365 Days In LA

Producer's Guild New Media Council Member Spotlight

Thu, 30 May 2013 14:50:00 -0400

Goldie Chan

by Elaine Spooner

“A good production is now a mix of offline and online content. Producing requires a new kind of thinking that blends traditional media with new media.”

Goldie Chan is a new brand of successful independent producer. She has expertise in traditional independent film and television, as well as in social media production. Her work allows her to create innovative interactive content that educates as well as entertains and she’s thrilled to be immersed in it every day.

Chan graduated from Stanford, with a major in Biology, which she says “isn’t really that far from producing.” She focused on research and analytics and learned quickly how to respond to problems when things go wrong. “That’s more like indie producing than you might think. It was great training for the job I’m doing now.”

After graduation, she received job offers in her field, but decided to become a fashion designer instead. “I’ve always been entrepreneurial. I like creative things and it just seemed to fit me for about two years.” It turned out to also be invaluable experience in how to run a business. Macy’s was interested in her clothing line, but she found it difficult to cope with such early success. “Because I was only 22, I ended up with a nervous breakdown and realized I needed a great business partner to balance my lack of experience and maturity. I found several but none was exactly the right fit. While I searched, I got involved in social media and began producing interactive content and sometimes films.”

She branched out into social media strategy work, which allowed her to exercise a passion for storytelling. “I had to figure out: Who is the client? Who is the audience? How should your message ‘go boom’. I joined the ‘Behind The Video’ podcast about Hollywood and video to learn more about the technology of it all.”

Today, Chan lives in the Bay Area and has accumulated a strong resume of successful productions. “I’m fascinated by how the industry is changing. I have produced comedies and mockumentary features, and I’m very proud of a recent award-winning series called ‘Cost of Capital’. A lot of dramas are relationship-based but this is educational and focused on who has the power in the current economy. It answers the question: What does the life of a billionaire investor at home look like? We’re getting ready to start season 2, which will focus on the fiscal cliff.”

While it’s a struggle to reach their audience, Chan’s team is staying true to the vision. Her co-creator, Brian DeChesare, runs Mergers & Inquisitions, the largest banking site on the Internet. “He wanted to create educational content, so I helped him craft a fictional narrative about how a deal comes together in private equity. I wish more people would watch it to get an understanding of what’s going on.”

The show’s fans are from the financial community and for many of them it’s the first time they are excited about a YouTube show. ‘Cost of Capital’ has climbed to #2 on the IMDB ITV Movie Meter, between ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Game of Thrones’. “That is a moment to be remembered. We’re proud of the fact that our show is not normal YouTube content. We don’t dumb it down for the Internet and we don’t throw in content that’s not true to what happens in real life.”

Chan’s latest project is a series call ‘Delusions’ that’s scheduled to shoot in Portland in the Fall. The crew will include some of the people who worked on the popular indie show ‘Portlandia’. She’s also building the strategy behind the theatrical release of the Magnolia Pictures distributed documentary ‘No Place On Earth’. See the trailer at http://bit.ly/ZousC2.

A new member of the PGA NW Chapter last year, Chan is also newly elected to the PGA NW Board. “I am passionate about bringing in new people from areas outside the current membership. I’m planning outreach to recruit new media people who may feel they can’t get in. Expanded outreach to Portland and Seattle is overdue.”

“I admire the people in the PGA and like what happens here for producers. As the PGA NW Diversity Chair, I work with women’s programs and traditional ethnic diversity challenges. Women producers in particular need a safe place to network and figure out the world of contracts and business affairs. I hope to create panels this year on both topics.”

Question of the Month: How will social media content evolve?

“I created a transmedia project for Adult Swim that used a variety of technologies. They are more edgy than other networks, so we could expand how we communicated their message. It’s all about the story, which is told using newly-traditional things like blogs, websites, Twitter, and Facebook. We also created a fake LinkedIn profile. Productions are creating fake identities for characters to allow them to interact with the audience. Today’s new media producers have a bit more leeway in applying their smaller budgets across more platforms.”

“I communicate with a variety of transmedia methods. I hold Tweet-ups and report from wherever I am, sending tweets with an offer to come by and meet me as one way to constantly build on my relationship with my followers. I also created a podcast about successful marketing campaigns. I discussed taking a walking tour in Ireland, using technology that identifies where you are and returns poetry written in that location. Other projects use Geo-caching to support gaming. In our new Portland show, each episode will end with a clue that Portland fans can physically search for. Finding it will result in winning prizes, including a walk-on role or other mention in the show.”

“You begin to see just how many web-based resources are out there for creative Producers and how many are waiting to be utilized in novel ways. I believe there is a lesson I am repeatedly learning as a growing Producer - Be Flexible.”

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:13:04 -0400

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” - Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers)

“So, I wanted people to grow up with kids’...

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 03:11:10 -0400

“So, I wanted people to grow up with kids’ hearts” - this RT is for @kimixkimi :)

porphyriasuicide:

Truth.

Beautiful. hitrecordjoe: Flickering Lights Give me all the...

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 20:58:41 -0400

Beautiful.

hitrecordjoe:

Flickering Lights

Give me all the FLICKERING LIGHTS

Love this new set with WonderGirl & SuperGirl...

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 01:55:42 -0400

Love this new set with WonderGirl & SuperGirl <3

kimixkimi:

Last set of photos [for now] with @GoldieChan as Supergirl x Wondergirl at Wondercon!

Photos by @kerorii!

A quick photoset with me and and my cousin Kimi at Wondercon in...

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 02:57:08 -0400

A quick photoset with me and and my cousin Kimi at Wondercon in Anaheim!

kimixkimi:

Few more Supergirl x Wondergirl photos feat. @GoldieChan

Can’t wait to see the photos @kerorii took at the con! *_*

Amazing. This is the response I get when I say I have a Biology...

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 20:51:35 -0500

Amazing. This is the response I get when I say I have a Biology degree from Stanford.

femalesoftwareeng:

When I tell a stranger I have a science degree, and they tell me to prove it.

Goldie's #OhVegasTweetup with @Indie_Intertube

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 23:08:00 -0500

Hello CES, NMX and IAWTV friends and colleagues!

I’m excited to say that I’ll be co-hosting a wonderful Vegas Tweetup (hashtag: #OhVegasTweetup) for my friends and colleagues with the two lovely ladies at @Indie_Intertube. It’ll be tons of fun and very casual, so stop by any time during the tweetup and say hi! Let me know what your Twitter handle is so I can tweet out that you came by too. Want to know more?

Oh yes, here’s the details:

When: Wednesday, Jan 9, 2-4 pm

Where: RIGHT OUTSIDE the Convention Center in front of the SkullCandy booth (near food trucks) during CES, Vegas - If you want to know where it is, you’ll have to follow me (@GoldieChan or @Indie_Intertube) to get the super secret location! We’ll be tweeting it out earlier in the day (and I’ll try to edit this post to reflect it, too!)

Why: Meet fellow social media and entertainment-related people.

Wear: Something fabulously Vegas! (and nerdy-professional… this is CES, after all)

Who: YOU, of course! Be sure to tweet me if you’re planning to stop by so I have a bit of a headcount.

And remember - use the hashtag #OhVegasTweetup so we can see what an Oh, Vegas time y’all are having!

Cheers,

Goldie

Your mission: Be so busy loving your life that you have no time...

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 02:57:34 -0500

Your mission: Be so busy loving your life that you have no time for hate, regret or fear.

Wake up and live.

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 05:11:16 -0500

Wake up and live.

Catch your breath. Take your time.

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 17:59:58 -0500

Catch your breath. Take your time.

When you fall for someone’s personality, everything about...

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 17:55:47 -0500

When you fall for someone’s personality, everything about them becomes beautiful. So true.

HOORAY! kimixkimi: Random photos of what @GoldieChan and I saw...

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 04:11:27 -0500

HOORAY!

kimixkimi:

Random photos of what @GoldieChan and I saw while we walked throughout Portland!!!

So green! So much rain! Exciting to visit!

I want to travel again! *happy*

Classy Mother Frakker. I approve :)

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 18:29:31 -0500

Classy Mother Frakker.

I approve :)

Goldie's #PortlandiaTweetup Edition

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 10:00:00 -0500

Hello Portland friends and colleagues!

I’ll be hosting a wonderful Portland Tweetup (hashtag: #PortlandiaTweetup) for my friends and colleagues with the wonderful @girlactor, @audreywalker and my cousin being dragged along for the ride, @kimixkimi. We’ll be meeting up at the lovely Portland coffee house treasure known as the Rimsky-Korsakoffee House. Want in? Well, of course you do!

Here’s the details:

Where: Rimsky-Korsakoffee House: 707 SE 12th Ave, Portland, OR

When: Wednesday, Nov 21, 7 - 9pm (it opens at 7!)

Why: Meet fellow social media and entertainment-related friends!

Wear: Something uniquely Portland :)

Who: YOU, of course! I’m also going to keep an on-going list of YES Twitter handle RSVPs on this post. Just tweet me or use our glorious hashtag #PortlandiaTweetup! (EDIT: everyone has been messaging me with maybes - soooo keep doing that and I’ll keep a mental list and/or just show up!)

(and yes, I have watched a bit too much of Portlandia. But can you really blame me when they love their fans enough to start a co-op?)

RSVP YES! (and tweet me to let me know!)

@GoldieChan (don’t know who I am? Read my shocking about.me!)
@girlactor
@audreywalker
@kimixkimi

Great time at ILM/LucasArts Films today with Doug and Lance...

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 03:02:46 -0400

Luke, I am your Producer,

Oh, so curious.

Me, Doug and Lance at ILM/LucasArts

GOLD-IE PHONE HOME

Great time at ILM/LucasArts Films today with Doug and Lance talking webseries and geekery!

Mini Wonderlands :) photojojo: Johan Thörnqvist uses photos...

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:22:45 -0400

Mini Wonderlands :)

photojojo:

Johan Thörnqvist uses photos only taken with his phone to create these lovely collages!

Camera Phone Photos with Adorb Illustrations Added

via Drawn.ca

Back to the Mothership

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:07:02 -0400

Goodbye Los Angeles.

I am heading to the Bay Area at the end of this week.

It’s been quite a journey (and more than 365 days) since my Day 1 post.

I’ve been asked to explore a couple of private projects in Silicon Valley. And I’ve said yes. And while I will miss my LA friends dearly - I will be back regularly for business and soaking up the beautiful sunshine :)

It’s only fitting that my time in LA has been a chimerical mix of fantasy and reality.

Like most entertainment people in LA, I’ve been in and about fancy venues, various film lots, premieres and Charleston’d in a dive bar. I’ve listened to live Pixar music at the Hollywood Bowl, climbed to the top of Runyon Canyon with two dogs, sat silent under an ancient tree in the Huntington, snuck away to Palm Springs, grooved to a Britney Spears secret show in West Hollywood, doodled on my moleskine at the Getty, giggled at Book of Mormon at the Pantages, strolled the red carpet at the DGA, cosplayed during Anime Expo and ComicCon, hosted an intimate dinner party at Craft, debated comics at Golden Apple, had business coffee at the Grove, ate greasy turkey legs in Disneyland, held a staring contest with “Pacey” at the Annenberg, filmed on a gorgeous yacht in San Diego, illegally climbed on top of the white lamps at LACMA, eaten deep-fried butter at the OC Fair, suspiciously stopped “Jack Bauer” from talking to my friend at Intelligentsia, nearly live-painted at DTLA Art Walk, jumped around to indie music at the Echoplex, had greasy french fries on the Santa Monica Pier, chilled at a house party in Venice with the cast of The Walking Dead and and visited more burger (and vegan) places you can shake a stick at.

I have been dazzled and shattered.

I’ve accepted and turned down amazing job offers. I’ve left behind the world of acting to focus primarily on producing and writing. I’ve had my personal page get over 11k hits in one day and my Twitter get followed by some surprisingly famous people. I’ve advised start-up companies and studio execs who are building everything from dating sites to YouTube channels. I’ve launched a webseries that made it to #4 on IMDB.

So mostly I’ve just lived.

And anyone who knows me well knows that I always know when it’s time to go back to the resurrection ship.

So I wish all of my friends, fans and colleagues the best of luck in this Alice in Wonderland world of Los Angeles. I will be back soon.

Love,

Goldie

Love how clean and simple this is.

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 18:37:20 -0400

Love how clean and simple this is.

"There are four questions of value in life… What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is..."

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 16:40:44 -0400

“There are four questions of value in life… What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for, and what is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same. Only love. - Johnny Depp”