
By Ed Diokno
The artists honored April 25 included the creators of the television series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the producers of the Broadway musical Allegiance and the founding director of Pan Asian Theater in New York City.
The 2016 Honorees:
Jay Kuo and Lorenzo Thione, producers of the groundbreaking musical, Allegiance.
Jay Kuo is a composer, author, producer and social media addict. He is the co-creator of the Broadway musical Allegiance, the marketing of which gave him the opportunity to help develop the Facebook and Twitter pages of George Takei and other socialebrities. He currently serves as Chief Creative Officer at the Social Edge, a leading digital publishing and social media company.
Lorenzo Thione is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for the intersection of technology, art, design, communication and social value. He is a Tony-Nominated Broadway producer and is the co-creator and lead producer of Allegiance, the 2015 Broadway musical starring George Takei and Lea Salonga, for which he co-authored the book. In developing Allegiance, he spearheaded social-media viral strategies that led to astounding growth and unprecedented awareness and audience engagement for Allegiance and for its star and inspiration, George Takei, and from there to the founding of The Social Edge, where he currently serves as Chief Executive.
Tisa Chang, Founding Artistic Director of Pan Asian Repertory in New York City.
Tisa Chang is a dancer, actor, director, producer, celebrating 50 years in the American performing arts. Inspired by the independence and civil rights movements, she founded Pan Asian Repertory Theatre in 1977 to champion professional opportunities for Asian American artists to reach the heights of one’s dreams and aspiration with many graduates now in L/A. She is a former Executive Board member of SDC, member of Coalition of Theaters of Color in NY and a founding board member of CAATA the national coalition of AA Theatres and Artists that will produce the 5th CONFEST this October in Ashland.
Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna, creators of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
The hit CW sitcom about a highly successful Manhattan attorney who leaves for California in hopes of finding true love with an old flame. The show follows her adventures, which include embracing her ex-boyfriend’s Filipino American family. The would-be boyfriend is played by Vincent Rodriguez III, whose role as Josh Chan is one of the few love interests played by an Asian man.
(Ed Diokno writes a blog :Views From The Edge: news and analysis from an Asian American perspective.)
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