Kollaboration Blog Archives

Catching up With Ludi Lin, the New Black Ranger

With all the current fervor over diversity in Hollywood , the new film reboot of the popular 90’s tv show Saban’s Power Rangers couldn’t have come at a better time. Premiering Friday, March 24, the film follows five ordinary teens who “must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat.” Boasting a wildly diverse cast, most notably the first LGBT and on-the-spectrum power rangers, the movie is hoping to show that #togetherwearemore.

A hashtag that we in the Asian American community can get behind right?

While the core Kollaboration team was making us proud in Austin, Texas during this year’s SXSW Conference & Festival, I had the chance to chat to chat with Chinese-Canadian actor Ludi Lin, one of Asia’s rising stars, who plays Zack the Black Ranger in the new iteration of the original Power Rangers team.

Lin told us that he was extremely excited and eager to show Hollywood what Asians can do on the big screen. “I mean it’s like winning the lottery,” he says, “Do you have a weight of going to claim your money? I mean not really because I had so much to say about Asians.”

For Lin, playing Zack wasn’t just about representing the Asian community but also a chance to grow as an actor.

“For Zack I just wanted to really delve into who this person really is-like he’s going through this double life that he has to live. He’s just a person within the world right?”

Of course we as Asians are not naïve enough to believe that people don’t see ‘Asian’ when they see us. But just like Zack in the film, “being Asian is a part of [us]”. Just like Zack, “there’s so many different aspects of [us] and how they relate to each other.”

As Lin so eloquently put it, “I think that each person is a book and he should have the chance for other people to be able to read that book and understand him.”

So what’s a young aspiring Asian American actor to do?

“Welcome people who want to pigeon-hole you, that want to stereotype you because that’s the chance for you to surprise them and break that stereotype.”

Similar to the film’s theme of accepting yourself, flaws and all, Lin believes that one can not a good actor until he discovers and accepts who he is.

“Have fun,” Ludi told us. “Use whatever injustice you feel and have fun with things. Because entertainment is suppose[d] to be fun.”

Some sound advice Ludi!

See Ludi Lin in action in Saban’s Power Rangers. Now playing!

Pictures courtesy of Lionsgate

Kollaboration’s Asian American SXSW Music Showcase Featured on NPR’s All Things Considered

Kollaboration’s first ever SXSW showcase was featured on today’s edition of NPR’s All Things Considered!

Missed the broadcast? Not to worry ~

Check out the audio archive and web article of the segment here!

Stay tuned to Kollaboration.org for more recap coverage of our experiences at SXSW, including highlights from our panel and our showcase! In the meantime, here are some pictures for our showcase.

Cover photo by Stephanie Vu/Zenith Division

Trace Repeat’s Indiegogo Soul Revival

After a month-long online campaign, Kollaboration finalists Trace Repeat recently finished crowdsourcing their debut EP with over $8,000. Along with meeting their initial $5,000 goal, the band will now perform at South By Southwest and produce a behind-the-scenes video of the recording process.

The six-piece Oakland, California band began two years ago by Zach Hing and Wesley Woo, and was originally a side project for all the members. What began as a cover band of Motown and classics like Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, and James Brown, Woo said that Trace Repeat began to draw on those influences to write original songs, creating their own style of funk band. In May 2016, the band met Kollaboration San Francisco staff member Lauren Lee and last November, they represented SF as the city finalists at the Kollaboration STAR showcase. Representation in the arts is important to the band, and their multiethnic Asian American identities played a large part in the band’s Indiegogo story.

Zach and Wesley told much of their story in the campaign video, and on page they wrote, “We believe Trace Repeat can affect change in Asian American representation.” As one of the few— and often only— Asian American bands in the Bay Area, Trace Repeat recognizes how important it is to see accurate representation in the media. By focusing their campaign on the mission of empowering their communities, Hing said that this first record just happened to be about Asian American empowerment.

“Us being a practically Asian American band has kind of attracted certain negative connotations from people who see us on stage and don’t really get it,” Wesley said. “I don’t just want to ask people to give money for a record, I want to ask people to give money to a cause that really matters.”

Giving is not without its perks. To fit the band’s throwback aesthetic of older days filled with postcards, polaroids, and typewriters, Trace Repeat’s perks for donors featured a number of those very antiques. For $10 backers got a typewriter-written thank you note, $75 gets an engraved pocket watch, and $200 gets a vintage case made from repurposed suitcases and “comes fully loaded with CDs, stickers, flyers, and other Trace Repeat memorabilia.” And for $1,000 and the chance to “own a piece of the album,” Zach and Wesley are giving away their guitars and bass used to record the album (though no one has claimed it yet.) The band wants their debut EP to recall the days of finding an old-school vinyl gem, and they put a lot of thought into perks to reflect the band. The idea for the actual items came to the them on a road trip.

“We were in a very small car, with no air conditioning, driving through the hottest part of central California,” Wesley adds. “And I personally love collecting vintage things, just weird things no one wants anymore. We wanted to make interesting rewards, so why don’t we find really old stuff and turn it into new stuff.”

With less than 24 hours to go of the campaign and a fully funded studio album on the way, Trace Repeat is most excited for fans to hear the album. Their recording studio, Watershed Sound, has helped the band not feel stressed out about producing the album while they work on mixing the songs. The six songs on the EP are all Trace Repeat originals, familiar to fans who have seen the band perform before, but the EP won’t sound old hat.

“I feel like one thing that’s cool about the album is that the album really is going to be in itself something pretty new,” David Kaiser-Jones, Trace Repeat’s trombone player, said. “They’re going to be something that’s going to be really exciting to share with people.”

Along with the EP, Trace Repeat is taking their new songs on the road to Austin as one of the band’s stretch goals. David acted as one of the biggest cheerleaders for the band to accept an invitation to play at the Red Gorilla Stage at the Austin, Texas festival after they reached the first stretch goal of $6,000. During their four day stay in Texas they also plan to play for the first time in an Irish pub on St. Patricks Day.

“Guys, we’re gonna learn a Dropkick Murphy’s cover,” Zach said.

With Trace Repeat’s first EP is on the way, the band looks to set themselves apart as a funk band. Zach and Wesley agree that the main focus of the Indiegogo campaign isn’t to compare or compete Trace Repeat to other Asian American groups, but to add the band to the mix of Asian American artists. Wesley says that when Trace Repeats performs, he doesn’t think of the band as making a certain statement about Asian American empowerment when they get on stage. He only sees Trace Repeat as “a really awesome funk band.”

“All we’re saying, and this goes plain and simple in our Indiegogo campaign, is that there’s just not enough of us.” Zach said. “Bands like Run River North and Far East Movement are great; I really, really stand for what they do. It’s that key word— there’s not enough of it. We want it to become something that isn’t the anomaly anymore, we want adequate representation.”

Trace Repeat’s Indiegogo campaign ended February 11 with $8,165 from 194 backers. The album can be expected later in 2017, and Trace Repeat can be seen on their YouTube channel, Facebook, and Instagram.

SJ & Ginny and Kollaboration New York presents “Quiet Tiny Asian”

Being a Quiet Tiny Asian has never been easier, thanks to these 5 easy lessons. Join QTA as she teaches her baby niece (and you!) how to successfully to be Asian in America. And if you mess up, don’t worry, people will be sure to correct you!

Kollaboration New York is excited to announce our latest co-production partnership with comedic duo, SJ & Ginny, of Drive-by Street Harassment and “Urban Teach Now” fame.

Read the full interview with the creators at Kollab.NYC

Kollaboration is going to SXSW!

If you’ve been following Kollaboration in 2016, you’d know that we’re headed to this year’s South by Southwest Conference & Festival in Austin to host a social impact panel on Asian American representation in media! A massive 10-day multi-media event consisting of a music festival, film festival, and interactive conference, SXSW is where trends are launched and the next big thing is discovered, and we’re excited to be a part of it. Our panel, “Asian Americans Break the Silence & Stereotypes,” will take place during SXSW Interactive on Sunday, March 12 at 5pm and will feature a discussion between Kollaboration Executive Director Minji Chang and a panel made up of Phil Yu (Angry Asian Man), Jenny Yang (Disoriented Comedy), and Dante Basco (Hook, Avatar)!

And as if that wasn’t huge enough, we’re also excited to announce that Kollaboration will be producing the first ever official showcase of Asian American musical acts at this year’s SXSW Music Festival! Taking place on Thursday, March 16 at Lambert’s Downtown Barbeque, our 2017 lineup include Run River North, Megan Lee, Big Phony, and Melissa Polinar! Only about a fourth of acts who apply for the festival are granted a performance slot and Kollaboration is proud for the opportunity to showcase these amazing Asian American talents to the tens of thousands of festival attendees in Austin, “Live Music Capital of the Word!”

Whether you’ll be joining us in Austin or supporting us from home, help us spread the word that Asian Americans are bringing the noise to SXSW 2017! And for those of you interested in either covering our events, or sponsoring them, shoot us a message at info@kollaboration.org

Jomin Mujar – The Green Room (Washington DC)

This Green Room session is coming at you all the way from our nation’s capital Washington DC! Kollab DC alum Jomin Mujar is a singer-songwriter hailing from Richmond, Virginia. Let his smooth vocals and acoustic stylings bring a smile to your face today.

Special thanks to the team at Kollaboration DC for assisting with this shoot.

Setlist:
“Extraordinary Beauty”
“Temporary”

Hear more from Jomin on his YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/ImJominMujar

Haikus On Hotties Returns for Another Year of Asian American Hotness

The year is ending.

How will you mark the future?

Why not with hot men?

It’s almost the end of 2016, which means people can finally turn the calendar and bring in a new year. And there’s no better way to start 2017 than with over a dozen handsome Asian men with poetry written on them.

After the success of the original 2016 Haikus with Hotties calendar, creator Ada Tseng decided to bring the project back for a second year. This time Tseng funded the calendar through Kickstarter to meet the costs of printing, hiring production staff, and donating proceeds to the AngryAsianMan blog.

“Last time it started as a series, it was in each issue of Audrey Magazine. So when we started calendar we already had like eight people,” Tseng said. “So this time around, we kind of started with a clean slate, so I think we really made it a priority to get a nice mix of people.”

The 2016 edition featured many actors, along with comedians, chefs, and models. 2017 features such hotties as celebrity chef Ronnie Woo, cartoonist Vishavjit Singh, body builder Kenta Seki, singer Joseph Vincent, and many more. The diversity of artists for next year’s calendar expands how people think of Asian American men and success. Except this year, Tseng wanted to include a new take on the hot guy-plus-haiku formula.

“This time around, a pharmacist friend of ours suggested that the only thing Haikus With Hotties fans might like more than a haiku exchange WITH hotties, is if the haikus were actually ON the hotties.” the Kickstarter page says. “It was an intriguing challenge — one that we weren’t initially sure we could deliver. So, we went back to our unofficial Haikus With Hotties ambassadors Yoshi and Peter Sudarso to see whether this was even possible.”

Luckily it was very possible. Tseng said on the Kickstarter page that round two would include rules for the hotties’ poetry: “This time around, they write one haiku, and the only rule is that it has to be about hotness. And we have to figure out a way to get it on them — whether it’s on clothing, their bodies or some other creative interpretation of Haikus On Hotties.” So with some help from the unofficial ambassadors, Tseng and the Sudarso brothers geared up, got some paint, and stripped down to promote the second Haikus On Hotties calendar.

One of the risks Tseng listed on the Kickstarter page was “really wanting one of the hotties to do a photo spoof of those Carl’s Jr. burger commercials (sexily eating burgers at the beach or while sitting on a luxury car) but having failed to convince any of them so far — don’t worry, we’ll handle it.” That’s where ISA TV hotties Dan Matthews and Mike Bow come in.

“Mike is doing this interview topless,” Matthews wants everyone to know first thing. “How did Mike and I get involved? I’ve actually been friends with Ada for a little while, and I knew about this project last year and I thought it was a really clever and cool community project. When I heard she was doing it again this year, I kind of jokingly said ‘Hey, it would be fun to be a part of it.’ I didn’t expect her to actually ask us to do it.”

(Tseng, also at the photoshoot, said that she suggested and asked Matthews to do it.)

Bow, YouTuber MikeBowShow and ISA TV host, heard about the calendar from the Sudarso brothers. He thought “it must be nice to be invited to this hot Asian guy calendar” and then found out Tseng already had him in mind. Bow and Matthews posing together brings the ISA TV element to the calendar, and when Ada emailed them saying no one wanted to do the Carl’s Jr spoof concept they signed up. Both have have done photoshoots before, but none shirtless, for a calendar.

“This is literally about attractive Asian males,” Bow said. “So this is a lot hinging on it, that’s a lot of pressure. It’s not about the clothes, it’s about your body, your hotness.”

At the shoot, the haiku still needed to be written, but given Matthews is known as the rapper DANakaDAN, 5-7-5 syllables on hotness shouldn’t be too difficult. He also wanted to define Asian male hotness outside physical appearance.

“Even more though, I think one of the most important key things to take away from this is hotness in general, female or male, shouldn’t just be defined as what you look like,” Matthews said. “Being clever is hot, confidence is hot. I think people who can take off their shirts are confident in some ways, but I think there’s other ways you can be hot.”

The Kickstarter campaign lasted one month from September 8th to October 8th, and met its goal of $6,780. Over 200 people backed the calendar, including international donations from Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Singapore, and more. The campaign promised quite a few different perks for higher backers including the 2016 calendar, posters, special photos, stickers of the hotties, and shipping “a SECOND calendar to a Hollywood casting agency with a note telling them to cast these hot Asian American men in their upcoming projects.”

Shipping out all the perks begins just before the holidays, the perfect time before the start of the new year. For those who missed the Kickstarter, the 2017 and 2016 Haikus With Hotties calendars are available today at HaikusWithHotties.com

Watch Kollaboration STAR Live

Watch Kollaboration Star 2016 live thanks to our partner MyxTV

Presented by

Meet the STAR Finalists: Trace Repeat

Kollaboration San Fransico’s Trace Repeat, Wesley Woo and Zach Hing

Wesley— Zach and I started this band two years ago. It started out as a side project, all of us were working on solo stuff and it sort of evolved into a much larger thing over time. It developed from a side thing to a real thing, and now it’s like a seven-piece band. It finally got out of hand after a while.

How did you find Kollab?

Zach— Well Wesley has kind of known about you guys for a few years now. But if you want to talk about how Trace Repeat got involved, we actually ran into Lauren (Lee) at the Asian Heritage Festival that happens in San Fransisco, back in May. Kollaboration comes around the same circle of people that we all know, like if you’re Asian American making music in the Bay Area then we all know the same artists that are doing all the Asian American music because there not really that many of them. Kollaboration, being a part of that community, was sort of a natural thing that happened.

What does it mean to you and the band that you’ve gotten this far?

Wesley— It’s kind of ridiculous in a lot of way. I didn’t expect it to happen. We sort of ran into Lauren at the Asian Heritage Festival, and I had done a couple of thing for Kollaboration a while back, I think I auditioned once or twice as a solo act, but I never go that far with it. Then we ran into Lauren and she was like, “I’m doing all these really cool things with Kollaboration and I really want them to hear new music and find new sound.” Well, we’re new sounds. Then it just sort of snowballed into this huge thing and we never expected it.

Zach— In terms of our feelings on the matter, we’re more than excited, we’re really stoked being on board. I think like Wesley said, Kollaboration is sort of exists as that community that we definitely want to be a part of. Getting this far in itself is already a really, really good accomplishment in our book, and I think you guys have been very good about the support and welcoming us with open arms. To have gotten this far in the competition, we couldn’t be happier. So, thank you.

Is Trace Repeat one of the few Asian American bands in San Fransisco?

Wesley— Yeah, always.

Zach— There’s only really three or four of us in the immediate Oakland-San Francisco area, not counting San Jose, but we’re basically it.

Wesley— Especially in regard in finding musicians who really take it seriously, making a career out of it. That’s more difficult to find at all. I feel like I know most of the musicians in San Fransisco, at least the basic singer-songwriter community, and of that community I can count on one hand the Asian Americans who are a part of that.

What is the band’s style like?

Wesley— It started out at its very earliest conception as basically a funk band. We were playing a lot of Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, James Brown, a lot of Prince covers. It wasn’t really working well because we weren’t really a cover band, so the covers didn’t sound good. Then we started writing music instead, and the songs took their own shape, and in the end we drew a lot of influence from the songs we were covering. In a round about way, it’s a funk band, but a funk band with a lot of other very random influences.

Why do you think representation in the arts is important?

Zach— I think that representation in the arts is extremely important, especially for Asian Americans. There’s just not as much representation, there’s not a lot of adequate representation. The way Asian Americans have been portrayed in the stereotypical emasculated, work hard, study hard kind of stereotype. I think that to be able to play music or be an artist, to go against the grain and have a shot to show what it really is we’re capable of is extremely important for a lot of people. I think influence and being able to inspire people because you’re a little bit different, at the end of the day gives us a voice and a lot of freedom to be able to choose our owns ways. Which in a lot of ways is at its core a given right.

Wesley— I think that also touches on one of the big things for why I’ve always found Asian American empowerment to be something to talk about. Especially as a musician, especially as a funk musician. We’re breaking down barriers and we’re breaking down stereotypes and as a musician we’re already breaking down the stereotype of what everyone expects you to be as an Asian American. But at the same time we’re also breaking down another barrier because we’re not playing the same kind of music people are expecting us to play. When you’re Asian American there’s a very specific thing that people are expecting. When we get up on stage, it also speaks volumes about sounding different.

Do you think it’s easier to break stereotypes of Asian Americans in music as a band or on your own?

Wesley— Everything is easier a a band, because with more people in you have a support system. It’s really hard being on your own, making all these decisions, showing up on your own, playing shows and controlling a room. It’s a lot more difficult than when you get up on stage with six other guys that are like you’re best friends in the world. Even if the show sucks, and you have a good time with your friends, when you’re having a good time with your friends that kind of makes the show a good show.

Zach— Speaking to the growth of that, I want to add that as a band it’s definitely easier, but because there are more of you, it gives you a sense of identity. I think that my growth, not just as a musician but as an Asian American socially aware person, has come from playing in communities where you can’t help but be surrounded by like minded individuals. That only helps become who you are. A lot of my Asian American tendencies that I want to are sort of a by-product of the people I’m around.

What’s your advice for people who want to get started but are too scared?

Wesley— Don’t be afraid to fail, that’s really the thing I’ve been thinking about a lot. You’re gonna suck for a long time, that’s fine, it’s fine to suck because everyone sucks in the beginning. That’s kind of what’s fun about it, being bad at what you do for a long time. Then once you are terrible at something for a while, you eventually get pretty good at it and people start to actually dig what you’re doing.

Zach— Share your dreams with people too. That’s an important thing, you’ll find people who want to go on the wild ride with you. I think that only helps you get started a lot more swiftly than if you were to dive into the unknown by yourself.

Follow Trace Repeat on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and be sure to see the whole band at their performance at Kollaboration STAR.

Kollaboration to host “Asian Americans Break the Silence and Stereotypes” panel at SXSW 2017

Panel focuses on Asian American representation in the media and the people working to increase visibility

The Austin, Texas festival South By Southwest (SXSW) is a nine day event featuring artists, business professionals, musicians, film and TV leaders, and more who come together to attend in panels, screenings, and concerts. SXSW is the largest multi-media festival of its kind, and last year over 8,000 attendees came to Austin for its panels, keynote speeches, screenings, and performances while over 70 thousand people came to the 4-day trade show. 2016’s lineup hosted Barack and Michelle Obama as the keynote speakers, featured over 142 film screenings, and over 2,000 festival showcase acts from 62 countries performed. The cross-collaboration in the media and tech industries creates a place for innovators and upcoming talent to work together and inspire one another.

Kollaboration Executive Director Minji Chang will be joined by writer Phil Yu of Angry Asian Man, actor and co-founder of the artists collective We Own the 8th Dante Basco, and comedian and founder of Disoriented Comedy Jenny Yang on a SXSW Social Impact panel,” Asian Americans Break the Silence and Stereotypes” discussing Asian American representation in the arts. Asian Americans have often been underrepresented, stereotyped, or whitewashed in mainstream media and left very much invisible. In recent years, a growing grassroots movement and collaborative effort of API creatives in new media, music, & film have changed the scene & brought this issue to the forefront after years of cultural evolution.

“We are witnessing a turning point for minority representation in new media,” Minji Chang, Executive Director at Kollaboration, said. “A million different micromovements have brought us to a point where the underrepresented feel more compelled and increasingly confident to voice their dissatisfaction with the status quo and envision a richer, more diverse narrative that benefits us all. SXSW is an incredible and respected epicenter for innovative thought and creativity, so I’m honored to have this panel be a part of that larger conversation. It’s an exciting time for the Asian American artistic community, as so many passionate, talented creatives blaze new trails and bring their stories to the limelight. This is only the beginning.”

These leading Asian American creatives will discuss the layered issues behind how absence in media representation leads to the challenges of being pegged as “unmarketable” by Hollywood, and showing the ways API stories enrich, entertain, and leave an impact on universal audiences.

collage — Panelists from left to right: Minji Chang, Phil Yu, Dante Basco, Jenny Yang

Panelists:

Minji Chang, actress & director of Kollaboration: Christine Minji Chang is a Bay Area native and a well-traveled California girl whose love for music, film, theater, and science have grown over the years. She is the 2nd child of 3 to Korean immigrant parents, who came to the US from Seoul in 1980. With a dual cultural upbringing, Minji navigated the many highs & lows of figuring out her identity & purpose in the grand scheme of things. At a young age, she struggled to clarify her life’s calling of being a doctor or an actor. After getting a degree in Public Health from UC Berkeley, Minji worked in the public health sector in violence prevention work before giving corporate America & technology a try at Macys.com. She was in San Francisco, after all. Meanwhile, Minji started volunteering for Kollaboration, which would become her fulltime job as executive director. She also began acting professionally. Her journey has taught her the importance of authenticity, grit, and courage & the ability to heal & transform through art.

Phil Yu, creator and writer at Angry Asian Man: Phil Yu is a writer, speaker and host best known as the founder/editor of Angry Asian Man, one of the most widely-read and longest-running independent websites covering news, culture and perspectives from the Asian American community. The Washington Post calls Angry Asian Man “a daily must-read for the media-savvy, socially conscious, pop-cultured Asian American.” Mixing humor with criticism, Phil’s commentary has been featured and quoted in the New York Times, National Public Radio, CNN, NBC, Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed and more.

Jenny Yang, actress & co-founder of DisOriented Comedy: Jenny Yang is a Los Angeles-based writer and stand up comedian who produces the first-ever, mostly female, Asian American standup comedy tour, Disoriented Comedy, and The Comedy Comedy Festival: A Comedy Festival, a comedy festival showcasing the best in Asian American comedic talent. In 2016, Jenny was honored as a White House Champion of Change for Asian American and Pacific Islander Art and Storytelling. Taiwan-born and Southern California-raised, Jenny is a frequent collaborator on viral Buzzfeed videos that have amassed over 20 million combined views, and actor in numerous digital projects including Comedy Central’s “White Flight.” In 2015, she was dubbed one of Los Angeles’ “most fascinating people” in LA Weekly’s annual “People” issue. Drawing from her former career in politics, Jenny is a regular commentator on politics and pop culture with contributions featured in National Public Radio, The Guardian, NBC News, BBC News, Al Jazeera America, Complex Magazine.

Dante Basco, actor & co-founder of We Own the 8th: Dante Basco is an American actor, voice actor, and dancer. He is best known for his role as Rufio in the 1991 live-action film Hook. Dante is a Filipino American born in Pittsburg, California and raised in Cerritos and Paramount, California. He has four siblings, including actor Dion Basco. He is also known for voicing Zuko in the Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Jake Long from the Disney series American Dragon: Jake Long. He also starred in the hit Indie films The Debut and But I’m a Cheerleader. He attended Orange County High School of the Arts[6] in the Music and Theatre Conservatory and graduated in 1993. He had guest roles on television shows The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, and had a recurring role on Moesha. After portraying characters of various Asian ethnicity except his own, he portrayed a Filipino American alongside his three brothers and sister in the independent film The Debut.

LINK TO SXSW SCHEDULE: http://schedule.sxsw.com/2017/events/PP65346

About Kollaboration: Kollaboration is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and movement founded in 2000 by Paul “PK” Kim to support the endeavors of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in the arts. Kollaboration’s mission is to build bridges, out-create negative stereotypes and promote diversity by providing platforms to discover, empower and connect the next generation of API artists and leaders. Kollaboration programs seek to highlight and bring awareness of API talent to the mainstream media and drive change in popular culture.