16 episodes
Off the ChARTs Amber Dhall and Jasma Zhou
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- Arts
Two young artists, Amber (an aspiring actress) and Jasma (food Youtuber/visual artist/photographer) created this podcast hoping to change the way the arts are perceived by the world. As youth creatives with ambitions of pursuing arts careers, they've faced uncertainties and challenges that they hope to alleviate for others in a similar boat. Every episode, they chat with experienced guests in their professions and have used their talents and creativity to influence the world for the better. Listen in and join them on the journey to making the arts more accepted and accessible for all.
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Jasper Chen: Life of a Taiwanese-American Screenwriter & Coordinator
Jasper is a coordinator by day and a screenwriter by night, with wins at PAGE and Austin Film Festival in 2021. Having spent half of his formative years in Taiwan, he aims to tell universal stories and bridge cultures through a variety of different genres and mediums. Jasper graduated from USC in 2019 with a degree in Cinema & Media Studies and has since worked for sales agency Arclight Films and animation house Skydance Animation. On his own time, he oversees a production start-up geared towards making underrepresented content told by underrepresented voices. Listen to our chat to hear about what life is like after graduating from film school and much more about working within the entertainment industry!
Guest:
Jasper Chen
Hosted by:
Amber Dhall (@amber_dhall, @beyond.the.film on Instagram)
Jasma Zhou (@jasma_fusion_cuisine on Youtube and Instagram)
Contact information:
Email - offthechartspodcastt@gmail.com
Instagram - @offthecharts_podcast -
The Unspoken Realities of the Film Industry: Embracing Change with Kojo Owusu
In this episode, Kojo speaks about choosing to pursue the arts having grown up in a factory town, transferring from U Michigan to USC and switching majors, working on script coverage projects in Hollywood, then his eventual pivot to the business industry. He reveals the glamorous stories of having Christopher Nolan open his door and giving script notes on Paddington. He also addresses the not so glamorous times such as having to pass off unpaid internship opportunities due to financial restraints and having to work as an uber driver simply to survive. Our conversation with Kojo taught us the importance of being consistently analytical with ourselves and our environments, to realizing the changes in the industry and how that warrants a shift in our goals.
Kojo Owusu is a former filmmaker who holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Theatre from Michigan State University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema and Media Studies from the University of Southern California. Some of his experience in the film industry includes working as a development intern at Warner Brothers Entertainment, a talent manager at Novaland Media & Film Production, and a freeform production management intern at The Walt Disney Company. Since 2019, Kojo’s focus has shifted to the business field and has been working as a Regional Manager of Business Development at Blackline.
Guest:
Kojo Owusu (@kojomcowusu on Instagram)
Hosted by:
Amber Dhall (@amber_dhall, @beyond.the.film on Instagram)
Jasma Zhou (@jasma_fusion_cuisine on Youtube and Instagram)
Contact information:
Email - offthechartspodcastt@gmail.com
Instagram - @offthecharts_podcast -
Keesha Chung: The Epitome of Being a Versatile Creator
Keesha is a filmmaker, content creator, model, event coordinator and creative whose widespread experience in the entertainment industry has elevated her voice as one of influence in the field. She has worked as on air talent for VICE and as both a host and segment producer on the series The Shift. She is also the co founder of Collective Culture, a platform that celebrates the voices of BIPOC creatives within and beyond Canadian borders through the collaborative development of multidisciplinary programming and content!
Guest:
Keesha Chung (@keeshachung on Instagram)
Collective Culture (collectiveculture__ on Instagram)
Watch Grey Area! (@greyarea.movie on Instagram, https://www.greyareamovie.com/)
Hosted by:
Amber Dhall (@amber_dhall, @beyond.the.film on Instagram)
Jasma Zhou (@jasma_fusion_cuisine on Youtube and Instagram)
Contact information:
Email - offthechartspodcastt@gmail.com
Instagram - @offthecharts_podcast -
End of Year Special: A chat with Filmmaker & Social Activist Yazmeen Kanji!
Yazmeen is a Muslim Indo-Caribbean TIFF Next Wave Filmmaker, Hot Docs Accelerator fellow and the founder of the advocacy and consulting organization, Films With A Cause. She was the director of the award-winning films From Syria To Hope (2019) and With Love From Munera (2020). She is in development on her first feature film funded by the Hot Docs Cross Currents Fund, a documentary following the journey of one of the first recipients of a Bone Marrow Transplant to be potentially cured of Sickle Cell Disease. Yazmeen currently works at Charles Officer’s production company and supports Oscar-nominee Sami Khan’s projects while working in different capacities on Toronto based productions.
Guest:
Yazmeen Kanji (@yazmeenkanji on Instagram)
Films with a Cause (https://www.filmswithacause.com/)
Hosted by:
Amber Dhall (@amber_dhall, @beyond.the.film on Instagram)
Jasma Zhou (@jasma_fusion_cuisine on Youtube and Instagram)
Contact information:
Email - offthechartspodcastt@gmail.com
Instagram - @offthecharts_podcast -
Kathleen Tesar: Musician, associate dean at the Juilliard School & Our Favourite Person Ever.
Dr.Kathleen Tesar is an incredibly accomplished musician, author, and education administrator with years of experience in the field. She currently serves as the Associate Dean of Enrollment Management at the Juilliard School, having overseen the offices of admissions and financial aid for over five years.
She began training in violin at the age of 9 and now holds a Masters of Music in violin performance. She’s worked professionally in an orchestra in Venezuela and the Alabama Symphony, was a violin teacher at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and the Eastern Music Festival, and even ran her own private studio in Birmingham. She is also apart of the founding team of the company College Prep for Musicians and co-wrote the company’s book College Prep for Musicians. Listen to our insightful episode for artist tips, university application advice and so much more!!
Guest:
Kathleen Tesar
College Prep for Musicians (https://www.collegeprepformusicians.com/)
Hosted by:
Amber Dhall (@amber_dhall, @beyond.the.film on Instagram)
Jasma Zhou (@jasma_fusion_cuisine on Youtube and Instagram)
Contact information:
Email - offthechartspodcastt@gmail.com
Instagram - @offthecharts_podcast -
When Life Gives You Lemons Make Yellow Rain with Sabrina Lassegue
Sabrina is an actress, producer, director, model, dancer, and content creator who is an absolute powerhouse in the film industry. She trained at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy of the Performing Arts for acting, and eventually went on to pursue a filmmaking career alongside that passion. She also started her own multi-media production company that focuses on curating media highlighting diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry. Sabrina has been able to use all of her film experience to serve the greater artistic community on social media, and has over 23K followers on her tiktok, where she shares tips and advice for aspiring creatives.
Guest:
Sabrina Lassegue (@sabrinalasagna)
Yellow Rain Production Company (@yellowrainproductions)
TikTok (@directedbybrini)
Youtube (@aballerinasplace)
Hosted by:
Amber Dhall (@amber_dhall, @beyond.the.film on Instagram)
Jasma Zhou (@jasma_fusion_cuisine on Youtube and Instagram)
Contact information:
Email - offthechartspodcastt@gmail.com
Instagram - @offthecharts_podcast