Paris Berelc, Actor, Producer & Activist 
Paravi, Singer/Songwriter, Actor & Creative 
Sulhee Jessica Woo, Content Creator & Bento Box Queen
Julie Zhan, Actor, Writer & Filmmaker 
Moderated by Jade Alex, Executive Director of Events & Global Publicity, 
Warner Bros. Pictures 

The panelists will discuss engaging and connecting with viewers through content, as well as journeying through opportunities and growth. Possessing a sizeable following, their unique, nuanced, and authentic voices have a significant impact and influence on today's content marketing.

3:05pm Production in Australia 
presented by the Consulate General of Australia in Los Angeles
Amanda Annamalay Jochum, Australian Deputy Consul-General in Los Angeles 
Erin Stam, Executive Vice President of International Production, Ausfilm

The presentation will introduce production opportunities and incentives in Australia.

3:30pm Navigating New Media Finance
Joey Jia, Founder & CEO, Crazy Maple Studio 
Bennett Pozil, Executive Vice President & Head of Corporate Banking 
and Greater China, East West Bank 
Sophia Yen, Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Moderated by Michael Krider, Founder & CEO, Wyld  

The conversation will examine the intersection of new technology and entertainment finance, the impact of short-form media on content consumption, and the strategic approaches essential for financing, producing, and distributing entertainment amid today’s rapidly changing landscape.

4:00pm Fandom: Community & Connection in a New Generation
John Aoshima, Co-Director, Ultraman: Rising, Netflix
Jane Wu, Director & Executive Producer, Blue Eye Samurai, Netflix     
Emmett Yonemura, Director, X-Men ‘97, Marvel Studios
Moderated by Patrick Lee, Co-Founder & CEO, Fanverse and former 
Co-Founder & Founding CEO, Rotten Tomatoes

The three directors will discuss the varied facets of their recent projects which involve established and new IPs that come from different places of origin, but all have the magnetic force to draw in dedicated viewers.

4:35pm Short Film Screening: Summons
starring Jimmy O. Yang & Alexandra Shipp

4:50pm Summons: Charting New Paths in Filmmaking
Ken Cheng, Writer, Director & Producer, Summons
James Shin, President of Film & Television, HYBE America/SB Projects 
and Producer, Summons
Moderated by Jeff Yang, Bestselling Author, Journalist & Screenwriter  

Following the screening, the filmmaker and producer will talk about their unique take on the fifteen-minute romantic comedy.

5:30pm Summit Closes

AWARDS DINNER

AGENDA

6:00pm Red Carpet & Cocktail Reception

7:00pm Awards Dinner
Honoring Asia Entertainment Game Changers

Joan Chen, Actor, Dìdi
Dana Ledoux Miller, Co-Writer & Director, Moana 2
Shōgun, Eighteen Emmy-winning TV series – with Co-Creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo
Tainy, Grammy-winning & Six-time Latin Grammy-winning Producer
Yumi Yokoo, CEO Pony Canyon USA and President & CEO, Pony Canyon Music Publishing

Featuring Nazanin Boniadi, TOMOKO IDA, Patrick Lee, Bird Runningwater, and Sean Wang

Emceed by Kara Wang

Performances by Sameer Gadhia and Guap

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SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

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Contact us at [email protected] for information and other inquiries.