REPRESENTATION 📺

Greetings 👋 

Hi, how was your weekend? 

Asian representations in cinema don’t always have to be a leading role in the limelight, it can also be the talented crew working behind the scene. 2025 Oscar Nominees feature productions with many Asian & Asian American creatives like Wicked, Anora, Shōgun. 

After last year’s features like Minari and Everything Everywhere All At Once, Asians are becoming more and more visible.

PS: Missed our last edition? Catch up here!

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UPLIFTING STORY 📖

Samuel Jamier on Paving the Way for Asian Cinema and Representation

As a Korean adoptee raised in the idyllic Brittany of northwestern France, it is natural that his journey was one of cultural navigation and a lingering yearning for heritage connections. All this lifelong commitment to Asian cultures made it intriguing to learn where it all began—turns out not all those who wander are lost.

“My mission is to bring authentic, compelling Asian stories to the forefront of global cinema. Whether it’s through NYAFF, my consulting work, or my filmmaking, I want to challenge outdated narratives and create new spaces for Asian filmmakers to be recognized and celebrated.” He shared.

LAST WEEK, ASIAN LEADERS DID 🎉

🚀 Amy Chang, Board of Directors of The Walt Disney Company and Procter & Gamble, joined the Board of Directors at Salesforce.

🚀 Marian Lee, Chief Marketing Officer at Netflix, was named #1 Forbes’ Most Influential CMOs in the world second year in a row.

🚀 Michelle Kwok, Investor at Draper Associates, led the launch of Draper's newly redesigned website—an intentional reintroduction that reflects 40 years of bold investing and signals their future focus on frontier founders.

🚀 Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable, launched Concierge, an AI-powered assistant that helps diners discover restaurants more easily and confidently while boosting booking opportunities for over 60,000 partners.

🤝 Jeff Wang, CEO of Windsurf, led the company's acquisition by Cognition to jointly redefine the future of software development through agentic and autonomous technologies.

Thousands Celebrate Baby Hippo Moo Deng’s First Birthday At a Thailand Zoo

Thousands of excited fans flocked to a Thai zoo on Thursday to celebrate the first birthday of Moo Deng, the adorable baby pygmy hippo that has become a social media sensation.

The Khao Kheow Open Zoo was overrun with Moo Deng fans on the first of four days of activities marking the hippo’s birthday. Children under 12 years old can enter the zoo, about a two hour drive from the capital Bangkok, for free throughout the extravaganza.

Read the full article here.

Belly Laughs Fest Closes Out Weekend Event With Tasty Food And Big Laughs

The Belly Laughs Comedy & Food Festival concluded its inaugural two-day event with a love letter of tasty food and laughter addressed to the Asian and Pacific Islander diaspora.

The event featured over 30 Asian American comedians, including prominent stars such as Hasan Minhaj, Kumail Nanjiani, and Margaret Cho, who headlined along with other up-and-coming comics. To add to the celebration, the event also included some of the best Asian restaurants around Los Angeles.

Read the full article here.

JOIN AHN AND COOLEY FOR HAPPY HOUR DURING SEATTLE TECH WEEK

This event brings together AAPI founders, investors, and tech professionals for an evening of connection, conversation, and community. In this welcoming atmosphere, you’ll get to meet like-minded individuals to share ideas and build meaningful connections. 

Save the Date:

📅 July 31, 2025

🕗 4:00–6:00 PM PT

📍 Seattle, WA (precise location shared with approved guests)

THE ECONOMIC SUMMIT IS COMING TO LAS VEGAS

To continue the legacy of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI), we’re honored to bring back the Economic Summit—starting with our first stop in Las Vegas.

Join us for a powerful day of connection and insight as industry experts and community leaders dive into the challenges and opportunities shaping the economic future of our communities. Meet like-minded changemakers and expand your network in a space built for impact.

Use coupon code AHNCOMMUNITY at checkout to get $5 off!

Save the date:

📅 August 21, 2025

🕗 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM (PT)

📍 Las Vegas, NV (precise location shared with approved guests)

NOT A MONOLITH 🧱

Discover quirky, inspiring, and little-known facts about the entrepreneurs driving Asia’s booming business scene.

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COMPANIES DISCOVERED ✅

Zen Coast
Zen Coast University (ZCU) and Asian Hustle Network (AHN) have partnered to empower Asian entrepreneurs, creatives, and professionals. The collaboration aims to provide actionable insights, mentorship, and growth opportunities. 

To join, complete the form on our website.

Paired
Paired helps businesses find the top overseas talent for as low as $5/hour. Our intensive search and outreach processes help us find amazing rockstars in places like Indonesia, LATAM, and South Africa within two to three weeks.

🌈 Critical thinking does more than just forcing you to think; it helps solve problems and allows you to work more effectively. Here are some tips so you can develop it.

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Getting Back To Basics: 4Ps Marketing Mix

Sometimes, to create an effective marketing strategy for your business means going back to the basics. Popularized by Neil Borden, the 4P's model is still widely used today, with each P representing a core aspect of the marketing mix:

• Product: The core of your business, whether it is a physical product or a service. Understanding your product, what differentiates it from the competition, what is unique about it, etc.

• Price: How much your product should be sold for. This should be based on the supply cost, how you position your product, and whether you should increase or decrease the price based on your target audience.

• Place: The “where” of your product. Where can the customers purchase your products (online or physical stores, drug stores or supermarkets, etc). More so, it is also where you choose to advertise.

• Promotion: How you reach your customer, either through advertising, public relations, or promotion, increases your brand awareness. 

At AHS, we specialize in helping brands capture attention and inspire action — whether you’re launching a new product or scaling your business, we’ll guide you to marketing that resonates and delivers results.

If you want to explore our services more, visit the Asian Hustle Solutions website at AHS.