The super passionate "$upercapitalist" team
The indie film, $upercapitalist, is a financial thriller set in NYC and Hong Kong. The director and lead actor, Derek Ting, is an ex-news producer who left his journalism job to pursue his passion for film. But instead of going out to endless casting calls, hoping to land his first big role, Derek created an acting job for himself. He wrote, produced, and starred in his own film. And now he and his team are on to take on the rest of the world - hosting film screenings in key cities around the world.
The film was released this past August and their sold out world premier was on July 28, the Asian American International Film Festival. Now, it's already an accomplishment to have even finished a film. Many folks will talk of producing a film, and only a percentage of those that set out with those goals will actually finish. The work they've set out for themselves now is to distribute the film. The business side of film will make your head spin. These guys are learning fast and moving even faster.
Now, why the heck do I care about this while I'm here in Seattle? Well, thanks for asking. I found out about the film through a mutual friend from the news industry. So, when there were in Seattle premiering the film, I went to go check it out. I have a sweet spot for Hong Kong because I was an expat journalist there for a bit, many many years ago. During my time there I had connected with folks from the art and music community. The HK creative community is close and connected, just like Seattle's. So it's no surprise that we had a lot to talk about and even knew some of the same artists out there.
And as we got to talking about our passions and visions, it was no surprise that Derek and Joyce Yung started the concept of Random Art Workshop (RAW) to plant a seed that would grow into a community where people could learn about art without the confines or limits that society places on us. Their RAW Magazine is a natural progression of this emerging community.
They felt that being an accountant, lawyer, and banker, etc. does not preclude you from being an artist, nor make you any less creative.... how I translated this in my head was that everyone has their own superstar within.
And so, please welcome Derek Ting and Joyce Yung to the GO HARD. SUPERSTAR. family.
...and enjoy the awesome behind the scenes photos of the making of $upercapitalist below.
Follow @derekting and @rawdoodles
