BRENDAN DAVIS | Big Finale in the Middle Kingdom
Okay! All good things must come to an end, and in this - the last episode of “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” - I say THANK YOU to many of the people who’ve helped me make it as good as it can be. The catalog of over 120 shows will stay live forever, but to hear me on NEW shows, please search and visit “If I Knew You Better” or “How China Works”.
Thanks for over 2 great years!
Brendan
SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR listen / learn more below:
APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website/ LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources
“How China Works”: LISTEN - APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-china-works/id1440747395 / ALL PLATFORMS: http://howchinaworks.libsyn.com / WEB: https://www.howchinaworkspodcast.com
NICK CHENG | Not The Original Plan
Nick Cheng is a popular British comedian based in Beijing, and a natural storyteller. And he has some great stories to tell: some are funny, most are fascinating, and a few - discussing a family member’s suicide attempts, his coming out while a member of the Royal Navy - are wrenching. But all are worth hearing, and I am glad to share them with you on this very special LAST REGULAR EPISODE of “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom”. Please enjoy!
NICK CHENG contact -
Email: nitehawk1704@yahoo.com
SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR listen / learn more below:
APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website/ LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources
MICHAEL NAKAN | Strengthening the China-UK Creative Connection
Michael Nakan is the founder of Clipper Media Capital, a London-based production and packaging company. He cut his Hollywood teeth on the US version of “House of Cards” and then in NYC at HBO before returning home to the UK to work in development for DARKEST HOUR director Joe Wright. He's also established a China office of his UK firm and is successfully bridging the gap between the two markets. A great talk!
MICHAEL NAKAN / Clipper Media Capital: https://www.clippermedia.co.uk
SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR listen / learn more here:
APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319
WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website
LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources
WEIKO LIN | Screenwriting Between Hollywood & China
Weiko Lin was born in Taipei, Taiwan, & he continues to work throughout Asia, but it’s in Hollywood that he’s really made his name. His upcoming book, Crazy Screenwriting Secrets (Michael Weise Productions, avail July 1) is both a solid art & craft writing manual, AND a knowledgable how-to on navigating the often-treacherous waters between China and the global cinema industry, as epitomized by Hollywood. If you follow the world entertainment business with any degree of seriousness, YOU MUST LISTEN TO THIS SHOW. Just sayin’. Enjoy!
WEIKO LIN book:
Crazy Screenwriting Secrets - Pre-Order now on AMAZON:
https://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Screenwriting-Secrets-Capture-Audience/dp/1615933018
BRENDAN DAVIS on “The Carl King Podcast”:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-carl-king-podcast/id1202709564?i=1000440895085
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/carlkingdom/brendan-davis-interview-carl-king-podcast-15-060619
or SEARCH “The Carl King Podcast” in your favorite podcatcher
SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR listen / learn more here:
APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website/ LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources
KEVIN GEIGER | Fretful Laowai Summer Vacation Show
Today Kevin Geiger & I bring you a special “Fretful Laowai: Summer Vacation" edition of Big Fish! In it we discuss our new alliance on the movie I’m developing in France, film festivals, some recent guests on my new podcast “If I Knew You Better”, my appearance on “The Carl King Podcast”, and what the changing tides (personal, professional, international) mean for us both. We aim for fun, informative, & thoughtful too; hope you enjoy it!
KEVIN GEIGER links:
Peewee Frog books http://peeweefrog.com/news.html
Magic Dumpling Entertainment www.magicdumpling.com
BRENDAN DAVIS on “The Carl King Podcast”:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-carl-king-podcast/id1202709564?i=1000440895085
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/carlkingdom/brendan-davis-interview-carl-king-podcast-15-060619
or SEARCH it in your favorite podcatcher
SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR listen / learn more below:
APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website/ LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources
STEVE “CAPTAIN HOFF” HOFFMAN | From Hollywood to Silicon Valley to China
Millions of people in the tech & startup world know Steve Hoffman as “Captain Hoff” from Foundersspace, a leading incubator from Silicon Valley that is now omnipresent throughout China. But very few people know that his FIRST career was as a development executive in Hollywood, and this is the first time Steve’s talked about all this in-depth since beginning his China adventures.
The lessons he's learned from his success shaping startups & stories are invaluable, & applicable regardless of your vocation or location.
I especially love his closing thoughts: “Are you putting your time into the most important things? Given who you are and where you are in your life, what's the most value you can be creating for the people around you and the world around you, and can you focus your energies on that instead of getting distracted by all these other things?”
This was a very fun and special conversation, so I hope you check it out.
STEVE HOFFMAN links -
Foundersspace:
WEB: http://www.foundersspace.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/foundersspace/
“Make Elephants Fly” Book: https://www.foundersspace.com/make-elephants-fly/
Steve Hoffman on “How China Works”: http://bigfishmiddlekingdom.libsyn.com/005-silicon-valley-with-chinese-characteristics-steven-captain-hoff-hoffman
Steve Hoffman on “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom”: http://howchinaworks.libsyn.com/043-steve-hoffman-aka-captain-hoff-yingying-li-brendan-davis
SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR listen / learn more at APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website/ LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources
JAMES GOODNIGHT | Photography, China Car Culture, & Expat Life Hacks
James Goodnight is an Arts Center graduate who adventured around the US after school, but that was just the start. He moved to Beijing 10 years ago and built a career as a commercial photographer, specializing in car ads. He’s also a big fan of indoor watersports, and tells us all about that. James’ story involves a lot of synchronicities and I just had one of those days myself yesterday, so I share my own weirdly funny tale in the intro.
JAMES GOODNIGHT links:
Web: http://james-goodnight.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flywave_official/
Flywave WeChat: flywave_china
LISTEN -
“If I Knew You Better”: LISTEN - APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website/ LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources
“How China Works”: LISTEN - APPLE: https://tinyurl.com/HowChinaWorks-iTunes / ANDROID: http://howchinaworks.libsyn.com / SOUNDCLOUD: https://tinyurl.com/HowChinaWorks-Soundcloud / STITCHER: https://tinyurl.com/hcw-stitcher / WEB PLAYER: https://www.howchinaworkspodcast.com
“Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom”: APPLE: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom/id1237037187?mt=2 / SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/brendan-davis-2 / STITCHER: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/brendan-davis/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom / WEB PLAYER: http://bigfishmiddlekingdom.libsyn.com
LEE CHEN | Acting, Education, & The Benefits of Emigration
Lee Chen is a familiar face on US TV, but her own story is more impressive & incredible than the many shows she’s appeared in. For starters, she’s probably the only successful Hollywood actor who got their start in a "Chairman Mao Thought" propaganda performance troupe towards the end of the Cultural Revolution in China. She was born in Inner Mongolia, was a founding-class member of the Johns Hopkins Chinese Program at Nanjing University, then moved to the US for grad school - earning two Master’s degrees - and began a dual professional life as an academic and an actor. She landed in Chicago after grad school, and fell into studying acting at the famous Piven Theater Workshop. Lee worked and studied for years, moved to Hawaii for a second Masters, did every theater production she could, and finally moved to Hollywood. Today, Lee has built an eclectic film, TV, & theater career with roles ranging from the dramatic to the absurdly funny. She also worked diligently over a 20 year period to move her ENTIRE family - one by one - over to the US from China. I was lucky to meet Lee when she accepted a role in a small film I produced, and when I heard her incredible story I knew I had to get her on the mic to share it with you, too. I am cross-posting this show "If I Knew You Better" and my original China-focused podcast “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” too, but no matter where you hear it, I hope you enjoy it. DO NOT MISS this one!
LEE CHEN on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2011738/
SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers or LISTEN - APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website/ LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources
“How China Works”: LISTEN - APPLE: https://tinyurl.com/HowChinaWorks-iTunes / ANDROID: http://howchinaworks.libsyn.com / SOUNDCLOUD: https://tinyurl.com/HowChinaWorks-Soundcloud / STITCHER: https://tinyurl.com/hcw-stitcher / WEB PLAYER: https://www.howchinaworkspodcast.com
“Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom”: APPLE: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom/id1237037187?mt=2 / SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/brendan-davis-2 / STITCHER: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/brendan-davis/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom / WEB PLAYER: http://bigfishmiddlekingdom.libsyn.com
KEVIN GEIGER | Revenge of the Fretful Laowai Radio Hour!
Returning champion Kevin Geiger (Magic Dumpling, Peewee Frog; ex-Disney) is back for another freewheeling China chat! We start with an outline and let it rip from there. Big fun, and a big reason I rebooted the podcast. We talk about returning home & expat ennui (hence the “Fretful Laowai” show handle), our new projects, how to (and how NOT to) package and produce a feature film (note: it really helps if you hire a rockstar cinematographer, and then he brings on partners who’ve worked on Green Book, the latest Star Wars, Interstellar, etc) and lastly: how to tell if you’ve been in China for too damn long. Enjoy!
KEVIN GEIGER links:
Peewee Frog books http://peeweefrog.com/news.html
Magic Dumpling Entertainment www.magicdumpling.com
Huhu Studios http://huhustudios.com
《神隐桃花源》“Shen Yin Tao Hua Yuan” / “Hidden in the Peach Blossom Garden” https://www.awn.com/blog/breaking-boundaries-beijing
SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR listen / learn more below:
LISTEN - APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website/ LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources
“How China Works”: LISTEN - APPLE: https://tinyurl.com/HowChinaWorks-iTunes / ANDROID: http://howchinaworks.libsyn.com / SOUNDCLOUD: https://tinyurl.com/HowChinaWorks-Soundcloud / STITCHER: https://tinyurl.com/hcw-stitcher / WEB PLAYER: https://www.howchinaworkspodcast.com
“Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom”: APPLE: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom/id1237037187?mt=2 / SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/brendan-davis-2 / STITCHER: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/brendan-davis/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom / WEB PLAYER: http://bigfishmiddlekingdom.libsyn.com
RAYMOND MA on “If I Knew You Better” | Bonus Episode
To introduce “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” listeners to my NEW, globally-focused podcast “If I Knew You Better”, I decided to share this particular China-related episode with actor Raymond Ma. Raymond has worked with everyone from Ali Wong & Awkwafina to Chuck Lorre & Aaron Sorkin. He was born in Hong Kong & lives in Los Angeles. He’s talented, kind, and very funny, and if you've seen US television, you've seen Raymond somewhere. His credits include “Lost”, the plays Chinglish and Joy Luck Club, hit comedy “Fresh Off The Boat”, where he played Randall Park’s father, among many other shows. I first became aware of Raymond by name from his recurring in what remains my favorite TV show ever, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” from Aaron Sorkin.
Whether on TV with an often hilariously deadpan persona, or sitting with him just chatting, Raymond totally cracks me up. And speaking of funny, his current projects have him working with some of the funniest people in the work the movie Always Be My Maybe, with Ali Wong and Randall Park (again) that comes out in the summer, and recently he’s wrapped roles on the new Chuck Lorre (“Big Bang Theory”) TV pilot, AND a TV commercial with the hilarious Awkwafina.
Raymond gets very candid in the talk. We talk about racism and how that has and hasn’t affected him, the value of sometimes subverting racial expectations in the name of art, and he even talks about being homeless for a brief time, which inspired his beautiful, award-winning short film as director and producer titled “I Don’t Have A Phone”.
Raymond Ma on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0530882/
SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR listen / learn more below:
LISTEN - APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website/ LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources
“Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” LISTEN - APPLE: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom/id1237037187?mt=2 / SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/brendan-davis-2 / STITCHER: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/brendan-davis/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom / WEB PLAYER: http://bigfishmiddlekingdom.libsyn.com
TOM McGREGOR | Pro-Trump AND Pro-China
Tom McGregor is a widely-read China journalist from Dallas, Texas living in Beijing. His upcoming book US vs. China: From Trade War to Reciprocal Deal (being published under his given last name Pauken) draws on his experiences being both very pro-Trump AND pro-China. Our views diverge at the expected point, but we have the kind of respectful chat which we both agree we’d like to hear more of, so I hope you’ll check it out.
Tom McGregor LINKS:
Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Tom-McGregor-6
CNI: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/author/10599982
Book: https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/11380
CGTN appearance: http://english.cctv.com/special/ChinaBreakthroughs/index.shtml?spm=C43394269523.P90608644738.EmWTQeQvIljW.1
https://twitter.com/tmcgregorchina
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tom.mcgregor.965
WeChat: 86 13439758718
Email: tmcgregorchina@yahoo.com
SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR listen / learn more below:
LISTEN - APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website/ LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources
“How China Works”:
LISTEN - APPLE: https://tinyurl.com/HowChinaWorks-iTunes / ANDROID: http://howchinaworks.libsyn.com / SOUNDCLOUD: https://tinyurl.com/HowChinaWorks-Soundcloud / STITCHER: https://tinyurl.com/hcw-stitcher / WEB PLAYER: https://www.howchinaworkspodcast.com
“Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom”:
APPLE: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom/id1237037187?mt=2 / SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/brendan-davis-2 / STITCHER: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/brendan-davis/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom / WEB PLAYER: http://bigfishmiddlekingdom.libsyn.com
BFMK Reboot! | BRENDAN DAVIS
This week I talk about rebooting “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom”, my other show (w/Yingying Li) “How China Works”, my NEW show “If I Knew You Better”, & I tell a pretty incredible “moving to China / crazy synchronicity" story which I’ve never told on the mic before.
Why?
Because right now is a special moment in history - for China, for everyone who deals with China on the world stage, and for all of us who are affected - whether as casual observers or as active participants with skin in the game. So since there’s so much at stake and so much to talk about, I'm rebooting “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” while I am back IN China for the time being, and will continue to feed it as I travel and meet China-related guests who best fit here.
One such guest is Raymond Ma, an actor in Los Angeles who was born and raised in Hong King. He’s an old friend and he’s last week’s guest on my other solo podcast, “If I Knew You Better”. His interview is one that I think listeners of this show would especially enjoy, so I wanted to mention it here and make you aware of it.
Raymond Ma
I also talk about “How China Works”, the show I co-host and produce with Yingying Li, and some of the great guests we have coming up. Last week’s guest was entrepreneur Chris “Lu Yi” Oniya, this week’s guest is world-renowned monetary policy advisor and consultant Dr. Frank-Jürgen Richter (a former Director of the World Economic Forum, which organizes and hosts the annual conference @ Davos), and we have many more great guests in our archives and coming up as well.
In terms of what’s changing here specifically, my goal for version 2.0 of “BFMK” is to go deeper with a wider range of guests, including those with contrary opinions to my own, such as this week’s upcoming interview with journalist Tom McGregor (a writer who is both pro-China AND pro-Trump, amazingly), in an effort to have more meaningful discussions about things that matter.
In a sentence: for version 2.0, I want “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” to have less of a “my China story” vibe, and to be more of a lasting record of this time we are all living through, regardless of where we call home.
This is a short episode, but it packs a lot of info. I hope you’ll check it out, and that you enjoy it if you do. Thanks!
SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR listen / learn more below:
LISTEN - APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website / LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources
Raymond Ma on IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0530882/
“How China Works”:
LISTEN - APPLE: https://tinyurl.com/HowChinaWorks-iTunes / ANDROID: http://howchinaworks.libsyn.com / SOUNDCLOUD: https://tinyurl.com/HowChinaWorks-Soundcloud / STITCHER: https://tinyurl.com/hcw-stitcher / WEB PLAYER: https://www.howchinaworkspodcast.com
“Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom”:
APPLE: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom/id1237037187?mt=2 / SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/brendan-davis-2 / STITCHER: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/brendan-davis/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom / WEB PLAYER: http://bigfishmiddlekingdom.libsyn.com