STEVE “CAPTAIN HOFF” HOFFMAN | From Hollywood to Silicon Valley to China
Millions of people in the tech & startup world know Steve Hoffman as “Captain Hoff” from Foundersspace, a leading incubator from Silicon Valley that is now omnipresent throughout China. But very few people know that his FIRST career was as a development executive in Hollywood, and this is the first time Steve’s talked about all this in-depth since beginning his China adventures.
The lessons he's learned from his success shaping startups & stories are invaluable, & applicable regardless of your vocation or location.
I especially love his closing thoughts: “Are you putting your time into the most important things? Given who you are and where you are in your life, what's the most value you can be creating for the people around you and the world around you, and can you focus your energies on that instead of getting distracted by all these other things?”
This was a very fun and special conversation, so I hope you check it out.
STEVE HOFFMAN links -
Foundersspace:
WEB: http://www.foundersspace.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/foundersspace/
“Make Elephants Fly” Book: https://www.foundersspace.com/make-elephants-fly/
Steve Hoffman on “How China Works”: http://bigfishmiddlekingdom.libsyn.com/005-silicon-valley-with-chinese-characteristics-steven-captain-hoff-hoffman
Steve Hoffman on “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom”: http://howchinaworks.libsyn.com/043-steve-hoffman-aka-captain-hoff-yingying-li-brendan-davis
SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR listen / learn more at 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
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. 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!
LEE CHEN on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2011738/
SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers or 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
“How China Works”: LISTEN - APPLE: https://tinyurl.com/HowChinaWorks-iTunes / ANDROID: http://howchinaworks.libsyn.com / SOUNDCLOUD: https://tinyurl.com/HowChinaWorks-Soundcloud / STITCHER: https://tinyurl.com/hcw-stitcher / WEB PLAYER: https://www.howchinaworkspodcast.com
“Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom”: APPLE: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom/id1237037187?mt=2 / SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/brendan-davis-2 / STITCHER: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/brendan-davis/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom / WEB PLAYER: http://bigfishmiddlekingdom.libsyn.com
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. 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.
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.
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/
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
“Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” LISTEN - APPLE: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom/id1237037187?mt=2 / SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/brendan-davis-2 / STITCHER: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/brendan-davis/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom / WEB PLAYER: http://bigfishmiddlekingdom.libsyn.com
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.
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!
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/
“How China Works”:
LISTEN - APPLE: https://tinyurl.com/HowChinaWorks-iTunes / ANDROID: http://howchinaworks.libsyn.com / SOUNDCLOUD: https://tinyurl.com/HowChinaWorks-Soundcloud / STITCHER: https://tinyurl.com/hcw-stitcher / WEB PLAYER: https://www.howchinaworkspodcast.com
“Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom”:
APPLE: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom/id1237037187?mt=2 / SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/brendan-davis-2 / STITCHER: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/brendan-davis/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom / WEB PLAYER: http://bigfishmiddlekingdom.libsyn.com
Chinese New Year 2018's Record-Breaking MOVIE BOX OFFICE (CGTN)
Thanks to my friends at CGTN for another opportunity to appear on their international arts & entertainment show "Culture Express"! I added my two cents to the lead story about the record-smashing Chinese New Year box office, right at the top of the episode. Fun fun!
Watch the archived show HERE: CGTN's "Culture Express" - Friday, February 23, 5:30PM CST
Appearance on CGTN's "CULTURE EXPRESS": January 15, 2018
I just popped up on CGTN's "Culture Express" again today my time, this time adding my two cents' worth on The Last Jedi's massive China fail, Coco's historic success, the impact of the Chinese market on Hollywood, and what a winning strategy must consider moving forward.
You can check out the segment here: https://news.cgtn.com/news/7a6b6a4e78677a6333566d54/share.html
Thanks again for having me, Jennifer and Stella!
LIVE Event: "BECOMING AN ENTREPRENEUR FOR LIFE"
Bonus Episode, Nov 25, 2017 - “Becoming an Entrepreneur For Life” | Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO), Beijing Sanlitun chapter
Today I am happy to share another special LIVE episode with you, a panel presentation on the topic of "Becoming an Entrepreneur For Life”. The event was sponsored by the EO Beijing Sanlitun chapter, and was recorded from the naked HUB in Sanlitun.
For more information on the numerous speakers and sponsors, please search them using the information below. Enjoy!
Speakers:
Mike Wester (host) - Founder & CEO, True Run Media
Claudia Masueger - Founder & CEO, CHEERS Wines
Katherine Lui - Founder & Managing Partner, CanAsia Consulting
Christopher Dobbing - Founder & CEO, Cambridge Masks
Stacy Palestrant - Founder & CEO, Elite Scholars of China
AJ Warner - Co-Founder & Board Member, Touchdown!
Sponsors:
EO Beijing Sanlitun
naked HUB
Gung-Ho Pizza
CHEERS Wines
Awa Health
EO Beijing Sanlitun contact (AJ Warner):
email - ajwarner@touchdown.org.cn
WeChat - ajwarner
Entrepreneurs' Organization:
https://www.eonetwork.org
Ronald Paredes (“BFMK” logo):
WeChat, Instagram, Facebook - mundosanto
Brendan Davis on WeChat:
BrendanDavis
Brendan Davis on Twitter:
@VeritasInLux
BFMK website:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com
Other links to LISTEN:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/podcast-links/
SUPPORT BFMK via PayPal or WeChat:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/donate/
CORO URDANETA: Interior Architecture in China
#026 - Interior Architecture in China | Coro Urdaneta
My guest this week is architect Coro Urdaneta. Much like previous guest Ronald Paredes, Coro left the upheaval in Venezuela to seek a better life for herself. Her first stop was Miami in the US, but China was next, and in 6 short years Coro has established herself very well in Beijing with her work designing the interior architecture of Moka Bros, the Q-Mex Taqueria, La Social, Mosto, and many other local F&B standouts.
In “small world” news, I happened to meet her youngest brother Rafael last night while out and about. The expat community here in Beijing is very close-knit, and the more I dive into it, the smaller it becomes as well.
Links to contact Coro or me or to find out more about the show are below. Enjoy!
CoroMoto website:
coromotoad.com
Brendan Davis on WeChat:
BrendanDavis
Brendan Davis on Twitter:
@VeritasInLux
BFMK website:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com
Other links to LISTEN:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/podcast-links/
SUPPORT BFMK via PayPal or WeChat:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/donate/
STEVE BARR: Screenwriting and Producing in L.A., New Zealand, and Beijing
#006 - Screenwriting and Producing in L.A., New Zealand, and Beijing | Steve Barr
“Over the last 30 years, they (China) have raised more people out of poverty than ever before in the history of the human race, which is amazing. (Most of) the young people in China have such an optimistic view of the future because their life has gotten better every single year.” - Steve Barr
This week’s episode was recorded on location from the 2017 Shanghai Film Festival, but the guest is one of my best friends from L.A. Steve Barr is a writer, producer, and occasional actor who has worked and traveled extensively throughout and between the very different film industries in Los Angeles, China, and New Zealand. His recent credits in one or more of those capacities include Born to Dance, Chronesthesia, Hang Time, and the remake of Pete’s Dragon, in which he had a small but memorable supporting role.
In this interview, Steve discusses the unique challenges and opportunities inherent to the various filmmaking systems, and he explains his working process with a level of detail and candor that will be especially useful to anyone working in a creative industry such as film. He also shares lessons and thoughts that will particularly resonate with anyone who’s spent significant time in China, but which are applicable to travelers in foreign lands regardless.
We cover a lot of ground in this one. As we say in the interview, I want to give full disclosure upfront that Steve and I are not only long time friends, but that we are and have been business colleagues in all three countries, too. Steve was a part of my previous company based in L.A., we are currently partners in a film production company in New Zealand with our friend Andy Conlan, and the partners in my Beijing film company hired him to write the screenplay for an upcoming historical epic film of ours. Steve is now part of that company too, so there are a lot of interrelationships here. Still, we make a serious effort to not be overly self-serving, as the goal of discussing some of our projects past and present is not promotional, but educational and practical. Because we have lots of shared real-world examples to draw from in our discussion, it helps us to be much more real than if we stayed strictly theoretical.
The episode is now available on Apple Podcasts, on most of the popular Android / Google apps, on the Chinese service Ximalaya - please search it in your favorite of those places - and of course on the Podcast player here. Of course I’m biased, but I do think it’s a fun conversation, and I hope you enjoy it! Please tell a friend, subscribe, or send me feedback below as you like.
"BFMK" Website:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com
Brendan Davis on Twitter:
@VeritasInLux
Steve Barr on Twitter:
@BarrSteve
Steve Barr writing website (with Casey Zilbert):
http://www.scwheelbarrow.com
Carl King (composer):
http://carlkingdom.com