LA ROAR Story Slam 2019
APRIL 12th, 2019 | 7PM – 9:30PM | Dynasty Typewriter (2511 Wilshire Blvd)
KoreanAmericanStory.org is proud to announce our third annual ROAR Story Slam — to shine a spotlight on the best Korean American stories and storytellers! In 2019, we are taking the show on the road and holding local events in NYC, LA and Chicago. Los Angeles is our second destination! The LA Story Slam will feature six storytelling finalists in a live competition for cash awards, a musical performance, expert judging from a distinguished panel, and food and drink.
What is the ROAR Story Slam?
The ROAR Story Slam is a live storytelling event where 5-6 finalists, who have been selected from the first round of video entries, will compete on stage with their personal stories about the Korean American experience. Each finalist will have no more than six minutes to tell their stories, without scripts or props. A panel of judges will watch each performance and then announce the winners at the end of the event.
Special Thanks To:
Sheila Ivy Traister, veteran actress, director and story coach who provided professional coaching sessions to all of our finalists.
Prizes:
1st Place – $1500
2nd Place – $500
3rd Place – $200
Ticket Info:
General Admission: $20 | With Student ID: $15
Each ticket includes free Korean food at the event.
Note on Accessibility: The venue is wheelchair accessible.
Emcee & Special Guest
Lyricks
Emcee
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Lyricks is a rapper and part of the rap duo “Year of the Ox” with JL (John Lee), both hailing from Virginia. The duo personifies the traits of the Ox, according to the Zodiac, which are strength, familial loyalty, stubborn ideals, and quickness to “snap on anybody who might violate tradition.” In 2016, the tag team released “Seven Rings,” garnering millions of views while definitely answering the question “Can Asians rap?” YOX’s song “Word to the Hyphen” was written for KoreanAmericanStory.org’s first feature-length film, Happy Cleaners, as a part of its original soundtrack.
Rekstizzy
Featured Performer
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Rekstizzyis the product of an immigrant upbringing and an obsession with explicit rap. The combination often manifests in oddball party records and colorful social commentary. He’s voiced a character on Adventure Time but is most notably featured in the Netflix documentary Bad Rap aside co-stars Dumbfoundead and Awkwafina.
Finalists
Doug Kim
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Doug Kim was born in 1956 in Minnesota to parents who came to the U.S. as students in 1949. Spent 20 years convinced being KA was not a good thing, and 40+ years since learning to understand and value being a product of two cultures. Along the way worked for 1982 & 2002 Smithsonian Folklife Festivals, taught KA studies at San Francisco State University, raised twins, and serves as Director of SaeJong Camp, the longest continuously running KA youth camp in the country.
Angelica Yi
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Angelica Yi (she/her/hers or they/them/theirs) is a second-generation Korean American, queer/bi person of faith. She was born and raised in Maryland, and has called Los Angeles her home since 2013, having graduated from UCLA in 2017 with a B.A. in Gender Studies. She’s extremely grateful for the opportunity to share her story and hopes you walk away feeling a little more renewed, connected, and curious.
M.J. Kang
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M.J. Kang is mostly a stay at home mom. In another iteration, she’s been an award winning playwright and actor born in Seoul, Korea and currently makes her home in Los Angeles. This is her first slam poem and she is so honored to be a finalist! Thank you to her daughter and husband for giving permission for her to write about their lives and her friend, Tina for encouraging her to submit.
Ida Soon-ok Hart
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Ida Soon-ok Hart is a retired educator and writer with a BA from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio and an MS in Education from Mount St. Mary College, Los Angeles. She is currently writing her memoir, “The Mountains of San-gok Dong.” Two stories, “My Dear Mother” and “Citizenship,” have been published.
Britt Adams
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Britt Adams was adopted from South Korea when he was six months old. Graduate from Georgia, Britt has changed his career from Columbia Law School, to Senior Analyst at Accenture, to Speech Director at UC Berkeley, and now, has discovered his true passion of storytelling. He loves shrimp and grits, Randy Travis, and will fish any day of the week. (Or something like that).
Grace P. Cho
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Grace P. Cho is a writer and editor, mother to two, and wife of a chef. She believes in the power of words to lead others, tell truth, and leave a legacy, and she does this through speaking, mentoring, and coaching. She seeks to find beauty in overlooked things and loves gathering people at the table to feed bellies and souls.
Judges
Roy Choi
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Roy Choi is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Knighted Ventures and President of KCM Agency. In his nonprofit work, Roy serves as Executive Producer of Kollaboration, as well as Founder/Chairman of Children in Harmony- Amani Project, an organization devoted to children’s empowerment through music, empathy and emotional intelligence.
Eric Kim
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Eric Kim is currently Senior Vice President of Current Programs at CBS Television. In that capacity, he oversees all phases of production on both comedy and drama series such as God Friended Me, SEAL Team, Blue Bloods, Life in Pieces, Fam, and Dead To Me (Netflix). Prior to CBS, Eric worked in live action series for Nickelodeon and Teen Nick. Eric was Vice President of Programming at the CW and part of the creative team that launched the new network. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, Eric got his start in the entertainment industry working for director Jonathan Demme in New York. Kim currently sits on the Board of Colour Entertainment, a non-profit organization of diverse executives in the media landscape.
Doug Kim
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Doug Kim (Twitter, Youtube) is an actor/writer/producer originally from Westchester, NY now living in Los Angeles. Once upon a time he was a management consultant and a professional poker player you might have seen on ESPN many years ago. Being the narcissist he is, he acted in, wrote and produced a show about his life currently on Facebook Watch called “Just Doug“.
Sandra Kang
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Sandra Kang is the Managing Director of Brand Studio CAA-GBG, building brands and creating entertainment partnerships for clients. She is also a senior executive on the Amplify committee, connecting the most influential artists and leaders of color from media, entertainment, sports, politics, social justice, corporate brands and technology who are shaping the global landscape.
Minji Chang
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Minji Chang (@minjeezy) is a Korean American actor, writer, producer, podcast host, and community activist. She has been featured on numerous viral BuzzFeed sketches in addition to a growing body of short films, national commercials, & voice work, & is also producing a feature documentary as well as her first narrative feature film. in 2017, Minji launched her podcast called “First Of All” – a real, unfiltered conversation on family, career, relationships, and modern culture from an Asian American millennial’s perspective. She has served as San Francisco and Global Executive Director of Kollaboration for 9 years and is now a member of the Board of Directors.
The contest organizers reserve the right to adjust the judging process and prizes.
Questions? Please contact roar@koreanamericanstory.org.
KoreanAmericanStory.org is a non-profit organization whose mission is to capture and preserve the stories of the Korean American experience.