Podcast Brendan Davis Podcast Brendan Davis

NICK CHENG | Not The Original Plan

Nick Cheng is a popular British comedian based in Beijing, and a natural storyteller. And he has some great stories to tell: some are funny, most are fascinating, and a few - discussing a family member's suicide attempts, his coming out while a member of the Royal Navy - are wrenching.

Nick Cheng is a popular British comedian based in Beijing, and a natural storyteller. And he has some great stories to tell: some are funny, most are fascinating, and a few - discussing a family member’s suicide attempts, his coming out while a member of the Royal Navy - are wrenching. But all are worth hearing, and I am glad to share them with you on this very special LAST REGULAR EPISODE of “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom”. Please enjoy!

Nick-1.png

NICK CHENG contact -
Email: nitehawk1704@yahoo.com

SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR listen / learn more below:

APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website/ LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources

Read More
Podcast Brendan Davis Podcast Brendan Davis

LEE CHEN | Acting, Education, & The Benefits of Emigration

Lee Chen is a familiar face on US TV, but her own story is more impressive & incredible than the many shows she's appeared in. For starters, she's probably the only successful Hollywood actor who got their start in a "Chairman Mao Thought" propaganda performance troupe towards the end of the Cultural Revolution in China.

Lee Chen is a familiar face on US TV, but her own story is more impressive & incredible than the many shows she’s appeared in. For starters, she’s probably the only successful Hollywood actor who got their start in a "Chairman Mao Thought" propaganda performance troupe towards the end of the Cultural Revolution in China. She was born in Inner Mongolia, was a founding-class member of the Johns Hopkins Chinese Program at Nanjing University, then moved to the US for grad school - earning two Master’s degrees - and began a dual professional life as an academic and an actor. She landed in Chicago after grad school, and fell into studying acting at the famous Piven Theater Workshop. Lee worked and studied for years, moved to Hawaii for a second Masters, did every theater production she could, and finally moved to Hollywood. Today, Lee has built an eclectic film, TV, & theater career with roles ranging from the dramatic to the absurdly funny. She also worked diligently over a 20 year period to move her ENTIRE family - one by one - over to the US from China. I was lucky to meet Lee when she accepted a role in a small film I produced, and when I heard her incredible story I knew I had to get her on the mic to share it with you, too. I am cross-posting this show "If I Knew You Better" and my original China-focused podcast “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” too, but no matter where you hear it, I hope you enjoy it. DO NOT MISS this one!

IMG_0330.JPG
Read More
Podcast Brendan Davis Podcast Brendan Davis

RAYMOND MA on “If I Knew You Better” | Bonus Episode

To introduce "Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom" listeners to my NEW, globally-focused podcast "If I Knew You Better", I decided to share this particular China-related episode with actor Raymond Ma. Raymond has worked with everyone from Ali Wong & Awkwafina to Chuck Lorre & Aaron Sorkin.

To introduce “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” listeners to my NEW, globally-focused podcast “If I Knew You Better”, I decided to share this particular China-related episode with actor Raymond Ma. Raymond has worked with everyone from Ali Wong & Awkwafina to Chuck Lorre & Aaron Sorkin. He was born in Hong Kong & lives in Los Angeles. He’s talented, kind, and very funny, and if you've seen US television, you've seen Raymond somewhere. His credits include “Lost”, the plays Chinglish and Joy Luck Club, hit comedy “Fresh Off The Boat”, where he played Randall Park’s father, among many other shows. I first became aware of Raymond by name from his recurring in what remains my favorite TV show ever, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” from Aaron Sorkin. 

studio60_107.jpg

Whether on TV with an often hilariously deadpan persona, or sitting with him just chatting, Raymond totally cracks me up. And speaking of funny, his current projects have him working with some of the funniest people in the work the movie Always Be My Maybe, with Ali Wong and Randall Park (again) that comes out in the summer, and recently he’s wrapped roles on the new Chuck Lorre (“Big Bang Theory”) TV pilot, AND a TV commercial with the hilarious Awkwafina.

364bbe1d638d8b2f9753b91dba3d5b5f.jpg

Raymond gets very candid in the talk. We talk about racism and how that has and hasn’t affected him, the value of sometimes subverting racial expectations in the name of art, and he even talks about being homeless for a brief time, which inspired his beautiful, award-winning short film as director and producer titled “I Don’t Have A Phone”.

Raymond Ma on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0530882/

KNEW-logo-iTunes.jpg
Read More
Podcast Brendan Davis Podcast Brendan Davis

BFMK Reboot! | BRENDAN DAVIS

This week I talk about rebooting "Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom", my other show (w/Yingying Li) "How China Works", my NEW show "If I Knew You Better", & I tell a pretty incredible "moving to China / crazy synchronicity" story which I've never told on the mic before. BLOG & LINKS: https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/home/reboot

This week I talk about rebooting “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom”, my other show (w/Yingying Li) “How China Works”, my NEW show “If I Knew You Better”, & I tell a pretty incredible “moving to China / crazy synchronicity" story which I’ve never told on the mic before.

Why?

Because right now is a special moment in history - for China, for everyone who deals with China on the world stage, and for all of us who are affected - whether as casual observers or as active participants with skin in the game. So since there’s so much at stake and so much to talk about, I'm rebooting “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” while I am back IN China for the time being, and will continue to feed it as I travel and meet China-related guests who best fit here.

One such guest is Raymond Ma, an actor in Los Angeles who was born and raised in Hong King. He’s an old friend and he’s last week’s guest on my other solo podcast, “If I Knew You Better”. His interview is one that I think listeners of this show would especially enjoy, so I wanted to mention it here and make you aware of it.

Raymond Ma

I also talk about “How China Works”, the show I co-host and produce with Yingying Li, and some of the great guests we have coming up. Last week’s guest was entrepreneur Chris “Lu Yi” Oniya, this week’s guest is world-renowned monetary policy advisor and consultant Dr. Frank-Jürgen Richter (a former Director of the World Economic Forum, which organizes and hosts the annual conference @ Davos), and we have many more great guests in our archives and coming up as well.

In terms of what’s changing here specifically, my goal for version 2.0 of “BFMK” is to go deeper with a wider range of guests, including those with contrary opinions to my own, such as this week’s upcoming interview with journalist Tom McGregor (a writer who is both pro-China AND pro-Trump, amazingly), in an effort to have more meaningful discussions about things that matter.

In a sentence: for version 2.0, I want “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” to have less of a “my China story” vibe, and to be more of a lasting record of this time we are all living through, regardless of where we call home.

This is a short episode, but it packs a lot of info. I hope you’ll check it out, and that you enjoy it if you do. Thanks!

KNEW-logo-iTunes.jpg

SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR listen / learn more below:
LISTEN - APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website / LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources

Raymond Ma on IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0530882/ 

HCW-LOGO-gold-iTunes.jpg
~ BFMK-ART.JPG
Read More
Podcast Brendan Davis Podcast Brendan Davis

CYNTHIA SANTANA: The Poetry of Emotion

Cynthia Santana is from Boston and she pretty much defines the term "free spirit". She has a background in acting and education, has traveled extensively, and knew she wanted to spend some time living and working abroad.

#053 - The Poetry of Emotion | Cynthia Santana

Cynthia Santana is from Boston and she pretty much defines the term “free spirit”. She has a background in acting and education, has traveled extensively, and knew she wanted to spend some time living and working abroad. Here in Beijing, Cynthia has become a regular at poetry slams around the city, and she is working to put together her own business that puts her poetry on clothing, using commerce to spread a very positive, loving message. Enjoy!

IMG_9909.JPG
IMG_9908.JPG

Please SUBSCRIBE to “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” at Apple Podcasts / iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom/id1237037187?mt=2 or search and subscribe wherever YOU get your podcasts

SPONSOR:
My upcoming e-book LITTLE FISH IN THE BIGGEST POND looks back at the first year of the show and my own favorite China adventures so far. Preorder TODAY to save more than 33% off the pre-launch price! Learn more and preorder at: https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/book/ 

GUEST:
Cynthia Santana on Instagram: boricuainbeijing

“BFMK" HOST / SHOW:
“Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BigFishMiddleKingdom/\
Brendan Davis on WeChat: BrendanDavis
Brendan Davis on Twitter: @VeritasInLux
Other links to LISTEN: https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/podcast-links/

Read More
Podcast Brendan Davis Podcast Brendan Davis

GREGORY JOSEPH ALLEN: Acting on Stage & Screen in China

This week’s guest is stage and screen actor Gregory Joseph Allen. Greg brought a lifetime’s worth of acting training and experience with him when he moved here some years ago from California, and in addition to his own work he now uses his skills and background to teach young actors in Beijing. 

IMG_4812.jpg

Some guests had a very specific goal in mind when they made their first foray to the Middle Kingdom, but Greg talks about moving to China on more of an exploratory impulse and finding his new calling here. I’ve noticed that if you’re lucky, and stick with it through the rough spots, China can do that to you, or maybe I should say, allow you to change yourself in unexpected ways. Good times.

Greg took me back to an upbringing not too unlike parts of my own. We both have fond memories of the now-extinct practice of all the kids in high school (and a few older kids) ”parking” in a big supermarket lot somewhere after a football game or other big school event, and in plain site of everyone, openly drinking beers and being rowdy (but not seriously violent) as they hung out. It was a different world and time, but fun to reminisce about. 

We talk about the differences between city versus country upbringings in the US, and how our mix of experiences informed who we are today and how we relate to China. Having seen enormous growth myself in my lifelong journey first across the US, then to Europe and Africa, and now finally to the Far East, I can relate to things here with a much different lens than if I had been either raised here OR never traveled as I did starting from way back home. Greg’s experience is his (of course) but there are a lot of syncs and parallels between us, which really helped me relate to his story even though it’s not exactly my own.

I really appreciated hearing about Greg’s approach to teaching, namely: how he doesn’t just give out gold ribbons for participation, but actually expects students to make the effort to EXCEL, and he rewards excellent work with appropriate recognition while still encouraging those struggling to find their footing. There is an art to doing this that I tried to find when teaching as well, and I still remember today the teachers I had who succeeded at it with me, so I know what a positive difference that makes.

We talk candidly about our thoughts regarding the norms and changing landscapes here as well as back home - economic, political, societal and cultural, etc - and we also get politically specific, in a new twist for the show. Overall I’d say that it gets pretty damn real, and I beeped a few choice words to keep our “Clean” rating, but I left it alone as much as possible in order to own what I think and to allow Greg the same courtesy. You don’t have to agree with either of us to appreciate the show, but let me know what you think regardless.

On a technical note: I used a slightly looser hand with this edit wherever I could, letting it breath a little more naturally, mostly because I thought Greg’s dramatic or thoughtful pauses added to the honesty of his story. He is a trained storyteller, after all, so I think it flows well but doesn’t feel too long (again, in my opinion). As I keep developing the show, I will keep tweaking my approach. Again - let me know, and I hope you enjoy.

Greg’s reel:
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjgwMTc2ODc4NA==.html?spm=a2h3j.8428770.3416059.1 

The Queen show at Live Aid that Greg referenced:
https://youtu.be/A22oy8dFjqc   
http://ultimateclassicrock.com/queen-live-aid/ 

Brendan Davis on WeChat: 
BrendanDavis

Brendan Davis on Twitter: 
@VeritasInLux

BFMK website:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com

BFMK Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BigFishMiddleKingdom/ 

Other links to LISTEN:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/podcast-links/

SUPPORT BFMK via PayPal or WeChat:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/donate/ 

BFMK PayPal direct DONATION link: 
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=K5W6EANCYSQHU

Read More
Podcast Brendan Davis Podcast Brendan Davis

AUGUSTA XU-HOLLAND: Acting With Purpose

#018 - Acting With Purpose | Augusta Xu-Holland

This week's guest is Augusta Xu-Holland. Augusta is from New Zealand, and she came to China originally to be involved in the renewable energy sector here. And like many foreigners before her, she found herself presented with opportunities to appear in film and television. But unlike most of the others, Augusta found success attaining larger and larger roles fairly early into her career here, and she is now a very busy professional actress. She also continues her work in the energy field and can increasingly use her growing profile in the arts to serve as an ambassador for her scientific interests.

This was a particularly enjoyable conversation for me on many levels. Regular listeners to the show know that I have a lot of friends and connections to New Zealand, so discovering NZ overlap between Augusta and I was a treat. But speaking strictly in a professional context, Augusta has a real insider's view of well the film and TV industry works here from an actor's perspective, so hearing her take on the ins and outs of the business was very enlightening for me and I think it will be interesting for you as well. As a special treat, Augusta runs through a handy check list of tips, tricks, and advice for people looking to work as talent in China and discusses some of the resources one needs to be familiar with to do so. But even if you're listening to this episode from a couch in Birmingham, Alabama, there's a lot to relate to, so I hope you enjoy it!

JLNB2138.jpg
Read More