Ep 130: Breaking into Hollywood - coz Asians Take Sh*t Very Well?! | Alvin Wee (Grammy, CAS & Golden Horse Award-Winning Music Mixer, Encanto)

15/10/2023 1h 0min Episodio 130

Listen "Ep 130: Breaking into Hollywood - coz Asians Take Sh*t Very Well?! | Alvin Wee (Grammy, CAS & Golden Horse Award-Winning Music Mixer, Encanto)"

Episode Synopsis

Meet Alvin Wee: Grammy, CAS & Golden Horse Award winning music mixer from Kuching (now based in LA)!You might've heard some of his work:🔸 Disney's Encanto - it won the Grammy!🔸 "Loyal, Brave & True" - sung by Christina Aguilera in Mulan🔸 Top Gun: Maverick - with Hans Zimmer🔸 Kung Fu Panda 3🔸 Kingsman Series🔸 "Arena Cahaya" - sung by Zee Avi🔸 Video games like Final Fantasy XIII, Kingdom Hearts 2.5, Resident Evil XII, PUBG Mobile x Arcane Collaboration & Kena: Bridge of SpiritsAs you might have guessed it, all these achievements didn't come overnight.It took a lot of effort, grit and good luck to get to where Alvin now is.And we're diving deep into all of them.Including:❓ What kept him going as he studied music & waited for hours at the RTM studio for gigs to come?❓ Was Berklee instrumental to his career?❓ How did he "break" into Hollywood & get to collaborate with the likes of Han Zimmer, Harry Gregson-Williams, Pharrell, Jay Chou & Yuna?❓ What was it like performing (+ winning Best Original Song!) at the 53rd Annual Golden Horse Film Awards 2016?❓ His advice for other Asians who want to "make it" in Hollywood?Highlights:3:03 Wanting to be called Donald Duck?!6:19 Learning 7 instruments in high school11:41 The vision18:37 Was Berkeley instrumental to Alvin's career?20:53 IMDB22:06 Networking the right way27:10 Being nice in a cutthroat industry?!29:42 Harry Gregson-Williams wrote a letter supporting his US visa application!33:26 Landing his first gig - Final Fantasy 1335:43 Finding the next projects37:27 Working with Harry Gregson-Williams & Hans Zimmer43:19 What's the Hans Zimmer Camp?45:28 Disney's Encanto47:10 Do awards actually impact your career?48:22 Not being pigeon-holed49:56 It's a marathon, not a sprint51:06 Hollywood Writers' Strike53:05 Jared Lee: Is Hollywood really that glamorous?!📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/130💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

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