Welcome to the Evolving Man Project’s “Evolved Man of the Week” profile. Each week we will highlight an individual that embodies what it means to be an evolved person, famous and non-famous individual alike. The world needs to know their stories and deeds. This week’s honor goes to the writer, creative strategist, and Asian American advocate, William Yu.
William is a 2020 Sundance Episodic Makers Lab Fellow. His half-hour dramedy, Good Boy, was unveiled by The Black List as a top 10 pilot on The CAPE List, a survey of Hollywood executives’ favorite unproduced AAPI scripts. His feature, Love You, Charlie, a high school thriller, won the screenplay competition at the 41st Asian American International Film Festival.
His work has been featured domestically and internationally from major media outlets such as The New York Times, BBC, CNN, NBC, CBS, The Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, and The Hollywood Reporter, and more. He is based in New York City.
William is the creator of #Starring JohnCho, a viral, Shorty Award-winning project that used Photoshopped movie posters to spark a global conversation about Asian American representation in media.
An experienced speaker, William has spoken for thousands of audience members about the power of authentic representation and diversity within the media and advertising industries. As a panelist, moderator, on-camera interviewee, or keynote speaker, Yu uses the data and insights from his presentation “The Rise of the New Asian American” to inform a wide range of listeners.
Born in Philadelphia, raised in Hong Kong, educated in Boston, and seasoned in New York, William now resides in Downtown Los Angeles. Here is William Yu about his experiences about placing his self-worth in the hands of others:
Being less Asian = being more accepted. I thought that if I equated myself with this group of young men, then my masculinity and my self-worth would be secure. Never once did I consider that I was placing my value in the hands of others. I never took a second to step back and ask myself, “What is this all for?”
Today we honor William Yu as our Evolved Man of the Week.
Evolving Man Project 