We were lucky to catch up with Elizabeth Chang recently and have shared our conversation below.
Elizabeth, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
Imagine being a kosher fortune cookie in a sea of wonton soups. That’s the adventure I had while navigating casting rooms in Tinseltown. As a mixed-race actress, when I first started out in Hollywood, I was often told that I was “too ethnic” for caucasian roles, and “not asian enough” for asian roles. At the same time, I was disappointed not to see adequate representation in Film and Television. Diversity and Inclusion are important to me, and I want to help tell unique stories from fresh perspectives. That was the driving mission in founding Georgian Pine Entertainment with Richard Chang, a former Sony Studio Executive (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon). So far, we’ve published Homecoming, the first in a Sci-Fi Trilogy (think Star Trek meets the Odyssey), The Next Unicorn, a fashion-tech comedy mini series released on Amazon Prime, and produced a LGBTQ rom-com short that’s won over a dozen awards and laurels at Film Festivals. Currently, we’re producing a Sci-Fi Comedic Pilot to help inspire hearts and minds to utilize currently available technology to bend the curve on Global Warming. I feel called to produce projects that elevate fresh voices, and/or speak to a greater need.
Elizabeth, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Like many in this industry, I started as an actor, moving to LA after graduating from college. However, after a year, I took a position at a startup and spent most of my time writing and helping the company craft corporate messages. After a few years, I felt called to return to tell diverse stories and uplift fresh voices. I’m proud to produce projects that showcase underrepresented artists and their unique perspectives, and champion stories that support the environment and sustainability.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I’ve always cared deeply about the environment. In 2016 driving in dense traffic up the 101, I started wondering: how can we do better? What technologies could we develop that would curb global warming or even reverse it? For the next few years, I started ruminating on topics that would eventually become the world of my novel, Homecoming. Imagine trees that are genetically engineered to grow into the shapes of homes. Plants that are spliced with Jellyfish DNA and glow to illuminate our live and work spaces. Vaulted living ceilings that open on voice command to reveal the starry sky. I wrote, Homecoming, hoping to inspire the next generation of young scientists to create technologies that will make the world a more sustainable. Currently, we’re developing a tv series that will inspire every day consumers to use already existing technologies to live sustainably and meet the net zero carbon emission goals set for 2050. I love humanity and our planet and hope to showcase solutions so we can live harmoniously and joyfully with nature.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Many of us are raised with unhelpful ideologies. Through meditation and practicing observing my thoughts, I’ve been able to identify unhelpful thought patterns and replace them with healthier ones. Yoga, guided and transcendental meditation, creating affirmations, and prayer have all been transformational for me. For example, I used to feel anxious and stressed much of the time. I had an internal thought pattern: there isn’t enough time. I recognized that and replaced it with: there is time for everything. After repeating that affirmation frequently, it started to become part of my subconscious and since then I rarely feel stressed about getting things done in time. Of course I’ll still have moments, however, they’re fewer and much more manageable. Reprogramming the mind is like hitting Ctrl+Alt+Del on your thoughts—just waiting for that ‘positive affirmation’ loading bar to hit 100%!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.georgianpineentertainment.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethphotobook/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethChang888/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethchang888/
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/Homecoming-1-Elizabeth-Chang/dp/1098304950 https://lesatchel.com/ https://www.amazon.com/The-Next-Unicorn/dp/B08Z1LMPXK https://tubitv.com/series/300009682/the-next-unicorn