CAAMfest Festival and Exhibition Director Masahi Niwano, filmmaker Nadine Truong, Producers of Linsanity, Brian Yang, Christopher Chen, Allen Lu, director Evan Jackson Leong, and Festival Managing Director Christine Kwon.
It was a beautiful night, and The Castro district was buzzing with Jeremy Lin fans and movie buffs. It was the opening night of CAAMfest, and my photographer Erilou and I couldn’t be any more excited for what was in store. We got dolled up, but on our cute dresses and drove out to SF. On our schedule was the premiere of Linsanity and a gala at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, Ca. We had such an amazing time and met so many amazing people. Check out our coverage on this year’s CAAMfest opening night!
When it comes to being a fashionista, we all know that maintaining style and fabulousness involves money. We all seek unique pieces, and most of the time we convince ourselves that it’s well worth the money. One would say, “$200 rainboots? Yeah, it’ll rain for sure. I need this.” With the economy the way it is these days, we are all rationalizing our budgets and pinching our pennies. What if there was an alternative to all of this? What if you could buy yourself a high quality, one-of-a-kind piece of clothing piece that’s affordable? You must think I’m bluffing! But look no further, I just found the site. An up and coming business called Sketch Street, this online store is where you can submit fashion sketches and have them come to real life! Based in London and recognized worldwide, Sketch Street is a new kind of style that us fashionista’s would love. With the wonderful opportunity of chatting with the founders of Sketch Street, check out this profile feature on the company and the owners, Widelia Liu and Anthony Chan!
Cat Seto at her beautiful boutique on Polk St., San Francisco, CA
I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Cat Seto, co-author of the new and fabulous book, Mom, Inc.. Coming out on Mother’s Day, Mom, Inc., is a practical guide for the entrepreneurial spirited mothers to continue in their dream passions after having children. Cat Seto, along with her co-author Meg Ilasco, shares their tips and tricks on the success of juggling both business and parenting. A well renowned entrepreneur in the stationary and wedding industry, Cat Seto has built a great career; all the while creating a new family. After having a wonderful conversation at her beautiful boutique on Polk St. in San Francisco, CA, her entrepreneurial spirit has inspired me to continue on in my dream career. Read my interview with Cat below!
As I was walking up the stairs to the Dumpling Wars event, the scent of fresh dumplings and savory Asian cuisine had surrounded me and my mouth started watering. With a huge appetite and grumbling tummies, my photographer Erilou and I were ready to chow down on all the fresh dumplings. Held at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Kearny Street Workshop presented one their first-ever dumpling contest, Dumpling Wars. Six teams of amateur chefs came together to compete at creating the best dumpling. With well renowned chefs as judges, there was no doubt that these contestants had to bring it on. For this event, there were two winners. Not only do the judges place their vote, but the dumpling enthusiasts AKA the entire audience got to place their vote on their favorite dumpling. Read more on Audrey’s coverage at Dumpling Wars.
I remember checking out Wee Gallery’s children wall prints a while back and I was daydreaming of my own baby’s room to have a large zebra print on the wall. Snapping back to reality, I had the pleasure of snagging a quick phone chat with co-owner of Wee Gallery, Surya. Based in Florida, Surya and her husband Dave have been operating Wee Gallery for some time now, and business is going very well for the Pinto family. Wee Gallery is a family run business with the couple even doing their day to day tasks alongside their growing business. Funny story, I called Surya and she was just about to head into the grocery store. Her bubbly voice made me laugh and I definitely did not mind that this lady was multi-tasking. Surya is what I call a Super Mom owning a business and a family.
The cast and crew of White Frog, including B.D. Wong, Greg Sulkin, BooBoo Stewart, Harry Shum, Jr., Joan Chen, David Henry Hwang and his wife Kathryn. Front: Tyler Posey and Ellie Wen.
It was a beautiful night in San Francisco to celebrate the 30thAnnual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. Presented by the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), this event was a must to attend. My photographer Erilou and I had the pleasure of attending this star studded event. The Opening night was held at the Castro Theater and a Gala reception at the Asian Art Museum followed. The world premier of White Frog, directed by Quentin Lee was featured. White Frog is a drama film about a teen named Nick (Booboo Stewart) with Asperger’s Syndrome who has to cope with the death of his brother Chaz (Harry Shum, Jr.). With an amazing and talented cast, many of the actors who are in White Frog were present at the movie premiere. I had the pleasure of interviewing and meeting many of the actors such as Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf), Harry Shum Jr (Glee), Booboo Stewart (Twilight), and many other talents within the film industry. Read on to read interviews with BooBoo Stewart, Ellie Wen, Harry Shum, Jr. and more.
Between owning advertising firms and owning an up-and-coming eyewear company, Michael Lee is a very busy man. I was fortunate enough to snag a phone interview with the co-owner of the renowned eye wear company, Mezzmer. Michael, the advertising expert turned business savvy entrepreneu, has no problem juggling both industries. “I am very busy all the time, but I love doing what I do,” he says.
Despite the awful rain in San Francisco the day I met Jena Wang and Lindsay McConnon for this interview, they were still looking as fabulous as ever. In fact, they were the most fashionable people in the building.
Lindsay McConnon and Jena Wang of Velvet Brigade.
As retirees of the retail corporate world, Wang and McConnon channeled their love for fashion and an entrepreneurial spirit into Velvet Brigade, a website where budding designers can submit their fashion sketches for a chance to get their design produced. (They submit, we vote — think American Idol meets Project Runway.)
Peggy Li Jewelry "Paradox" earrings.
As a local native to the Bay Area, it’s a luxury living just 30 minutes away from beautiful San Fran. Up here, there’s a certain lifestyle that can be found nowhere else. We’re artistic, opinionated, diverse, and we’re all about expressing ourselves as unique individuals. The scene out here is, well, one-of-a kind and awesome! One local artist who adds to that awesome-ness is Peggy Li, a well-known jewelry designer whose work has been seen on popular TV shows like Private Practice and the movie Superbad.
