Podcast Brendan Davis Podcast Brendan Davis

BRENDAN DAVIS | Big Finale in the Middle Kingdom

Okay! All good things must come to an end, and in this - the last episode of "Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom" - I say THANK YOU to many of the people who've helped me make it as good as it can be.

Okay! All good things must come to an end, and in this - the last episode of “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” - I say THANK YOU to many of the people who’ve helped me make it as good as it can be. The catalog of over 120 shows will stay live forever, but to hear me on NEW shows, please search and visit “If I Knew You Better” or “How China Works”.

Thanks for over 2 great years!

Brendan

MORE: https://www.crazyinagoodway.com

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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

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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!

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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

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MICHAEL NAKAN | Strengthening the China-UK Creative Connection

Michael Nakan is the founder of Clipper Media Capital, a London-based production and consulting company. He cut his Hollywood teeth on the US version of "House of Cards" and then in NYC at HBO before returning home to the UK. He's also established a China office of his UK firm and is successfully bridging the gap between the two markets.

Michael Nakan is the founder of Clipper Media Capital, a London-based production and packaging company. He cut his Hollywood teeth on the US version of “House of Cards” and then in NYC at HBO before returning home to the UK to work in development for DARKEST HOUR director Joe Wright. He's also established a China office of his UK firm and is successfully bridging the gap between the two markets. A great talk!

MICHAEL NAKAN / Clipper Media Capital: https://www.clippermedia.co.uk

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

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STEVEN D. KATZ | Writing A Classic, Teaching Michael Jackson, & More

Steve Katz has possibly the eclectic background and resume of anyone I've ever spoken to. His early influences in the 1960s, like Ray Harryhausen and Famous Monsters magazine, mixed with watching rehearsals at the nearby Westport Country Playhouse with visiting directors like Woody Allen to the influence and support of his parents to propel him into an artistic life from the very beginning.

Steve Katz has possibly the most eclectic background and resume of anyone I’ve ever spoken to. His early influences in the 1960s, like Ray Harryhausen and Famous Monsters magazine, mixed with watching rehearsals at the nearby Westport Country Playhouse with visiting directors like Woody Allen to the influence and support of his parents to propel him into an artistic life from the very beginning. That led him to, among other things: learning film cameras via a cousin in New York who worked on TV shows like “Car 54, Where Are You?”; putting together psychedelic light shows in NYC at places like the Fillmore East and working with bands like The Grateful Dead, The Doors, The Byrds, and Sly & The Family Stone starting at age 19; playing bluegrass banjo; working on John McTiernan’s first film; befriending “Saturday Night Live” writing legend Michael O’Donoghue and seeing a legendary short film he directed, “The Clams”, go on to open a season of “SNL” and catch a big break as a TV writer; he continued to work and grow and eventually established himself as a writer-director-producer in Hollywood; created the first digital previz on the feature Clear and Present Danger; and eventually, all his experience brought him to - yes - China, where he has been involved in many projects big and small. But of all the references I just name-checked, the one that originally cemented Steve’s name in my mind back in the day was that he wrote a truly legendary cinema book called Film Directing: Shot by Shot, published by the then-upstart Michael Weise Productions. It was released in 1992, which is when I was in film school, and it instantly became required reading in my Film Production courses! It’s familiar blue cover was updated a few years ago to announce the new, 25th anniversary edition, which was freshly and thoroughly revised for the digital age. It’s easily the film book I have gifted to more people than any other, and it was a real treat to get to hear some of Steve’s stories in-depth. Among the crazy but true tales already mentioned, we scratch the surface on Steve’s several engagements as Michael Jackson’s personal filmmaking tutor - a story he has NEVER told before! Steve was resident at the Neverland Ranch for months at a time, was flown into luxury hotels to work with the star, sometimes just watching movies late at night. He also saw things in his time around MJ that will likely merit another show entirely, but we will have much more on that topic another day. We even overlap on his interest in the intersection between art and neuroscience, among many other wonky and highly specific topics. To top it off, he’s also a good friend of one of my best friends, Kevin Geiger, so the “small world” meter is off the charts with this one for me. More on all that later. For now, though, you can visit the blog post at https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources for links, contact information, and I hope you enjoy this epic conversation with Steven Katz!

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STEVEN KATZ links:
BOOK - Film Directing: Shot by Shot - 25th Anniversary Edition: Visualizing from Concept to Screen by Steven D. Katz: https://mwp.com/product/film-directing-shot-shot-25th-anniversary-edition-visualizing-concept-screen/
WEB - https://www.shotbyshotbook.com

SEARCHIf I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR LISTEN here - 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

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KEVIN GEIGER | Revenge of the Fretful Laowai Radio Hour!

Returning champion Kevin Geiger (Magic Dumpling, Peewee Frog; ex-Disney) is back for another freewheeling China chat! We start with an outline and let it rip from there. Big fun, and a big reason I rebooted the podcast.

Returning champion Kevin Geiger (Magic Dumpling, Peewee Frog; ex-Disney) is back for another freewheeling China chat! We start with an outline and let it rip from there. Big fun, and a big reason I rebooted the podcast. We talk about returning home & expat ennui (hence the “Fretful Laowai” show handle), our new projects, how to (and how NOT to) package and produce a feature film (note: it really helps if you hire a rockstar cinematographer, and then he brings on partners who’ve worked on Green Book, the latest Star Wars, Interstellar, etc) and lastly: how to tell if you’ve been in China for too damn long. Enjoy!

KEVIN GEIGER links:
Peewee Frog books http://peeweefrog.com/news.html
Magic Dumpling Entertainment www.magicdumpling.com
Huhu Studios http://huhustudios.com
《神隐桃花源》“Shen Yin Tao Hua Yuan” / “Hidden in the Peach Blossom Garden” https://www.awn.com/blog/breaking-boundaries-beijing


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

“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

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TOM McGREGOR | Pro-Trump AND Pro-China

Tom McGregor is a widely-read China journalist from Dallas, Texas living in Beijing. His upcoming book US vs. China: From Trade War to Reciprocal Deal (being published under his given last name Pauken) draws on his experiences being both very pro-Trump AND pro-China.

Tom McGregor is a widely-read China journalist from Dallas, Texas living in Beijing. His upcoming book US vs. China: From Trade War to Reciprocal Deal (being published under his given last name Pauken) draws on his experiences being both very pro-Trump AND pro-China. Our views diverge at the expected point, but we have the kind of respectful chat which we both agree we’d like to hear more of, so I hope you’ll check it out.

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CARL KING | Creating Your Own Path (series finale)

CARL KING is a true polymath: someone who's professionally good at many things. He's a screenwriter, published book author, composer, engineer, director, producer, & more. Carl has worked with numerous legends in the progressive music and geek culture scenes, including Dweezil Zappa, Steve Vai, Kevin Smith, the late Jon Schnepp, Brendon Small, and many others.

CARL KING is a true polymath: someone who’s professionally good at many things. He’s a screenwriter, published book author, composer, engineer, director, producer, & more. Carl has worked with numerous legends in the progressive music and geek culture scenes, including Dweezil Zappa, Steve Vai, Kevin Smith, the late Jon Schnepp, Brendon Small, and many others. And among his massive credits list, Carl created our theme music! So since Carl’s work (with drums by Mike Stone!) is the FIRST thing you hear on this podcast, I thought it made sense to have him on as my LAST regular guest on the show, too. Wait - last show, you say? What!? More details in the show. Enjoy! 

CARL KING links:
WEBhttp://carlkingdom.com
MUSIChttps://shop.carlkingdom.com/collections/digital-downloads/products/sir-millard-mulch-how-to-sell-collection-2-failure-digital-download

MIKE STONE on Drums!
https://www.facebook.com/mike.stone1

BFMK Links:
APPLE
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom/id1237037187?mt=2 
SOUNDCLOUDhttps://soundcloud.com/brendan-davis-2 
STITCHERhttps://www.stitcher.com/podcast/brendan-davis/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom 
WEB PLAYERhttp://bigfishmiddlekingdom.libsyn.com

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BRENDAN DAVIS | 2019 Kickoff, aka My Birthday Show

Welcome to 2019! I'm jumping the show numbers ahead to reflect the actual number of shows released so far. And I'm in Los Angeles this week & for awhile in general, so I'm making some other changes & expanding the idea of what's possible.

Welcome to 2019! I'm in Los Angeles this week & for awhile in general, so I’m making some other changes & expanding the idea of what’s possible. Check out today’s show, which doubles as my January solocast, to hear all the latest. Cheers!

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KEVIN GEIGER | “Return of The Fretful Laowai Radio Hour"

On this special lucky Holiday Edition of the show (#88!), Kevin Geiger and I talk about: his wife Wen's recent award-winning VR project on the Dunhuang Caves, the value and necessity of offshore creative development, his new children's book, my writing ambitions, upcoming LA and Paris trips, and the future of this show - including a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT.

#088: KEVIN GEIGER | “Return of The Fretful Laowai Radio Hour"

On this special lucky Holiday Edition of the show (#88!), Kevin Geiger and I talk about: his wife Wen Feng’s recent award-winning VR project on the Dunhuang Caves, the value and necessity of offshore creative development, his new children’s book, my writing ambitions, upcoming LA and Paris trips, and the future of this show - including a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. Enjoy! 

Kevin Geiger / Wen Feng LINKS:
Dunhuang VR project: https://www.awn.com/blog/three-keys-compelling-vr

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BONNY BUNNY’S BABY BROTHER:
“Bonny Bunny’s world was PERFECT... until her baby brother BILLY came into it.”
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/bonny-bunnys-baby-brother/id1444540255
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KXKMKKB

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SPONSOR - SPECIAL HOLIDAY OFFER!
Get “The Complete Podcasting Course” or give it as a GIFT for only $12 US!
Visit the link here to use my couple code: https://www.udemy.com/complete-podcasting-course/?couponCode=HOLIDAY_SPECIAL

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FIND the “How China Works” podcast with Yingying Li & Brendan Davis at APPLEhttps://tinyurl.com/HowChinaWorks-iTunes / STITCHER: https://tinyurl.com/hcw-stitcher / SOUNDCLOUDhttps://tinyurl.com/HowChinaWorks-Soundcloud / ANDROIDhttp://howchinaworks.libsyn.com / WEBhttps://www.howchinaworkspodcast.com

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ELLIOTT ZAAGMAN | Tech Writing & Leadership Training in China

To lift directly from his LinkedIn, which says it far better than I ever could: Elliott Zaagman is best known as an executive coach, corporate trainer, and writer who focuses on how Chinese leaders and organizations interact with their global employees and the public.

To lift directly from his LinkedIn, which says it far better than I ever could: Elliott Zaagman is best known as an executive coach, corporate trainer, and writer who focuses on how Chinese leaders and organizations interact with their global employees and the public. He focuses on leadership development, HR, and PR and is both an enthusiastic evangelist for, and honest critic of, China's tech industry. 

Elliott is wicked smart and insightful, very funny, and we have one of the most real conversations - ranging from the curious debt structures in many Chinese businesses to the notable underrepresentation of Asian faces at the Bilderberg Meetings - that I've had on the show. Great talk. Enjoy!

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This week’s show is sponsored by “The Complete Podcasting Course”, my new learning program on Udemy.com. Find it via the link in the show notes, and if you want a discount coupon to get the course for only $10 USD, contact me and I’ll hook you up.

Please SUBSCRIBE to “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” and rate / leave a nice REVIEW 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: 
“The Complete Podcasting Course”
https://www.udemy.com/complete-podcasting-course/learn/v4/overview

GUEST Links:
Elliott Zaagman on Twitter: 
@ElliottZaagman
Elliott Zaagman on LinkedIn: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliott-zaagman
Read: 
https://technode.com/2018/09/13/chinas-tech-is-addicted-to-debt/

“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/

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CHRISLYN CHOO: Storytelling & Identity

Chrislyn Choo is a storyteller, which takes shape in the form of writing, photojournalism, video, and in her daily life. She's young but already highly accomplished, with a degree in Neuroscience from Duke University and a regional Emmy-award for her work documenting the harvesting of clean energy from pickle water - which I had no idea was even a thing!

#047 - Storytelling & Identity | Chrislyn Choo

This week’s guest is Chrislyn Choo. Chrislyn is a storyteller, which takes shape in the form of writing, photojournalism, video, and in her daily life. She’s young but already highly accomplished, with a degree in Neuroscience from Duke University and a regional Emmy-award for her work documenting the harvesting of clean energy from pickle water - which I had no idea was even a thing! She’s also a curious inquirer of different cultures and a dedicated student of the nature of identity. Chrislyn is on a still-evolving identity reclamation project of her own, currently on a mission to discover the parts of herself that have strong roots in China, and we had a really fast but thought-provoking conversation ranging from identity issues to dealing with the effects of generational trauma, and more.

What’s funny is that what was planned as essentially a mentoring meeting turned into an impromptu interview request. I first met Chrislyn at the EO event that I posted a recording of last week, and was struck by just how present and engaged she was in serious issues, but with a sense of humor and perspective that seemed pretty unique to me. As far as having her on the show, as we started talkign in our meeting yesterday I realized that she’s on a unique China adventure herself, and I thought her story would be relatable to a lot of people now, and to more and more as people like her - Americans and other foreigners who are ethnically part of the Chinese diaspora returns home to rediscover their Asian roots - so I was very happy to invite her to share it here. Enjoy.

This episode of “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” is brought to you in part by our sponsor, Stackry. Stackry is the global leader in international parcel forwarding from the US to anywhere in the world. The way it works is that you shop at any US retailer, have your packages shipped to your Stackry address, and once everything has arrived, Stackry consolidates your stuff and ships it to you anywhere in the world, even China, saving you up to 80% of the shipping costs versus shipping things directly from the store. Stackry provides free storage, same day consolidation of your packages, and a tax-free US address for you to use. Sign up TODAY via the link below, and use the offer code BIGFISH at the checkout to save 10% off your first shipment. 

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:
Stackry “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” sign-up link: http://bit.ly/BigFish2018 or (if bit.ly doesn’t work for you) https://www.stackry.com/?utm_source=Big_Fish&utm_medium=Campaign&utm_term=10%25

Use the offer code BIGFISH at the checkout, and save 10% off your first shipment!

BD’s “My Stackry Unboxing Video": https://youtu.be/FvEWXxzZm3I 

GUEST:
Chrislyn Choo website: http://www.chrislynchoo.com/ 
StoryDriven: http://www.wearestorydriven.com
Chrislyn Choo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrislynchoo/

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/

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ALAN PAUL: Big in China

This week's guest is Alan Paul. Alan is a former Guitar World and Wall Street Journal writer from the US who somehow became a notable Beijing-based blues musician.

#040 - Big in China | Alan Paul

This week's guest is Alan Paul. Alan is a former Guitar World and Wall Street Journal writer from the US who somehow became a notable Beijing-based blues musician. Alan wrote a memoir called Big in China about his crazy musical experiences here, and tells the story of how it all began - thanks to a broken guitar, a Chinese repairman who was also a secret musical wizard, and their shared love of Stevie Ray Vaughn. And in a strangely related note, Alan also has a huge connection to legendary Southern rock group the Allman Brothers Band. From writing about and interviewing them over a 25 year period, Alan became an insider in their world, and we talk a bit about his best-selling Allmans book One Way Out. The story of how it came to be, in part, because of Allmans drummer Butch Trucks’ discovery of and respect for Alan’s China book is pretty awesome.  Great talk.

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"Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom" is sponsored by STACKRY. Stackry is the global leader in international parcel forwarding from the US to anywhere in the world.  The way it works is that you shop at any US retailer, have your packages shipped to your Stackry address, and once everything has arrived, Stackry consolidates your stuff and ships it to you anywhere in the world, even China, saving you up to 80% of the shipping costs versus shipping things directly from the store. Stackry provides free storage, same day consolidation of your packages, and a tax-free US address for you to use. Sign up TODAY via the link below, and use the offer code BIGFISH at the checkout to save 10% off your first shipment. 

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Lastly, the "Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom" Facebook group has really been growing lately, and the show is now also available on the Stitcher platform! Apple Podcasts and iTunes downloads and subscriptions are still as important as ever, but I’d also really like to have a nice showing on Stitcher our first few weeks if possible, so please check out the Facebook group, SUBSCRIBE in Apple Podcasts and/or Stitcher if you want to help the show find new fans, and thanks in advance!

Now, please enjoy the interview with Alan Paul!

Please SUBSCRIBE to “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” at:
Apple Podcasts / iTuneshttps://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom/id1237037187?mt=2
Stitcherhttp://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=174877&refid=stpr

SPONSOR:
Stackry “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” sign-up link HERE!
Create an account, build an order, and THEN use the offer code BIGFISH at the checkout, and save 10% off your first shipment!

GUEST:
Alan Paul LINKS:

www.facebook.com/alanpaulauthor
www.alanpaul.net/blog
One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band
Big in China audio book: http://amzn.to/2FaeKcm
Big in China Band
Friends of the Brothers band

HOST / SHOW:
please LIKE “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” on Facebook
Brendan Davis on WeChat: BrendanDavis
Brendan Davis on Twitter: @VeritasInLux
Other links to LISTENhttps://www.crazyinagoodway.com/podcast-links/

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JESSE APPELL: The Comedy Scene in China

“I always sum up China in two words: cognitive dissonance.” - Jesse Appell

Boston native Jesse Appell has launched a successful business and speaks Chinese like a local, but that’s not all he’s accomplished during his time in Beijing. Jesse is one of only a handful of Westerners who is trained in the Chinese comedy art of xiangsheng, or crosstalk. It’s a discipline with a storied history here, and Jesse won a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to come study under a true master of the art, Ding Laoshi. But that was just the start of his career in China.

Jesse’s primary focus nowadays is on running the US-China Comedy Center here in Beijing. At the Center, they feature both single language and bilingual improv and standup comedy shows. Jesse founded the Center just about a year ago, but it’s already become a focal point for the growing comedy scene here. To give you an idea of what these shows are like, in the show notes I am including links to several examples of Jesse in action, which are subtitled and really funny regardless of your native language.

As a writer, Jesse has also been working hard to crack the elusive cross-cultural comedy code for movies. He has been developing a buddy picture that’s designed to truly appeal to both markets, and from what he says about it here, I think he might be onto something. 

This episode gets very deep into the worlds of comedy, creativity, and filmmaking, so it’s  especially worth checking out if you work in those worlds, aspire to, or just enjoy them and want to learn more. But Jesse’s thoughts about the obstacles to true communication are keenly observed, and should be interesting to anyone trying to understand the other cultural better. I hope you enjoy it!

Lastly, another quick reminder that we are still a featured show on the Castbox.fm website and the Castbox podcast app! Castbox works in your web browser, iOS, and they have an especially nice new app for Android devices. Please check us out on Castbox, and subscribe to the show wherever you listen to us. 

US-China Comedy Center:
www.uschinacomedy.com

WeChat:
Uschinacomedycenter

Weibo:
@艾杰西

Jesse Appell - Chinese standup (subtitled):
https://youtu.be/UA2P-q9MxXk

"Chinese Mitch Hedberg" routine
http://m.youku.com/video/id_XNzU3ODkyNDgw.html 

Xiangsheng overview:
https://youtu.be/7QxW-KBE6EA

"BFMK" site:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/

Brendan Davis on Twitter:
@VeritasInLux

Carl King (composer):
http://carlkingdom.com

Apple Podcasts:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom/id1237037187?mt=2

CastBox:
http://castbox.fm/u/4711710

Ximalaya:
http://m.ximalaya.com/82109155/album/8651374

 

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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

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