Wong Fu Productions
Encyclopedia
Wong Fu ProductionsShort films by Wong Fu Productions prior to the group's graduation from the University of California, San Diego, included a logo with the Chinese characters for "Wong Fu" . The last film to feature this logo was License Plate, released on August 18, 2006. Films produced after the group's move to Los Angeles did not feature this logo. is a Chinese American
filmmaking
group composed of Wesley Chan (born April 27, 1984), Ted Fu (born October 26, 1981), and Philip Wang (born October 28, 1984). The trio met at the University of California, San Diego
in 2004 and produced a number of music video
s and short films released on their website and later YouTube
before establishing a professional media company, Sketchbook Media, after their graduation. Their works have been featured at a number of national and international film festivals, including the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
, San Diego Asian Film Festival
and the Cannes Film Festival
.
As of August 2011, Wong Fu Productions' YouTube channel has over 1,000,000 subscribers, more than 18 million channel views, and over 100 million upload views. They are the 18th most subscribed directors on YouTube, 53rd most subscribed YouTube partners, and the 55th most subscribed of all time.
to film school projects in collaboration with classmates. In his first year as an undeclared freshman at the University of California, San Diego
(UCSD), Wang and his friends released a music video of Justin Timberlake
's song "Señorita
". It was the first music video produced by Wang and, although he did not actively promote it, the video was quickly circulated among other fellow college students. The video was circulated in its original computer file format because it was released prior to the advent of the video sharing
website YouTube
.
In 2004, Wang met classmates Wesley Chan (graduated from Mills High School
in 2002) and Ted Fu through a school production, and the trio began working on small scale projects in their spare time and for class assignments. They did not originally consider filmmaking as a career when they entered university; Chan explored an interest in animation
, Fu had been a student in electrical engineering
and Wang considered a career in economics
. After graduation in 2006, the three moved to the Los Angeles
area and continued their venture under the professional name Sketchbook Media.
After approximately five years of hard work, Wong Fu Productions has finally hit 1 million subscribers in 2011. The members, Phil Wang, Ted Fu and Wes Chan commemorated this achievement with a special video. During this 12-minute short, many familiar faces appear, including Ryan Higa
, Dominic Sandoval (D-Trix), Kevin Wu (KevJumba), Freddie Wong
, Brandon Laatsch, Joe Penna (MysteryGuitarMan) and the Fung Brothers.
's "Sunday Morning
" and Jason Mraz
's "I'm Yours
". Wong Fu released its first major short film called Yellow Fever on January 25, 2006. The film, which satirized the topic of interracial dating
between Asian Americans and White American
s, brought Wong Fu into recognition among many college students in the United States.
A Moment with You, the group's first feature-length
film, premiered on June 3, 2006, at their alma mater
. It was also screened at the San Diego Asian Film Festival
on October 18, 2006. The film revolves around two neighbors who share similar romantic situations, in which one person in each relationship cannot let go of his or her past. "A Moment with You" was promoted through a screening tour at high schools and universities around the United States and Canada. In a review for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
's student newspaper The Tech, Tina Ro wrote, "Despite its large Asian fan base, Wongfu's [sic] movie has a cast of equal numbers of Asians and Caucasians. Furthermore, all the characters were shaped by their own characteristics rather than by their race, a refreshing concept for a movie." According to The Daily Texan
s Katherine Fan, A Moment with You featured a "more mature, introspective mood than their previous work."
Following the success of A Moment with You, Wong Fu was approached to create a second film called Sleep Shift. However, the project was abandoned after producers disagreed with casting an Asian male in the film's lead role. Since the end of its first tour, Wong Fu has created music videos for rising artists and continued producing short films. The group's merchandise line, which included original T-shirt designs, was launched in conjunction with the 2007 film Just a Nice Guy. The short film The Spare was featured at the 2008 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
, and two additional short films—At Musing's End and A Peace of Home—were shown at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival
Short Films Corner. In September 2009, Wong Fu released the short film Poser!, a mockumentary
on the history of the peace sign
.
As of November 2009, Wong Fu Productions has created more than 130 short films and music videos. Because the group does not require a fee to view its films, it gains a salary from being a YouTube partner, draws profits from merchandise sales, public speaking on university campuses, and music video production for rising Asian American artists.
On Sept 7, 2011, Wong Fu Productions announced that they have been hired by multiplatinum Taiwanese pop singer Wang Leehom to direct his upcoming music video. Though both Wong Fu Productions and Leehom have kept mum about the song title (Now Released, called "Still In Love With You"), there's speculation that this MV will be for one of two new songs (in addition to 28 hit tracks) on his fourth compilation album, Leehom New + Best Selections, which is currently set for release in Taiwan on September 30.
. The concert series, International Secret Agents (ISA), featured musical disciplines from urban dance
to deejaying with Asian American guest artists such as Far East Movement
. Additional guest performances included America's Best Dance Crew
champions Quest Crew
and Poreotics
and Ryan Higa aka Nigahiga
and Kevin Wu aka Kevjumba and Jay Park and singers–songwriters
David Choi
and Kina Grannis
. According to Chinese American rapper Jin
, "ISA is about self-branding and viral marketing
— using YouTube, MySpace
, Facebook
, and the Internet to promote yourself as an artist." He asserted, "We as artists are aware of this and make ourselves available [on these mediums]." Far East Movement member Virman Coquia said, "We want to give back to the community to show that Asians can have an influence today in the U.S." Additionally, Coquia believed that ISA presented the opportunity to present Asian American talent as cool and mainstream.
The first ISA concert was held in September 2008 at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse
in Los Angeles. A second concert was held in March 2009 at the Palace of Fine Arts
in San Francisco, and both events were attended by a sold-out crowd. The concert returned to Los Angeles in September 2009 and was sponsored by department store J. C. Penney
. In 2010, ISA was held in New York City for the first time. Wong Fu has also expressed interest in holding future ISA concerts in Washington, D.C. They also had another ISA concert in Los Angeles on September 5th. Playing up the name "International Secret Agents," The LA leg of the 2010 ISA Concert was filled with surprises as secret guests like Nick Cannon
showed up to join the performers on stage.
digital media expert David Wertheimer also believed that "Wong Fu's use of new media to tell their community stories and build a business is the wave of the future." The group's success has allowed for growth in the popularity of Asian American comedians who promote themselves primarily through YouTube, such as Kevin Wu (KevJumba), Ryan Higa
(Nigahiga), Christine Gambito
(HappySlip), and David Choi
. Although grateful for the group's success and popularity, Wang said, "Some people who go to film school, they'll make something great but it's only seen by like, two hundred people [...] It's kind of not fair."
In a feature by CNN
, newscaster Ted Rowlands
reported that Wong Fu's primary audience were "young Asian Americans who often can't find accurate depictions of themselves in mainstream media". Through its films, Wong Fu Productions hoped to break the different stereotypes of Asian Americans.
Despite this goal, Wong Fu's films were inspired by the members' life experiences rather than racial experiences. The group also does not promote political messages through their works but, rather, raises "many APA issues that we feel would fit our brand and image." They are often considered role models for Asian Americans aspiring to enter the entertainment industry. In response to this, group member Ted Fu said, "We actually didn't set out to be the 'heroes' of Asian Americans. It just happened by accident. But now that we're given this huge responsibility, almost, I feel like it's our duty to take it seriously." Wong Fu presented "one of the most antipicated workshops" on sustaining an independent production company at the 2008 Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association
Midwest Conference. They were also the keynote speakers at the Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association 2010 West Coast Conference, which was hosted at their alma mater, UC San Diego.
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
filmmaking
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
group composed of Wesley Chan (born April 27, 1984), Ted Fu (born October 26, 1981), and Philip Wang (born October 28, 1984). The trio met at the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
in 2004 and produced a number of music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s and short films released on their website and later YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
before establishing a professional media company, Sketchbook Media, after their graduation. Their works have been featured at a number of national and international film festivals, including the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival – formerly known as VC FilmFest – is an annual film festival presented by Visual Communications . It was established in 1983 as a vehicle to promote Asian Pacific American and Asian international cinema. The festival fulfills a unique mission in...
, San Diego Asian Film Festival
San Diego Asian Film Festival
The San Diego Asian Film Festival is an annual event organized by the San Diego Asian Film Foundation. The festival was first held in 2000 at the University of San Diego by the Asian American Journalists Association of San Diego.-Organization Overview:...
and the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
.
As of August 2011, Wong Fu Productions' YouTube channel has over 1,000,000 subscribers, more than 18 million channel views, and over 100 million upload views. They are the 18th most subscribed directors on YouTube, 53rd most subscribed YouTube partners, and the 55th most subscribed of all time.
History
According to Philip Wang, Wong Fu Productions was unofficially established in 2001 during his high school junior year. Wang mainly utilized his family's digital camcorderCamcorder
A camcorder is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit. Equipment manufacturers do not seem to have strict guidelines for the term usage...
to film school projects in collaboration with classmates. In his first year as an undeclared freshman at the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
(UCSD), Wang and his friends released a music video of Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
's song "Señorita
Señorita (song)
"Señorita" is a song by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake from his solo debut album Justified . It was released on September 2, 2003 by Jive Records as the fourth single from the album. The song was co-written by Timberlake, and The Neptunes' Pharell Williams and Chad Hugo...
". It was the first music video produced by Wang and, although he did not actively promote it, the video was quickly circulated among other fellow college students. The video was circulated in its original computer file format because it was released prior to the advent of the video sharing
Video hosting service
A video hosting service allows individuals to upload video clips to an Internet website. The video host will then store the video on its server, and show the individual different types of code to allow others to view this video...
website YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
In 2004, Wang met classmates Wesley Chan (graduated from Mills High School
Mills High School
Mills High School is a public high school in Millbrae, California. It is one of seven high schools in the San Mateo Union High School District....
in 2002) and Ted Fu through a school production, and the trio began working on small scale projects in their spare time and for class assignments. They did not originally consider filmmaking as a career when they entered university; Chan explored an interest in animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
, Fu had been a student in electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
and Wang considered a career in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
. After graduation in 2006, the three moved to the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area and continued their venture under the professional name Sketchbook Media.
After approximately five years of hard work, Wong Fu Productions has finally hit 1 million subscribers in 2011. The members, Phil Wang, Ted Fu and Wes Chan commemorated this achievement with a special video. During this 12-minute short, many familiar faces appear, including Ryan Higa
Nigahiga
Nigahiga is a popular YouTube channel created by Japanese-American Ryan Higa . Since relocating to Las Vegas to study filmmaking at UNLV, Higa's videos are either solo efforts or videos with other people such as KevJumba. They are known for their YouTube comedy videos, which have been viewed over...
, Dominic Sandoval (D-Trix), Kevin Wu (KevJumba), Freddie Wong
Freddie Wong
Freddie Wong is an American filmmaker, musician, VFX expert and e-Sports player. He maintains two popular YouTube channels, freddiew and freddiew2. He is the older brother of fellow YouTuber Jimmy Wong.- Biography :...
, Brandon Laatsch, Joe Penna (MysteryGuitarMan) and the Fung Brothers.
Notable productions
Wong Fu Productions was initially known for its independent music videos of contemporary hit songs such as Maroon 5Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
's "Sunday Morning
Sunday Morning (Maroon 5 song)
"Sunday Morning" is the fourth single from Maroon 5's debut album, Songs About Jane. Released in 2004, the single peaked at #31 in the USA becoming Maroon 5's fourth Top 40 single; it also peaked at #27 in the UK and Australia....
" and Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
's "I'm Yours
I'm Yours (Jason Mraz song)
"I'm Yours" is the first single released by Jason Mraz from his third studio album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The song was originally released on a limited edition EP called Extra Credit as a demo in 2005 to promote his second studio album Mr. A–Z. It was performed in his 2004 and 2005...
". Wong Fu released its first major short film called Yellow Fever on January 25, 2006. The film, which satirized the topic of interracial dating
Miscegenation
Miscegenation is the mixing of different racial groups through marriage, cohabitation, sexual relations, and procreation....
between Asian Americans and White American
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
s, brought Wong Fu into recognition among many college students in the United States.
A Moment with You, the group's first feature-length
Feature length
Feature length is motion picture terminology referring to the length of a feature film. According to the rules of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a feature length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes to be eligible for an Academy Award.The term may also...
film, premiered on June 3, 2006, at their alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
. It was also screened at the San Diego Asian Film Festival
San Diego Asian Film Festival
The San Diego Asian Film Festival is an annual event organized by the San Diego Asian Film Foundation. The festival was first held in 2000 at the University of San Diego by the Asian American Journalists Association of San Diego.-Organization Overview:...
on October 18, 2006. The film revolves around two neighbors who share similar romantic situations, in which one person in each relationship cannot let go of his or her past. "A Moment with You" was promoted through a screening tour at high schools and universities around the United States and Canada. In a review for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
's student newspaper The Tech, Tina Ro wrote, "Despite its large Asian fan base, Wongfu's [sic] movie has a cast of equal numbers of Asians and Caucasians. Furthermore, all the characters were shaped by their own characteristics rather than by their race, a refreshing concept for a movie." According to The Daily Texan
The Daily Texan
The Daily Texan is the student newspaper of the University of Texas at Austin. It is entirely student-run and independent from the university. It is one of the largest college newspapers in the United States with a daily circulation of roughly 30,000 during the fall and spring semesters and bills...
s Katherine Fan, A Moment with You featured a "more mature, introspective mood than their previous work."
Following the success of A Moment with You, Wong Fu was approached to create a second film called Sleep Shift. However, the project was abandoned after producers disagreed with casting an Asian male in the film's lead role. Since the end of its first tour, Wong Fu has created music videos for rising artists and continued producing short films. The group's merchandise line, which included original T-shirt designs, was launched in conjunction with the 2007 film Just a Nice Guy. The short film The Spare was featured at the 2008 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival presented every March is the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films, annually presenting approximately 130 works in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose, USA...
, and two additional short films—At Musing's End and A Peace of Home—were shown at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
Short Films Corner. In September 2009, Wong Fu released the short film Poser!, a mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
on the history of the peace sign
V sign
The V sign is a hand gesture in which the index and middle fingers are raised and parted, while the other fingers are clenched. It has various meanings, depending on the cultural context and how it is presented...
.
As of November 2009, Wong Fu Productions has created more than 130 short films and music videos. Because the group does not require a fee to view its films, it gains a salary from being a YouTube partner, draws profits from merchandise sales, public speaking on university campuses, and music video production for rising Asian American artists.
On Sept 7, 2011, Wong Fu Productions announced that they have been hired by multiplatinum Taiwanese pop singer Wang Leehom to direct his upcoming music video. Though both Wong Fu Productions and Leehom have kept mum about the song title (Now Released, called "Still In Love With You"), there's speculation that this MV will be for one of two new songs (in addition to 28 hit tracks) on his fourth compilation album, Leehom New + Best Selections, which is currently set for release in Taiwan on September 30.
International Secret Agents
In the addition to the group's filmmaking career, Wong Fu Productions has organized a series of multidisciplinary concerts in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The concert series, International Secret Agents (ISA), featured musical disciplines from urban dance
Street dance
Street dance, more formally known as vernacular dance, is an umbrella term used to describe dance styles that evolved outside of dance studios in any available open space such as streets, dance parties, block parties, parks, school yards, raves, and nightclubs, etc...
to deejaying with Asian American guest artists such as Far East Movement
Far east movement
Far East Movement is an Asian American electro hop quartet based in Los Angeles. The group formed in 2003 and consists of Kev Nish , Prohgress , J-Splif , and DJ Virman...
. Additional guest performances included America's Best Dance Crew
America's Best Dance Crew
America's Best Dance Crew, often abbreviated as ABDC, is an American competitive dance reality television series that features street dance crews from the United States and around the world. It is produced by American Idol judge Randy Jackson and airs on MTV...
champions Quest Crew
Quest Crew
Quest Crew is an American hip-hop dance crew from Los Angeles, California who were declared winners of the third season of America's Best Dance Crew...
and Poreotics
Poreotics
Poreotics, also known as Poreotix, is an American all-male dance crew from Westminster, California. The crew was formed in 2007 by "Dumbo" Nguyen and specializes in popping, choreography and robotics, hence the name Po-reo-tics...
and Ryan Higa aka Nigahiga
Nigahiga
Nigahiga is a popular YouTube channel created by Japanese-American Ryan Higa . Since relocating to Las Vegas to study filmmaking at UNLV, Higa's videos are either solo efforts or videos with other people such as KevJumba. They are known for their YouTube comedy videos, which have been viewed over...
and Kevin Wu aka Kevjumba and Jay Park and singers–songwriters
Singer–songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
David Choi
David Choi
David Yong Choi is an American musician and YouTube video producer living in Los Angeles. He performs a mix of original songs and covers of pop hits. Choi released his debut album, Only You, in October 2008. His second album, By My Side, was released on May 19, 2010...
and Kina Grannis
Kina Grannis
Kina Kasuya Grannis is a Japanese American guitarist and singer-songwriter. She is of Japanese, English, Irish, French, and German descent....
. According to Chinese American rapper Jin
Jin (rapper)
Jin Au-Yeung , who performs under the stage name MC Jin, is a Hong Kong hip hop rapper, songwriter, and actor. Growing up in the Miami, Florida area, and later living in New York City, he decided to reside permanently in his motherland, Hong Kong...
, "ISA is about self-branding and viral marketing
Viral marketing
Viral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of viruses...
— using YouTube, MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, and the Internet to promote yourself as an artist." He asserted, "We as artists are aware of this and make ourselves available [on these mediums]." Far East Movement member Virman Coquia said, "We want to give back to the community to show that Asians can have an influence today in the U.S." Additionally, Coquia believed that ISA presented the opportunity to present Asian American talent as cool and mainstream.
The first ISA concert was held in September 2008 at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse
San Gabriel, California
San Gabriel is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is named after the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, founded by Junipero Serra. The city grew outward from the mission and in 1852 became the original township of Los Angeles County. San Gabriel was incorporated in 1913...
in Los Angeles. A second concert was held in March 2009 at the Palace of Fine Arts
Palace of Fine Arts
The Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District of San Francisco, California, is a monumental structure originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in order to exhibit works of art presented there. One of only a few surviving structures from the Exposition, it is the only one still...
in San Francisco, and both events were attended by a sold-out crowd. The concert returned to Los Angeles in September 2009 and was sponsored by department store J. C. Penney
J. C. Penney
-External links:*...
. In 2010, ISA was held in New York City for the first time. Wong Fu has also expressed interest in holding future ISA concerts in Washington, D.C. They also had another ISA concert in Los Angeles on September 5th. Playing up the name "International Secret Agents," The LA leg of the 2010 ISA Concert was filled with surprises as secret guests like Nick Cannon
Nick Cannon
Nicholas Scott "Nick" Cannon is an American actor, comedian, rapper, entrepreneur, record producer, radio, and television personality. On television, Cannon began as a teenage sketch comedian on All That before going on to host The Nick Cannon Show, Wild 'N Out, and America's Got Talent...
showed up to join the performers on stage.
Impact
Short films released by Wong Fu Productions have received, cumulatively, millions of views, and the group has several thousand fans. According to Wang, the group's website received 5,000 daily hits in 2009. He expected the audience size to grow "as online video becomes part of everyday life for the up-and-coming generation of movie-watchers" but believed that movie theaters will not become obsolete. University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
digital media expert David Wertheimer also believed that "Wong Fu's use of new media to tell their community stories and build a business is the wave of the future." The group's success has allowed for growth in the popularity of Asian American comedians who promote themselves primarily through YouTube, such as Kevin Wu (KevJumba), Ryan Higa
Nigahiga
Nigahiga is a popular YouTube channel created by Japanese-American Ryan Higa . Since relocating to Las Vegas to study filmmaking at UNLV, Higa's videos are either solo efforts or videos with other people such as KevJumba. They are known for their YouTube comedy videos, which have been viewed over...
(Nigahiga), Christine Gambito
Christine Gambito
Christine Gambito, better known by her screen name HappySlip, is an American Internet personality, actress, and comedian. She maintains one of the most-subscribed-to channels on YouTube, a popular video sharing website...
(HappySlip), and David Choi
David Choi
David Yong Choi is an American musician and YouTube video producer living in Los Angeles. He performs a mix of original songs and covers of pop hits. Choi released his debut album, Only You, in October 2008. His second album, By My Side, was released on May 19, 2010...
. Although grateful for the group's success and popularity, Wang said, "Some people who go to film school, they'll make something great but it's only seen by like, two hundred people [...] It's kind of not fair."
In a feature by CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, newscaster Ted Rowlands
Ted Rowlands (newscaster)
Ted Hugh Rowlands , an American newscaster. He is currently employed by CNN.-Personal:Rowlands graduated with a degree in communication arts from the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
reported that Wong Fu's primary audience were "young Asian Americans who often can't find accurate depictions of themselves in mainstream media". Through its films, Wong Fu Productions hoped to break the different stereotypes of Asian Americans.
Despite this goal, Wong Fu's films were inspired by the members' life experiences rather than racial experiences. The group also does not promote political messages through their works but, rather, raises "many APA issues that we feel would fit our brand and image." They are often considered role models for Asian Americans aspiring to enter the entertainment industry. In response to this, group member Ted Fu said, "We actually didn't set out to be the 'heroes' of Asian Americans. It just happened by accident. But now that we're given this huge responsibility, almost, I feel like it's our duty to take it seriously." Wong Fu presented "one of the most antipicated workshops" on sustaining an independent production company at the 2008 Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association
Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association
The Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association was established by a group of students in the East Coast and Midwest in the United States to grow the Taiwanese American college community. ITASA is a national 501 non-profit organization staffed by students and recent graduates to serve...
Midwest Conference. They were also the keynote speakers at the Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association 2010 West Coast Conference, which was hosted at their alma mater, UC San Diego.
External links
- Wong Fu Productions official website
- Wong Fu Store
- Sketchbook Media official website
- http://taiwaneseamerican.org/ta/2008/11/14/from-east-to-west-with-wong-fu-productions/ official interview