Jeannie Mai

I first saw Jeannie Mai on "Stir TV" a Bay Area-based Asian American magazine style tv show. Unfortunately "Stir TV" didn't last, but for Jeannie it was just another stepping stone in her career as a television host. You can now see her giving makeovers on the USA Network. Jeannie is also a celebrity makeup artist and started a styling company called The Doll Service.

Jeannie tells us about "Character Fantasy"



Where are all the fashionable Asians at?

Ryan Suda

Ryan is the man behind Blacklava, a t-shirt company that challenges negative views of Asian Americans with slogans such as "I will not love you long time" and "I suck at math." He also supports APA artists on his website by promoting their music and artwork, so make sure to check out www.blacklava.net often!

"Asian is not Oriental"


Ryan talks about Tuesday Night Cafe


Renee asks if Ryan is an activist.

Natalise

In today's digital age, you can write and record your own music, make music videos and market yourself on the Web. That's just what our next guest Natalise did. Originally from the Bay Area, Natalise is pursuing her dreams as a singer/songwriter here in LA. She took some time away from finishing her third album to sit down with Renee in our "studio."



"Get Me Off" - Natalise


To check out more of Natalise's music, visit her MySpace page.

Randall Park

Randall Park is an actor and stand-up comic. You may have seen him on MTV's "Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out" or spotted him on a TV commercial. Randall isn't just a creative person, he's a creator -- he's one of the founding members of LCC, an Asian American theater group at UCLA and has produced a series of comedy shorts called "Dr. Miracles."

Part 1: Randall talks about putting on shows in his mom's backyard.



Part 2: Renee asks Randall where he gets his jokes from.



For Randall's stand up schedule or to watch "Dr. Miracles," check out his MySpace page. You can also see him performing live with the Old Dirty Conservatory Comedy Hour at the Westside Eclectic in Santa Monica, CA.

Carl Choi

Yeah! Our very first interview! We sat down with Carl Choi at his office in Los Angeles. Carl started out as a party promoter then turned that into an entertainment marketing business for the Asian American community. Among his many hats, he is the CEO of Plan C Group and manager for the hip hop group Far East Movement.

Part 1: Carl shares how he found his calling.



Part 2: Carl talks about how he got into the music biz and working with Far East Movement.

Are you fresh?

When it comes to Asian Americans in the media, one of the things I commonly hear is that we need more representation. I'm gonna go against conventional wisdom and say that APAs are everywhere. I see Cambodian rappers, reality tv stars, radio personalities, a magazine for Asian women, a time-shifting "hero," feature film directors, professional athletes, stand up comics and even a conservative political pundit. I see APAs everywhere.

Fresh Off the Box

Here at Fresh Off the Box, we talk with Asian Americans in the arts, entertainment, community service and other walks of life. We want to bring these people to you and let you hear where they find inspiration, how they overcame obstacles and what dreams they are working to achieve.

Our mission is to support Asian Americans in the media by promoting their creative work. We also want to shine a light on the people who work to build up the community or found success in their chosen path. Along the way, I hope we will discover what it means to be Asian in America today.

We are in the process of shooting our video interviews and the first one will be posted shortly. So please bookmark Fresh Off the Box and don't forget to support Asian Americans in the media!