ABOUT

DR. WU LIEN-TEH

Chris Pang is an Australian actor, writer and producer of Taiwanese/Cantonese descent and is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese and an aficionado of martial arts disciplines. After graduating with a bachelor of Multimedia Design at Monash University in 2006 and pursuing a career in entertainment he has appeared on television in the Australian AFI Award-winning series Rush, critically acclaimed Tangle and more recently as a recurring role in Netflix’s Marco Polo Season 2 and the Jason Katims' Amazon series As We See It. Pang’s feature film debut was in Citizen Jia Li (2008) for which he was both an associate producer and actor. The role also won him an Asians on Film (LA) ‘Best Actor’ award. He has since built a stable of film credits, including the Australian box office hit Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010), Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Charlie’s Angels (2019) and Palm Springs (2020). Chris’ latest work, Interior Chinatown (2024), is now streaming on Hulu.

MASTER YAO SHI-JIE

In a film career spanning over four decades, Jim Lau has appeared in well over 100 films and television shows since the early 80s. His credits include the finale of M*A*S*H, Little House On The Prairie, St. Elsewhere, and Big Trouble In Little China, in which he also served as an associate producer and martial arts consultant. Jim's other screen credits include Mad About You, House, Everybody Hates Chris, Grey's Anatomy, The Hangover Part III, Fear The Walking Dead, Yellowstone, S.W.A.T., The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, and Horizon: An American Saga I & II.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Jim immigrated to the United States with his family in the early 70s, landing in San Francisco. He graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Film. Having been a film student, Jim realizes the importance and responsibility of assisting the new generation. Each year he donates his time to work and participate in student projects. Jim has a special bond with film students from the American Film Institute and USC film schools where he just completed Neither Donkey Nor Horse playing a pivotal character, Master Yao.

DR. GERALD MESNY

Michael spent his childhood balancing life between a blue-collar steel-town just outside of Philadelphia, and his summers cattle ranching in the jungles of Bolivia; his paternal homeland. In all his travels, he realized that storytelling was the most shared tradition that transcended borders, background and culture. Years later, he’d graduate from the University of Utah with a degree in Film Production and would begin his career as an actor in the viral Superbowl Doritos commercial My Friend Archie. He’d later move to Los Angeles where he’d book ads for Toyota, Call of Duty, and eventually play the prolific gangster, Frank Nitti, in the feature film “Jack and Lou: A Gangster Love Story” starring Linda Hamilton. He’d follow up his breakthrough performance with Neither Donkey Nor Horse starring Chris Pang, and as the villain opposite Wilmer Valderrama in an episode of NCIS set to air in April 2024.

DIRECTOR & CO-WRITER

Zhongyu (Robin) Wang is a Los Angeles – based director and producer, whose expansive filmography has been honored with a Student Academy Award®, three DGA Awards Grand Prize, and two College Television Awards.

In addition to Neither Donkey Nor Horse, Robin's other directorial works include the coming-of-age Asian American comedy Wei-Lai. The film won Best Comedy Series at the 42nd College Television Awards, Best Comedy of the Year at Newfilmmakers Los Angeles, and the feature film Jack & Lou: A Gangster Love Story, starring Linda Hamilton from the Terminator Franchise. The film is set in 1920s Al Capone’s Chicago, with select scenes filmed on the Warner Brothers Studio Lot.

Robin was born in Xi'an, China but had spent most of his youth traversing the rich and intricate cultural landscapes of China, Singapore, and the United States. As a Chinese diaspora storyteller, Robin is recognized for his global Asian-themed dramas with a blend of bittersweet poignancy, twisted ethics, and heartfelt realities.

Robin holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English (Highest Distinction) from Duke University and an MFA degree in Film & Television Production from the University of Southern California.

PRODUCER & CO-WRITER

Jesse Aultman is a writer, director and producer interested in exploring ideas about the American South and mythology. Originally from Alabama, Jesse fell in love with the horror genre through urban legends and campfire stories. For him, these stories fostered a deep childhood fascination in what remains hidden outside of human view -the mystical, unknowable, supernatural.

A graduate from the University of Southern California's MFA Film and Television Production program, Jesse received the Fox Fellowship Scholarship and the Irving Lerner Endowment Finishing Fund. His graduate thesis, The Spirit Became Flesh, screened at Screamfest, Dances with Films, Filmquest, and then was acquired by Alter where it has over ninety-thousands views.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Ellen R. Eliasoph is a veteran film executive and producer who has spent the last 30 years building bridges among the film industries of Asia, Australasia and Hollywood. Eliasoph became the first Hollywood executive to work in China when she established Warner Bros.’ Beijing office in 1994. During her tenure at WB she supervised the company’s local production operations in China, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, as well as several productions in Japan. Among these projects were The Painted Veil, starring Edward Norton and Naomi Watts; and The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise.

Eliasoph became the founding CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures Asia in 2011. In that capacity, she executive produced Stephen Chow's blockbuster Journey to the West (2013) and the Jackie Chan sci-fi comedy Bleeding Steel (2017), and produced several features, including Zhang Yimou’s globally celebrated Shadow (2018).

Eliasoph established her production company Starry Dome Productions in 2021. Its upcoming slate includes an eco-thriller based on Qiufan Chen’s award-winning novel Waste Tide; a drama adapted from Yevgeny Zamyatin’s classic sci-fi novel WE; and an epic feature based upon a script by an Oscar-winning writer (details remain confidential). In addition, she has executive produced director Ran Huang’s upcoming debut feature What Remains (2023), which stars Andrea Riseborough and Stellan Skarsgard.

Eliasoph is a member of AMPAS, the Producers Guild of America, and the Australia Academy of Cinema and Television Arts.

PRODUCER

Aslan Dalgic is a Student Academy Award-nominated director and producer based in Los Angeles. In addition to his Turkish origins, most of Dalgic’s childhood was spent traversing borders across the rich and diverse cultural landscapes of Switzerland, Pakistan, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. After gaining a unique worldview and a profound appreciation of history and culture, he aspires to produce fictional features, series, and shorts that reveal stories taking place at the intersections of cultures. In addition, Dalgic’s filmmaking oeuvre includes documentaries shedding light on climate change and critical social justice issues. His recent documentary Waves Apart (2022), which exposes the dark, antisemitic history in California’s surfing culture, screened at the Oscar-qualifying Santa Barbara International Film Festival and the American Documentary and Animation Film Festival, and earned him a nomination for the 49th Student Academy Award for Best Documentary.

PRODUCER

Lilith is an independent director and producer based in Los Angeles. A recent MFA graduate from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and a first-generation college student, Lilith grew up in the cultural intersections of international boarding schools. Their expat background inspired a deep interest in stories with multicultural perspectives, exploring themes like generational trauma, identity, and belonging. An avid advocate for diversity and inclusion, Lilith's projects predominantly feature narratives of Asian and other minority groups, often spotlighting female and LGBTQ+ talents and crew in key roles. They are committed to amplifying underrepresented voices in the industry. Beyond storytelling, Lilith loves cloudy day hikes, good brunch spots, and is always eager for a snowboarding trip.

PRODUCER

Chirsten Vanderbilt’s passion for storytelling began on an ordinary day in a 4th-grade classroom on Chicago’s South Side. A typical spelling assignment turned into her first thirty-eight-page adventure short story. That experience transformed the way she wanted to see herself and others represented in film and television. Thus, her curiosity for potent cinematic storytelling led her to the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. 

After graduating with a degree in English from USC, she worked in Special Education at a local bilingual elementary school in Texas. She also directed and produced a short documentary about teaching Special Education in a global pandemic. As a storyteller and current second-year Film and TV Production MFA candidate, Chirsten explores the power of empathy and human connection through both documentaries and narrative films. She is the recipient of the George Lucas and Mellody Hobson Endowed Student Support Scholarship. 

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Joshua Powell is an award-winning producer from London, specializing in reviving historical and culturally significant stories. A graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, he has produced multiple acclaimed short films, including Neither Donkey Nor Horse, a period drama that premiered at Telluride and won a 2024 Student Academy Award. He also produced Balam, an animated fantasy about Mayan culture, which played at Cannes, and Backlog, which won the 2024 College Television Emmy for Best Drama Series. Joshua co-wrote the feature Jack and Lou: A Gangster Love Story, later adapted into a Spotify podcast starring Lisa Kudrow. Recently, he wrapped production on the indie crime-thriller Tender, starring Jesse Garcia, Jess Weixler, and David Koechner.

In addition to narrative filmmaking, Joshua has worked on commercial campaigns for brands like Häagen-Dazs and Warner Music Group, and major projects for Apple TV+ and Disney+. He holds degrees from the University of Sydney, USC, and UCLA.

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Devon Johns is a cinematographer whose portfolio encompasses a wide variety of genres, styles and tones, including science fiction, dark comedy, supernatural horror, historical fiction, crime, family drama, and literary adaptation. Johns is always passionate about pushing his creative boundaries to tackle different visual approaches, and is especially looking to work alongside directors with a distinct voice and a unique point of view. Having worked on over 30 short films and just finished up shooting his first feature, Johns is a recent graduate from USC School of Cinematic Arts with an MFA degree in film production.

PRODUCTION DESIGNER

Shan Jiang is a Chinese filmmaker who is based in LA, with a focus on production design. With a bachelor's degree in Animation, he recently earned his Master's degree in filmmaking from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. As a production designer, Shan's expertise encompasses a wide range of genres and styles - from stylized genre films to down-to-earth realistic human dramas. He has a passion for historical fictions that reflect cultural and humanistic values.

PRODUCTION DESIGNER

Joy Tan is is a recent graduate from the USC School of Cinematic Arts MFA Program in Film Production. She discovered her passion for production design after directing and designing the short film Carpool (2019). At USC, she designed two notable thesis films: Wei-Lai, which won the College Television Award for Best Comedy, and The Code of Family, which was shortlisted for a Student BAFTA in 2021. Following these successes, Joy designed the independent short film The Story of This Life, set during the Covid pandemic and officially selected for the Palm Springs International Shortfest.

In the summer of 2022, she continued her work by designing two more USC thesis films: The Spirit Became Flesh, an official selection of Screamfest and streaming on ALTER, and Backlog, which won the DGA Student Film Award Grand Prize and the College Television Award for Best Drama. Joy's production design work is diverse and versatile, encompassing everything from grounded dramas and comedies to innovative horror and suspense films.

EDITOR

Avo John Kambourian is a filmmaker and editor from Los Angeles, who just recently earned his Master of Fine Arts in Film & TV Production at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he is also a Mary Pickford and Shriram Family Scholar. In his career, he has worked for companies such as Vice Media, Walt Disney Pictures, National Geographic, Hulu, and HitRecord.  

His documentary thesis, Echoes of Kef Time, was one of three projects selected to be funded and produced by USC in the Spring 2022 semester, during which he also was nominated for the American Cinema Editors (ACE) Anne V. Coates Student Editing Award. 

EDITOR

Ted is an editor, USC graduate, and Jack Oakie Comedy Directing Scholar living in Los Angeles. Though his first career was in robotics engineering, he’s been storytelling in various forms since he was in kindergarten. He has edited commercials, web series, and short films spanning all genres from comedy to horror to animation and always strives for cuts that are coherent, engaging, and integral to the story. His films have been nominated at festivals such as the College Television Awards, Cleveland International, and BronzeLens. Fun fact about Ted: his name’s not “Ted,” it’s legally “Andrew,” but his mom never cared too much about what she put on his birth certificate.