Coffee with BAO Episode 22 ft. JohnnyD Nguyen – Founder of Viet Q Media

2021

Viewing posts tagged 2021

29 May 2021

Coffee with BAO Episode 22 ft. JohnnyD Nguyen – Founder of Viet Q Media

By BAO
In this special #AAPIheritagemonth episode, Vietnamese American entrepreneur and entertainment industry veteran JohnnyD Nguyen chats with BAO about topics that are top-of-mind for the Vietnamese diaspora all around the world. We discuss his upbringing in between cultures, his unexpected entry into the entertainment industry via a supporting role in The Fast And The Furious franchise, and his career as a producer in various parts of the entertainment industry. JohnnyD’s latest business Viet Q Media curates and promotes talent from the Vietnamese diaspora all around the world.

Learn more about Viet Q Media at vietqmedia.com

You can also listen to this episode as a podcast.

This week, we give a special shout out to the organizations that are doing great work to tell AAPI and Vietnamese stories: DVAN and Diacritics, The Sóng Collective, VAALA, The Slants Foundation and these podcasts: The Vietnamese with Kenneth Nguyen, Vietverse, Vietnamese Boat People, Asian Not Asian, Asian Hustle Network, The Hot Potcast, Rice and Shine (German), Project Yellow Dress, Project Voice, and the Consenting Adults podcast ft. Leyna Nguyen.

22 May 2021

Coffee with BAO Episode 21 ft. Denise Santos – Film and TV Composer

By Angel
Film and television composer Denise Santos chats with BAO about her musical upbringing in Manilla, her unplanned decision to stay in the US, and her career as a touring musician and composer. We discuss her work on Ella Jay Basco’s music video “Gold” featuring Ruby Ibarra and its topic of skin lighteners, beauty standards, and self-acceptance. We also explore the sluggish acceptance of women of color in the entertainment industry and how her experience as a woman channels in the music she has composed for productions such as “Surviving Jeffrey Epstein.”

Learn more about Denise at bleedingfingersmusic.com

You can also listen to this episode as a podcast.

15 May 2021

Coffee with BAO Episode 20 ft. Jeremy Nguyen – Illustrator and New Yorker Cartoonist

By BAO
Illustrator and New Yorker cartoonist Jeremy Nguyen chats with BAO about his Vietnamese American upbringing and complicated relationship with being Asian. We take a look at some of his artwork and cartoons for The New Yorker and discuss his latest endeavors into sharing his knowledge with others. Jeremy is giving a free public lecture with Creatively on May 20, 2021 (get info).

Find Jeremy at jeremywinslife.com

You can also listen to the podcast version here:

08 May 2021

Coffee with BAO Episode 19 ft. Alan Z – Hip Hop and R&B Artist

By BAO
Alan Z, a Chinese American Hip Hop, R&B artist from Atlanta joins Bao Vo for Coffee with BAO. We talk about his international upbringing, early infatuation with rap music, and his new album Face Value, a collaboration with Jason Chu dropping May 14, 2021. The album was partially sponsored by The Slants Foundation, where BAO serves on the board of directors.

Find info on Alan Z and Jason Chu’s album Face Value at alanzmusic.com or on social media @alanzmusic

You can also listen to this episode as a podcast:

28 Apr 2021

diaCRITICS Profiles Coffee with BAO

By BAO
So humbled that Coffee with BAO is featured on the diaCRITICS website today. diaCRITICS highlights art, literature, and stories from writers, artists, and culture-makers of the Vietnamese and Southeast Asian diaspora, on and from all shores. They’ve just published a little piece called “Take a Sip: “Coffee with BAO” Series.

diaCRITICS is part of DVAN (Diasporic Vietnamese Artist Network), which is a nationally and internationally recognized organization co-founded by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen and Professor Isabelle Thuy Pelaud. They seek to highlight literature and other creative work by folks in the Vietnamese diaspora from the around the world. Really honored that Coffee with BAO can share some of its mission on the diaCRITICS platform. You can read the full profile here as well as see profiles and stories of other Vietnamese creatives.

27 Mar 2021

Coffee with BAO Episode 18 ft. Pierre T. Lambert – Photographer and Youtuber

By Angel
Adventure photographer and Youtuber Pierre T. Lambert chats with BAO about his French American identity and making his escape from a career in engineering for the fossil fuels industry to starting his successful photography Youtube channel and online photography course “30 Days to Great Photos.” Pierre also shares his thoughts on entrepreneurship, creative inspiration, and learning to be more present.

You can also listen to this episode as a podcast.

Learn more about Pierre T. Lambert.

16 Mar 2021

“Hey Dear” by Rebs ft. BAO

By BAO
Listen to “Hey Dear,” a new single by Rebs, produced by BAO. “Hey Dear” is an 80s-inspired tune written by 20-year-old indie artist Rebs. It tells the story of a mother missing a child who moved away. The song was inspired by Rebs’ own journey of leaving for college. Hope you like the new work and support Rebs in their musical adventures!

A couple months ago, I heard “Hey Dear” from a demo version that Rebs recorded and posted on Soundcloud. I liked the song so much that I asked if I could produce a version.

Rebecca Chan, also known as Rebs, is a 20-year old indie artist from Michigan who perpetually strives for intersectionality. As a queer, biracial artist, they seek to represent the nuance and complexity of a layered identity and existence. That nuance extends to their music, combining and blurring genres to create new sounds.

Play “Hey Dear” by Rebs on Youtube or stream it from your favorite streaming platform here. Also, follow rebs.chan on Instagram.

13 Mar 2021

Coffee with BAO Episode 17 ft. Johnny Cubert White – Artist, filmmaker, and photographer

By Angel
Artist, filmmaker, and photographer Johnny Cubert White joins BAO for a conversation about his career as a television art director, his art, and his life from the Midwest to Downtown Los Angeles. Johnny shares his Greek, Indigenous, and Appalachian family history, his 30-plus year process of embracing his queer identity, and how all of that is encapsulated in his vibrant art and personality. Johnny White’s ongoing decade-long photography series #myBROKENcamera​ is a powerful reflection of all of that.

You can also listen to this episode as a podcast.

Learn more about Johnny Cubert White.

Special thanks to The Soul Thief Vision for the great portrait photo!

08 Mar 2021

“The Brass Parade” by Sunrise Transparence ft. BAO

By BAO
Hi, hello! It’s me again, like TLC again. My friend and collaborator Sunrise Transparence, who played horns on Perpetual Heartbreak and co-wrote my song “Burn It Down,” created this one-person brass band cover version “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance and I provided the vocals on it. That’s 54 layers of horns all played by Sunrise Transparence and 46 layers of voice by yours truly. Hope you like and share and buy this song!

Watch the video on Youtube.


We worked really hard on this and a way to support indie artists like us is to help us fund these crazy ambitious endeavors, so if you feel like downloading this cover song, here’s a glorious button:

Buy on Bandcamp
30 Jan 2021

Coffee with BAO Episode 15 ft. Sahra Nguyen – Founder of Nguyen Coffee Supply

By Angel
Sahra Nguyen, the award-winning filmmaker, activist, and founder of Nguyen Coffee Supply, speaks with BAO about digging deeper into her Vietnamese American family’s refugee story, developing a passion for art and activism as a teenager, and channeling that passion into a successful documentary filmmaking career. Sahra founded Nguyen Coffee Supply, the first specialty Vietnamese Coffee importer and roaster in the US, with the same mission as her award-winning video journalism: to help advance social and economic equality through education and empathy.

You can also listen to this episode as a podcast.

Learn more about Sahra Nguyen.