EDDIE KIM INTERVIEW
Executive Producer of Projekt NewSpeak Seeks to Create a Movement that is Constantly Evolving
and Continuing a New Language and Culture with a Purpose of Empowering,
Inspiring, Uplifting, Creating, Storytelling and Voicing with a Limitless
Sense.
NewSpeak comes from George Orwell's book: 1984. In that book, newspeak was a language that destroyed the old language. It was a language that controlled people and minimized thought and expression. It was very utilitarian in its nature and non-creative. We wanted to spin that meaning and use it in an opposite way. We decided to use "NewSpeak" with the meaning of creating a new language and new culture but with a meaning of empowering, inspiring, uplifting, creating, storytelling, voicing with a limitless sense. It was about creating a movement. And we added the word "Projekt" in order to mean that this creation and movement was a project…it is constantly evolving and continuing. Hence…Projekt NewSpeak.
What things/purpose/direction/events that separate/distinguishes your company from others in creating roles that break/change images of Asian Americans?
The first obvious thing would be through our event, the NewSpeak SLAM!. Through that event, we highlight spoken word poetry. Because spoken word poetry has a way of moving people in ways that cannot be categorized as theatre, music, etc., it is very unique in its indefinable way of telling stories that challenge the mainstream images of Asian Americans.
What separates/distinguishes your company from other notable organizations such as Kollaboration, Asian Rock Festival (NYC), East West Players, Lodestone Theater, FAAIM, Dragon's Roar Music & Arts Festival, Asian Elevation, World Asia's talent contests, GMA's (Filipino television station), Asian Idol Contest Angeles, Stir TV (AZN television show), MTV's "Asian American-targeted" stations, Experimental Entertainment, etc.?
Projekt NewSpeak as a production company really focuses on producing art that makes an impact on the minds and hearts of people. We want to create art that moves and inspires people. We don't want to just do entertainment for entertainment. We want to create entertainment that stirs people's hearts and causes people to think. We want make people laugh and cry.
It's not to say that the organizations do not do that. I'm pretty sure that other organizations have similar goals in mind. However the key difference would be in the events that we produce. For example, one of our events is the NewSpeak SLAM!, our annual slam poetry showcase. I do not think the other organizations mentioned above make a direct emphasis in that genre of art.
We at Projekt NewSpeak feel strongly that spoken word poetry is one genre of art that can make a direct impact on people's hearts and minds through the powerful and inspirational words that a spoken word artist can deliver…and therefore the NewSpeak SLAM! is our showcase that can both entertain and move people.
Recognizing your work/support for films, could you share and/or define your company's participation (i.e. funding, distribution, casting, promotion, etc.)?
We have a strong internet based outreach/promotion. Our outreach to spread the word on our events can reach all over the U.S. through the network that we have over the internet.