"So i'll be handling a number of Pwojects..."

So as a consequence of procrastination, I’m now forced to attempt to compile a number of happenings that have taken place this week within this tiny single blog. But in my defense, it has been an overwhelming week for me, and sometimes it is more then necessary to put things off in order to absorb and comprehend the immense nature of things before they attempt to knock me down….and so here goes nothing...

I am officially the first ever intern for the Affirmative Action and Diversity Department of the Screen Actors Guild, and though I definitely regard this as a privileged opportunity, it is also a great deal of pressure to have the future of what might become common practice in a department of which I regard as of utmost necessity in the vast obliviousness of today’s entertainment industry, weighing down upon you. Yeah…so I know I’m definitely over-exaggerating my stake here, but to some extent, it feels good (and scary) to know that I maybe part of something that has the capability to grow and expand, and eventually make an impact beyond what I may ever accomplish. On a more practical side of things, I’ll be handling two major projects:

The first involves crafting out a report on Asian American market influence on Hollywood that may be disseminated amongst studios, networks and advertisers as a means of increasing employment of Asian Pacific American performers in film and television. Talk about overwhelming…..This issue, to me, as well as to many, becomes so easy to deem as something beyond what I’m capable of. But I’ve kind of taught myself that when any issue appears beyond me, it can only mean that it is of extreme relevance. It kind of reminds me of the whole controversy regarding the “Bebot” video directed by Filipino American Director Patricio Ginelsa who directed two versions of the song. The first, known as “Generation One” was set in historic “Little Manila” in Stockton CA, during the 1930s. The second, known as “Generation Two”, was a more mainstream attempt resembling the kind of hip hop music videos we see today, featuring a bunch of boot-shaking Asian girls dancing around. Definitely a cause for controversy when it comes to stereotypical representation of Asian females in the media. But during a university visit to USC, Patricio Ginelsa said something that kind of hit me at heart. He said he believed that any representation was better then no representation at all. This may not always be true, but at the same time, it really depends on how you want to interpret the statement and I kind of took it to mean that it is better to do something then do absolutely nothing at all, and this is how I’m attempting to approach this project. It may appear as something that is more then what I’m capable of, but it’s definitely worth a shot.

The second project, involves me helping out in the PR campaign for performers with disabilities. As of now, I’m not too sure how much information I can disclose regarding this campaign, so I’ll be sure to keep you posted as time goes on.

In addition, I was assigned to Historic Filipino Town as part of the LEAP project, and so during the week I paid a little visit to the Filipino American Library just to gather some information. The librarian provided with a great number of resources from a list of Filipino restaurants within Historic Filipino Town and the contact information of the owners as well as number of contacts of individuals that may be able to help in my report for SAG.

Anyways, besides that, the week ended with me looking dorky on camera, horrible pronunciations of the letter “R”, key notes: power stance, and good eye contact with girls on dates, and a nice trip to Yogurt land to end things off.

Looking forward to next week...