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.
The list of people involved with our projected are as follows:
The 2006 Organizing Team:
Hogan Lee, Board Member of APEX, Project by Project; (Korean American)
Elliot Lee, Program Coordinator at Korean American Coalition; Staff of Liberty in North Korea (LiNK); (Korean American)
Patty Kim, Teacher/LAUSD; (Korean American)
Geena Oh, Property Manager at Jamison Properties; (Korean American)
Ryan Purugganan, Student at CSUN; (Filipino American)
Traci Kato-Kiriyama, Artist; Producer of Tuesday Night Café; (Japanese American)
John Yoon, Student at CSUN; (Korean American)
Boram Kim, Student at UC Riverside; Staff of Kollaboration; (Korean American)
Jiwon Hong, Field Deputy for Assemblyman Mark Ridley-Thomas; Board Member of Korean Resource Center; (Korean American)
Jinwoo Moon, Staff of Kollaboration; (Korean American)
Andy Hur, Student at CSUN; (Korean American)
Oneill Kim, Student at Valley Christian High School; (Korean American)
Supporter:
PK, Founder of Kollaboration, Host of Laugh Factory; (Korean American)
Past Organizing Team Members:
Debbie Sheen, Law Student at University of San Francisco; (Korean American)
Grant Sunoo, Grad Student at UCLA Urban Planning; (Korean-Japanese American)
Helen Yoo, Staff of Jackson Hewitt; (Korean American)
Jenny Koo, Recent Graduate of UCSD; (Korean American)
"We
Must Be the Change . . . . . although rebellions are important
because they represent the standing up of the oppressed, they
fall short of revolution because people at the grassroots and
community level have not been involved in creating the new values,
new truths, new relationships and new infrastructures that are
the foundation for a new society." (Grace
Lee Boggs)
One type of success that I want artists to find from performing on our stage is exposure. Our goal is to bring exposure and aim for artists to find future opportunities of performing at different venues because they found exposure through our event. People can support our company by providing sponsorships and donations. We are run entirely through the help of volunteers who love the arts and the potential of Asian American arts and we are supported entirely by the community businesses who want to provide sponsorships. So we are constantly in need of more financial support and manpower. Other ways of support can be provided through donations of audio/visual equipment, expertise in design and web design skills, and to join as a volunteer to help organize our shows. Contact us at info@projektnewspeak.com.
A live theatre showcase will be organized in the very near future. We are looking for our theatre showcase to launch in the coming fall. Continue to check our website for updates: www.projektnewspeak.com. Also…we will continue to have small film projects shown on our website and also our videoblog on http://newspeak.blip.tv.
