COOKING SHOW
Los Angeles, California | Series
Comedy, Satire
This “micro-webseries” of 90-sec. episodes parodies the popular millennial YouTube channels of BuzzFeed and Tastemade (for example), where the racial identity of the chef directly impacts the identity of the food...even when a chef wants to break out of that mold. Enter Kurt, an adopted Asian.
COOKING SHOW
Los Angeles, California | Series
Comedy, Satire
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $3,776 for pre-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
59 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
This “micro-webseries” of 90-sec. episodes parodies the popular millennial YouTube channels of BuzzFeed and Tastemade (for example), where the racial identity of the chef directly impacts the identity of the food...even when a chef wants to break out of that mold. Enter Kurt, an adopted Asian.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Born in Los Angeles, I (Kurt) have been accustomed to a life where multi-culturalism is a norm. However, working in Hollywood, where a majority of high-level executives come from outside of this city, or live in pockets where they do not need to interact with others, there is a bubble of especially white perspective that pervades the media and Hollywood, whether it is on the TV screen or on YouTube Cooking shows. This implicit bias is what our pilot immediately explores. There is a misguided perception that our racial identities must dictate our lives, especially when it comes to “marketability”. In this age of Crazy Rich Asians, where a feature film featuring an all-Asian cast has skyrocketed interest in Asian content, it has also pinholed us into “exotic-izing” and “orientalizing” ourselves. COOKING SHOW seeks to make fun of that forced marketing, and how unfair it is that an adopted Asian-American chef cannot achieve the same level of prestige as his Italian or American peers because of his ethnicity. We also parody online cooking shows in general -- especially millenial incompetence and malaise -- with fun gags, humor, and social commentary. 'Cuz while there's definitely a message, we're here for the crazy fun of high-stakes 90-seconds! WAH!
WE NEED YOUR HELP BECAUSE:
With your help, the funding raised here will support our shoot days and post-production of our season, which will then be shopped around at various short-form content creators, and ultimately, see release on a social platform this SUMMER 2019. We're at the finish line with our scripts, and just a few (thousand) dollars short for the shoot - and your support will help boil up this sucker to new heights! We'll all be eating Lobster in NO TIME!!! :)
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. And we really appreciate all your help in bringing a fresh perspective and unique comic take to this new age of "Asian Content". (eye-rolling, so hard).
XOXO
Kurt, David, Christina, and Alyssa
A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT "COOKING SHOW"
This is a parody cooking show where no one ever cooks. We play two best friends, one White guy and one Asian guy, who co-host an online cooking show. But, whether due to racial politics, our PC culture, or millennial incompetence, in every 90 second episode, something will always go wrong...
OUR TEST SHOOT went super well in February (in my parent's dining room), and we are looking forward to filming in our actual location at a beautiful private home in Beverly Hills...which looks pretty similar to THIS:
OUR actual kitchen location has an island as well as a marble countertop that will really shoot up the production value of our scripts, and allow us to make a true parody - one where the line between reality and fiction becomes quite blurred - even in the quality of the set, cameras, costumes, hair, and make-up. That's how we'll grab the attention. With food porn shots like this:
or this:
and hand-porn shots like this:
to parody cooking hosts like Buzzfeed's award-winning Alvin Zhou 100 Million+ Views):
or Tastemade's cooks like Vijaya Selvaraju:
or Korean heroine Seonkyoung Longest:
or Filipina sister Jen Phanomrat:
..all of which requires fancy on-location equipment like this:
So, to do all that visually and aurally, we need your help. And we thank you so much for your time, We look forward to sharing the final shoot with you soon!!
A PRESTO!!!!!
PS If you ever have any questions or would like to see a full clip from our no-budget test shoot, please feel free to reach out - kurtkanazawa [at] me.com
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
UPDATES!! 4/21 PLEASE WELCOME OUR FULL AMAZING CAST!!!
NATASHA TINA LIU as Natasha, the MUA
Natasha Tina Liu (Actor) can be seen in some cool projects that will be released soon including Synchronic (feature film), Cobra Kai (Youtube Red series), and (Future) Cult Classic (SyFy dark comedy pilot). In her free time, she enjoys improv, stand-up comedy, and pretending to be a cat. Her favorite foods are brussel sprouts, mochi and ube ice cream, and taro boba!
SKYLAR SCHOCK as Skylar, the PRODUCER
Skylar Schock is a recent graduate of the UCLA Professional Program in Acting for The Camera, as well as serving as the TA for the UCLA Professional Program in Producing lead by Tom Nunan. Skylar has also trained at the Stella Adler Professional Conservatory and with master Meisner teacher Kathryn Gately. She recently performed in Paris, France as Rosalind from Shakespeare's As You Like It . She is passionate about promoting female driven narratives and is the Co Founder of Messy Bun Productions.
KRISHNA SMITHA as Krishna, the PD
Krishna Smitha (www.KrishnaSmitha.com) hails from Dallas, Texas but now calls Los Angeles her home. She's a vegan so Cali has been able to offer a wider variety of options for her palate. Her favorite kinds of food are Tex-Mex- she can eat chips and salsa for days- and Thai- mmmmm, curry. She would also like everyone in the world to know about Vrommage- a veegan cheese place in West Hollywood- it has changed her life.
ZAKIYA YOUNG as Zakiya, the SOUND GIRL
Zakiya Young (actor) is an east coast girl who left the cold, the subway and the rats back in NYC to make her home in sunny Los Angeles. She recently starred in Danai Guriria's play "Familiar" at The Old Globe and was seen on Orange Is The New Black and Iron Fist. She made her Broadway debut in "The Little Mermaid" and resists the strong urge to perch on a rock and sing Part of Your World when she goes to the beach. Favorite ice cream: anything non-dairy bc she went full LA and is vegan now. Favorite fruit: All fruit...bc she went full LA and is vegan now. IG: @officialzakiyayoung.
THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Camera Department!!!
Costs $600
We gotta shoot this thing! iPhone7s won't do. But your generosity will help us build pin-holes!!! :)
Picture Editor
Costs $500
WHOOOOO IS THAT GIRL I SEE?!?! She needs to be color matched and prettyyyy and logo'd for instagram.
Sound Editor
Costs $500
Papa can you hear me?? The mic better be on. If we can afford to bring it on set. Or, Buster Keaton!
Music
Costs $200
Help our opening bit have an AMAZING theme song. Like, FRIENDS worthy. Or better...30 ROCK worthy!!
Catering for EVERYBODY
Costs $300
Crew/Actors, they gotta eat. It's a thing. Even Kanye eats! So it's trending. We gotta do it too!!!
WARDROBE SUPERVISOR
Costs $150
We need a great stylist to compete with the big Buzzfeed/YouTube Dogs...help us QUEER EYE this mess!
Make up / Hair Coordinator
Costs $150
Our hair is ALL over the place. Help David and I cement that down, while looking fly. #hairflip
Actors!!!
Costs $500
Help us pay our actors right! We do have guests appearing on the show...they are amazing SAG Actors.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
THEY ARE AWESOME:
Kurt Kanazawa (Actor, Co-Writer) www.kurtkanazawa.com Born in Los Angeles, with family roots in Hawaii, Kurt Sanchez Kanazawa recently appeared on TV as Tad on Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), and butt-naked on stage as Galileo Masconi in The Judas Kiss (Boston Court Pasadena) His favorite ice cream is Green Tea, yup. But honestly, he doesn’t eat ice cream that often anymore because — yogurt. Favorite fruit: Watermelon FOR DAYS (but, only in July/August because — seasons).
David Meyers (Actor, Co-Writer) www.davidacts.com David is an actor and writer, whose favorite color is Green! On screen, David has worked with James Franco, Molly Shannon, Cathy Scorsese, Danny DeVito, Jesse McCartney -- and shot projects for FOX, Adobe, Nissan, Apple, Verizon, QuickBooks and more. His play "We Will Not Be Silent" has had 4 regional productions, with an upcoming off-Broadway premiere.
Christina YR Jun (Director) https://www.christinayrjun.com Christina YR Jun is a Korean-American director/writer born in Spain and currently based in LA (so the identity crisis is real). Most recently Jun has explored this existential identity crisis by directing the short film, Search History (SAG-AFTRA Foundation showcase & Bentonville Film Festival) as well as co-directing the feature film, Samir (funded and distributed by WB Studios). Her favorite thing in the world is cheese, charcuterie, and high cholesterol.
Alyssa Renzi (Director of Photography) https://www.alyssarenzi.com Alyssa Renzi is a cinematographer from New York, currently living in Los Angeles. She just recently wrapped production on the USC thesis film, Retribution, directed by Mel Orpen, and has shot a number of short films, web series, commercials, and music videos. If you give her chocolate, she will eat it. Same goes for ice cream. And if it's chocolate ice cream, all bets are off.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
CASTING COMPLETE!! UPDATE 4/21 ✅
Natasha Tina Liu (as Natasha, the MUA)
Natasha Tina Liu (Actor) can be seen in some cool projects that will be released soon including Synchronic (feature film), Cobra Kai (Youtube Red series), and (Future) Cult Classic (SyFy dark comedy pilot). In her free time, she enjoys improv, stand-up comedy, and pretending to be a cat. Her favorite foods are brussel sprouts, mochi and ube ice cream, and taro boba!
Skylar Schock (as Skylar, the PRODUCER)
Skylar Schock is a recent graduate of the UCLA Professional Program in Acting for The Camera, as well as serving as the TA for the UCLA Professional Program in Producing lead by Tom Nunan. Skylar has also trained at the Stella Adler Professional Conservatory and with master Meisner teacher Kathryn Gately. She recently performed in Paris, France as Rosalind from Shakespeare's As You Like It . She is passionate about promoting female driven narratives and is the Co Founder of Messy Bun Productions.
Krishna Smitha (as Krishna, the PD)
Krishna Smitha (www.KrishnaSmitha.com) hails from Dallas, Texas but now calls Los Angeles her home. She's a vegan so Cali has been able to offer a wider variety of options for her palate. Her favorite kinds of food are Tex-Mex- she can eat chips and salsa for days- and Thai- mmmmm, curry. She would also like everyone in the world to know about Vrommage- a veegan cheese place in West Hollywood- it has changed her life.
Zakiya Young (as Zakiya, the SOUND GIRL)
Zakiya Young (actor) is an east coast girl who left the cold, the subway and the rats back in NYC to make her home in sunny Los Angeles. She recently starred in Danai Guriria's play "Familiar" at The Old Globe and was seen on Orange Is The New Black and Iron Fist. She made her Broadway debut in "The Little Mermaid" and resists the strong urge to perch on a rock and sing Part of Your World when she goes to the beach. Favorite ice cream: anything non-dairy bc she went full LA and is vegan now. Favorite fruit: All fruit...bc she went full LA and is vegan now. IG: @officialzakiyayoung.
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Born in Los Angeles, I (Kurt) have been accustomed to a life where multi-culturalism is a norm. However, working in Hollywood, where a majority of high-level executives come from outside of this city, or live in pockets where they do not need to interact with others, there is a bubble of especially white perspective that pervades the media and Hollywood, whether it is on the TV screen or on YouTube Cooking shows. This implicit bias is what our pilot immediately explores. There is a misguided perception that our racial identities must dictate our lives, especially when it comes to “marketability”. In this age of Crazy Rich Asians, where a feature film featuring an all-Asian cast has skyrocketed interest in Asian content, it has also pinholed us into “exotic-izing” and “orientalizing” ourselves. COOKING SHOW seeks to make fun of that forced marketing, and how unfair it is that an adopted Asian-American chef cannot achieve the same level of prestige as his Italian or American peers because of his ethnicity. We also parody online cooking shows in general -- especially millenial incompetence and malaise -- with fun gags, humor, and social commentary. 'Cuz while there's definitely a message, we're here for the crazy fun of high-stakes 90-seconds! WAH!
WE NEED YOUR HELP BECAUSE:
With your help, the funding raised here will support our shoot days and post-production of our season, which will then be shopped around at various short-form content creators, and ultimately, see release on a social platform this SUMMER 2019. We're at the finish line with our scripts, and just a few (thousand) dollars short for the shoot - and your support will help boil up this sucker to new heights! We'll all be eating Lobster in NO TIME!!! :)
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. And we really appreciate all your help in bringing a fresh perspective and unique comic take to this new age of "Asian Content". (eye-rolling, so hard).
XOXO
Kurt, David, Christina, and Alyssa
A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT "COOKING SHOW"
This is a parody cooking show where no one ever cooks. We play two best friends, one White guy and one Asian guy, who co-host an online cooking show. But, whether due to racial politics, our PC culture, or millennial incompetence, in every 90 second episode, something will always go wrong...
OUR TEST SHOOT went super well in February (in my parent's dining room), and we are looking forward to filming in our actual location at a beautiful private home in Beverly Hills...which looks pretty similar to THIS:
OUR actual kitchen location has an island as well as a marble countertop that will really shoot up the production value of our scripts, and allow us to make a true parody - one where the line between reality and fiction becomes quite blurred - even in the quality of the set, cameras, costumes, hair, and make-up. That's how we'll grab the attention. With food porn shots like this:
or this:
and hand-porn shots like this:
to parody cooking hosts like Buzzfeed's award-winning Alvin Zhou 100 Million+ Views):
or Tastemade's cooks like Vijaya Selvaraju:
or Korean heroine Seonkyoung Longest:
or Filipina sister Jen Phanomrat:
..all of which requires fancy on-location equipment like this:
So, to do all that visually and aurally, we need your help. And we thank you so much for your time, We look forward to sharing the final shoot with you soon!!
A PRESTO!!!!!
PS If you ever have any questions or would like to see a full clip from our no-budget test shoot, please feel free to reach out - kurtkanazawa [at] me.com
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
UPDATES!! 4/21 PLEASE WELCOME OUR FULL AMAZING CAST!!!
NATASHA TINA LIU as Natasha, the MUA
Natasha Tina Liu (Actor) can be seen in some cool projects that will be released soon including Synchronic (feature film), Cobra Kai (Youtube Red series), and (Future) Cult Classic (SyFy dark comedy pilot). In her free time, she enjoys improv, stand-up comedy, and pretending to be a cat. Her favorite foods are brussel sprouts, mochi and ube ice cream, and taro boba!
SKYLAR SCHOCK as Skylar, the PRODUCER
Skylar Schock is a recent graduate of the UCLA Professional Program in Acting for The Camera, as well as serving as the TA for the UCLA Professional Program in Producing lead by Tom Nunan. Skylar has also trained at the Stella Adler Professional Conservatory and with master Meisner teacher Kathryn Gately. She recently performed in Paris, France as Rosalind from Shakespeare's As You Like It . She is passionate about promoting female driven narratives and is the Co Founder of Messy Bun Productions.
KRISHNA SMITHA as Krishna, the PD
Krishna Smitha (www.KrishnaSmitha.com) hails from Dallas, Texas but now calls Los Angeles her home. She's a vegan so Cali has been able to offer a wider variety of options for her palate. Her favorite kinds of food are Tex-Mex- she can eat chips and salsa for days- and Thai- mmmmm, curry. She would also like everyone in the world to know about Vrommage- a veegan cheese place in West Hollywood- it has changed her life.
ZAKIYA YOUNG as Zakiya, the SOUND GIRL
Zakiya Young (actor) is an east coast girl who left the cold, the subway and the rats back in NYC to make her home in sunny Los Angeles. She recently starred in Danai Guriria's play "Familiar" at The Old Globe and was seen on Orange Is The New Black and Iron Fist. She made her Broadway debut in "The Little Mermaid" and resists the strong urge to perch on a rock and sing Part of Your World when she goes to the beach. Favorite ice cream: anything non-dairy bc she went full LA and is vegan now. Favorite fruit: All fruit...bc she went full LA and is vegan now. IG: @officialzakiyayoung.
THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Camera Department!!!
Costs $600
We gotta shoot this thing! iPhone7s won't do. But your generosity will help us build pin-holes!!! :)
Picture Editor
Costs $500
WHOOOOO IS THAT GIRL I SEE?!?! She needs to be color matched and prettyyyy and logo'd for instagram.
Sound Editor
Costs $500
Papa can you hear me?? The mic better be on. If we can afford to bring it on set. Or, Buster Keaton!
Music
Costs $200
Help our opening bit have an AMAZING theme song. Like, FRIENDS worthy. Or better...30 ROCK worthy!!
Catering for EVERYBODY
Costs $300
Crew/Actors, they gotta eat. It's a thing. Even Kanye eats! So it's trending. We gotta do it too!!!
WARDROBE SUPERVISOR
Costs $150
We need a great stylist to compete with the big Buzzfeed/YouTube Dogs...help us QUEER EYE this mess!
Make up / Hair Coordinator
Costs $150
Our hair is ALL over the place. Help David and I cement that down, while looking fly. #hairflip
Actors!!!
Costs $500
Help us pay our actors right! We do have guests appearing on the show...they are amazing SAG Actors.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
THEY ARE AWESOME:
Kurt Kanazawa (Actor, Co-Writer) www.kurtkanazawa.com Born in Los Angeles, with family roots in Hawaii, Kurt Sanchez Kanazawa recently appeared on TV as Tad on Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), and butt-naked on stage as Galileo Masconi in The Judas Kiss (Boston Court Pasadena) His favorite ice cream is Green Tea, yup. But honestly, he doesn’t eat ice cream that often anymore because — yogurt. Favorite fruit: Watermelon FOR DAYS (but, only in July/August because — seasons).
David Meyers (Actor, Co-Writer) www.davidacts.com David is an actor and writer, whose favorite color is Green! On screen, David has worked with James Franco, Molly Shannon, Cathy Scorsese, Danny DeVito, Jesse McCartney -- and shot projects for FOX, Adobe, Nissan, Apple, Verizon, QuickBooks and more. His play "We Will Not Be Silent" has had 4 regional productions, with an upcoming off-Broadway premiere.
Christina YR Jun (Director) https://www.christinayrjun.com Christina YR Jun is a Korean-American director/writer born in Spain and currently based in LA (so the identity crisis is real). Most recently Jun has explored this existential identity crisis by directing the short film, Search History (SAG-AFTRA Foundation showcase & Bentonville Film Festival) as well as co-directing the feature film, Samir (funded and distributed by WB Studios). Her favorite thing in the world is cheese, charcuterie, and high cholesterol.
Alyssa Renzi (Director of Photography) https://www.alyssarenzi.com Alyssa Renzi is a cinematographer from New York, currently living in Los Angeles. She just recently wrapped production on the USC thesis film, Retribution, directed by Mel Orpen, and has shot a number of short films, web series, commercials, and music videos. If you give her chocolate, she will eat it. Same goes for ice cream. And if it's chocolate ice cream, all bets are off.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
CASTING COMPLETE!! UPDATE 4/21 ✅
Natasha Tina Liu (as Natasha, the MUA)
Natasha Tina Liu (Actor) can be seen in some cool projects that will be released soon including Synchronic (feature film), Cobra Kai (Youtube Red series), and (Future) Cult Classic (SyFy dark comedy pilot). In her free time, she enjoys improv, stand-up comedy, and pretending to be a cat. Her favorite foods are brussel sprouts, mochi and ube ice cream, and taro boba!
Skylar Schock (as Skylar, the PRODUCER)
Skylar Schock is a recent graduate of the UCLA Professional Program in Acting for The Camera, as well as serving as the TA for the UCLA Professional Program in Producing lead by Tom Nunan. Skylar has also trained at the Stella Adler Professional Conservatory and with master Meisner teacher Kathryn Gately. She recently performed in Paris, France as Rosalind from Shakespeare's As You Like It . She is passionate about promoting female driven narratives and is the Co Founder of Messy Bun Productions.
Krishna Smitha (as Krishna, the PD)
Krishna Smitha (www.KrishnaSmitha.com) hails from Dallas, Texas but now calls Los Angeles her home. She's a vegan so Cali has been able to offer a wider variety of options for her palate. Her favorite kinds of food are Tex-Mex- she can eat chips and salsa for days- and Thai- mmmmm, curry. She would also like everyone in the world to know about Vrommage- a veegan cheese place in West Hollywood- it has changed her life.
Zakiya Young (as Zakiya, the SOUND GIRL)
Zakiya Young (actor) is an east coast girl who left the cold, the subway and the rats back in NYC to make her home in sunny Los Angeles. She recently starred in Danai Guriria's play "Familiar" at The Old Globe and was seen on Orange Is The New Black and Iron Fist. She made her Broadway debut in "The Little Mermaid" and resists the strong urge to perch on a rock and sing Part of Your World when she goes to the beach. Favorite ice cream: anything non-dairy bc she went full LA and is vegan now. Favorite fruit: All fruit...bc she went full LA and is vegan now. IG: @officialzakiyayoung.