New show aims to 'Stir' Asian-American viewers

By Young Chang
Seattle Times staff reporter

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When New York marketing company Factor Inc. surveyed Asian Americans about their "TV diet" last year, it found an audience craving more of itself.

"Their face, their voices, their issues raised from their perspective," said Jeff Yang, founder of Factor Inc. and former editor of aMagazine. "They wanted to have kind of a mirror held up to what they were going through."

So Yang proposed "Stir," a program focused on the experiences of Asian Americans, launching March 3 on Seattle's International Channel (Channel 70 on Comcast). A cross between news magazine and reality show, "Stir" will feature four hosts whose weekly job is to tackle different issues and trends affecting Asian Americans. The show, based and shot in San Francisco, will send Jeannie Mai, 25; Tony Wang, 31; Sabrina Shimada, 18; and Brian Tong, 25, across the country to interview Asian Americans about the topic of the week.

Produced by the International Channel and KTSF-TV, an Asian-language broadcast channel in San Francisco, "Stir" will air at 6 p.m. Wednesdays as part of the I-Channel's English-programming block, "Asia Street."

"We came up with the name 'Stir' because, to a certain extent, we're looking for a recipe for a future in a world where the globe's getting smaller and smaller," said Yang, now a creative executive for the show.

Launch parties for "Stir" start tonight, with Seattle being the first to celebrate. Yang calls Seattle a hotbed for "cool and interesting stuff in the Asian-American community."

The parties begin tonight at RockSalt on Latitude 47, at Lake Union, an event promising show giveaways, music by local DJs and a drawing where two winners get to have lunch tomorrow with the show's hosts.

Cast members will film part of tomorrow's party at the Aristocrat's Club, on Fourth Avenue just outside the Chinatown International District.

The show's first episode, titled "Declarasian of Independence," introduces Asian Americans who have forayed into the typically less-traveled world of basement bands, indie arts and guerrilla filmmaking.

Wes Kim, a Seattle filmmaker who's heard the buzz about "Stir," agrees that there's no shortage of Asian-American-related talking points. The challenge will be scoping out the large group called Asian American.
 
"Because it's such a diverse collection of people you're talking about," he said, "it's going to be tricky trying to find something that will appeal to a large number of them."

Young Chang, (206) 748-5815 or ychang@seattletimes.com

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