Strands of Genius: Actionable Ways Organizations Can Support Asian Employees in Anti-Racism Work, A Challenge to Our Industry From an Invisible Minority, We Belong in the C-suite
Guest curated by Bernice Chao
Each year we aim to highlight 50 creative thinkers that have inspired us by giving them the opportunity to guest curate this newsletter, Strands of Genius. This edition is guest curated by Bernice Chao, Head of Integrated Creative at Zambezi and Co-founder of Asians in Advertising.
:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, BERNICE CHAO ::
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT: Zambezi
Hello everyone, my name is Bernice Chao. I'm the Head of Integrated Creative at Zambezi and the co-founder of Asians in Advertising. I have a passion for creating opportunities and paths for others to succeed.
The idea of Asians in Advertising was brought on by our shared experience as AAPI in the workforce and fueled by the uprising of Asian hate during the pandemic. It was time to do something that addressed that head-on. We have a chance to bring change within this industry and how advertising manifests in the world. Built on an initial idea I had many years ago, I was looking for the right partner to bring it to life.
I met Jessalin Lam, VP of Learning & Development, at an Ascend webinar called "Insights to Inspire the Next Generation of AAPI" at the end of January 2021. During the webinar, Jessalin put her LinkedIn into the chat. We both were passionate about the Asian community, so we connected on a Zoom chat since we live on opposite coasts. I was so impressed with Jessalin's involvement with DEI and L&D, plus many AAPI communities that it was a no-brainer.
We are at our first anniversary, and it's been incredible to see the organic growth in our community and even more surprised how it resonates with people, not only in the United States but across the world. We strongly believe it's driven by the unmet need of connecting Asians together for support, resources, and opportunities.
We have a very active community with over 2,000 members and are hosting our first two-day summit Breaking Barriers on May 5 & 6, 2022, with keynote speakers Cindy Gallop and StopAAPIHate founders. We are also working on a book called "The Visibility Mindset: How Asian Leaders Create Opportunities and Push Past Barriers" in the fall.
Editor’s Note (Team Genius Steals): We were connected with Bernice through Sean Choi. And we are loving what she’s doing with Asians in Advertising. We’re so excited for her and the upcoming summit. Thanks for the wonderful links, Bernice!
:: THE LINKS ::
8 ACTIONABLE WAYS ORGANIZATIONS CAN SUPPORT ASIAN EMPLOYEES IN ANTI-RACISM WORK
This article, written by Jessalin Lam, VP of Learning & Development at IAB and co-founder of Asians in Advertising, shares actionable ways for organizations to create a safe work environment to support their Asian employees. (ATD NYC)
A CHALLENGE TO OUR INDUSTRY FROM AN INVISIBLE MINORITY
This is a piece written by Clara Luo, an Asians in Advertising board member. She calls on the industry to empower the Asian community, collect the correct data on Asian consumers, invest in and mentor Asian talent, and support the AAPI community. (Campaign Live)
WE BELONG IN THE C-SUITE
This is an article written by Digitas CMO Michelle Tang. She advocates for the community to speak up, be themselves in the workplace, fight for visibility and support the cause. And she asks allies for help. (Campaign Live)
Looking for more from Bernice Chao? Those enrolled in The School of Stolen Genius will receive a deep dive from her in their inbox shortly! You can access all our expert interviews for SOSG here.
:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::
:: Game :: Super Puzzle Fighter || Turbo, not only is it super fun, but I'm also surprisingly good at it.
:: City :: It's hard to pick one, because I like to visit new ones. I have a soft spot for Wanaka, New Zealand because that's where I got married.
:: Book :: Ready Player One, It combines my love of fantasy adventure and the 80s pop culture.
:: Podcast :: The Daily by the New York Times, it's my go to podcast when I drive to the office.
:: Album :: Outkast, Stankonia
:: BREAKING BARRIERS ::
Learn more about our non-profit organization at: Asiansinadvertising.com
Bernice Chao
hellobernice@gmail.com
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It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.
Co-Founders Faris & Rosie are award-winning strategists and creative directors, writers, consultants and public speakers who have been living on the road/runway since March 2013, working with companies all over the world. Our Director of Operations is nomadic like us, our accounting team is based out of Washington, our company is registered in Tennessee, and our collaborators are all over the world. Being nomadic allows us to go wherever clients need us to be, and to be inspired by the world in between.
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