Cover Bing Chen, founder of Gold House (Photography: Ivan Bideac)

Tatler speaks to Bing Chen, Prabal Gurung and Kevin Lin to discuss how their non-profit Gold House is changing the future of the Asian diaspora

In the ever-evolving landscape of social and cultural institutions and initiatives, Gold House stands out as a beacon of advocacy and empowerment for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in the US.

At the heart of this non-profit group are three visionaries: Bing Chen, the founder and president, who is known for spearheading the launch of YouTube’s multi-billion-dollar influencer ecosystem; his co-founder Kevin Lin, renowned co-founder of video live-streaming platform Twitch; and respected fashion designer Prabal Gurung, who serves as CEO.

The foundation was formed in 2018 with 500 successful A-list AAPI founding members, who each contributed US$ 25,000 worth of material assets— whether mentorship, donation or investment. By connecting executives across industries, financing new ventures and reshaping AAPI portrayals, the team aimed to promote positive depictions of AAPI people onscreen, in boardrooms and in the media; today, Gold House has become the first call for anything Asian in Hollywood because of their finger on the pulse of the community—either for their access or to ensure cultural authenticity.

Read more: Bing Chen stands against Asian hate

Their collective efforts have not only fostered a sense of unity within the AAPI community but also catalysed systemic change across industries from entertainment to tech. Through initiatives like the Gold House Gala—which broke the internet in May, when the community’s best and brightest convened to celebrate the 100 most impactful AAPI changemakers in culture and society over the past year—they continue to uplift and celebrate the contributions of Asians, ensuring that future generations are supported and recognised.

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Above Prabal Gurung (Photo: Vincent Tullo)

“There is this amazing renaissance of Asian creativity,” says Chen. “We had the most awarded film of all time with Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022); the most watched Netflix series of all time with Squid Game (2021); and K-pop is still crushing it. I really want to unify the Asian diaspora worldwide and I’m very optimistic we’ll get that done.”

While great strides have been made in terms of representation of the community as a whole, and in the entertainment industry in particular—a recent joint study with US university USC Annenberg found a significant increase in Asian characters in top box office films, from 3.4 per cent in 2007 to 15.9 per cent in 2022—there is still much work to be done. The motivation behind ensuring the success of Gold House is also deeply personal for its founders. 

Gurung brings a unique perspective to Gold House. Born in Singapore and raised in Kathmandu, Gurung’s journey to New York has been one of constant advocacy for representation and inclusion. “The lack of representation in the mainstream world is astounding,” Gurung says. As a queer Asian immigrant, he has long been an advocate for visibility and a seat at the table. “When I joined the fashion industry, the lack of representation and visibility, the constant microaggressions and the blatant racism were so apparent to me,” he says. “People had several opinions about us Asians: [we were either the] monolithic model citizen, the job-stealing immigrant, the emasculated nerd, the tiger mum or the submissive human— among many other dangerous tropes that stop the world from seeing us as being actual humans.”

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Above Chen at the2024 Gold Galain Los Angeles (Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

Lin recalls the early days of the organisation with a sense of nostalgia and purpose. “Our initial drive at the inception of Gold House was simply to connect people across our networks in San Francisco and Los Angeles to meet, break bread, and discuss our lives and our industries,” he explains.

This simple mission quickly evolved as like-minded individuals including Janet Yang, producer and president of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, and actor and producer Daniel Dae Kim joined the cause, driven by a shared vision of improving the lives of future generations.

One of the first major initiatives, Gold Open, was a coordinated effort to buy out theatrical releases of Asian-centric films to ensure a successful opening weekend at the box office. “Through both observations and feedback from folks like film director and Gold House founding member Jon M Chu, we learnt the mechanics of Hollywood and activated the community based on our research,” Lin says.

The first major studio film to benefit from this initiative was the 2018 blockbuster hit Crazy Rich Asians. Chen says: “This [movie] will always be very special to me. We were in Chu’s father’s restaurant and we were told that the movie was going to make US$15 million on opening weekend, which means it was going to fail because it was below the baseline for excellence [and necessary profit]. There were five other Asian-led projects [that would only be greenlit if Crazy Rich Asians was a success]. So we went around the room during a 14-course banquet dinner and asked: “Who is going to buy out a cinema?” and then we started building Google spreadsheets to scale it. It snowballed into this global movement. Success begets success: Crazy Rich Asians succeeding directly greenlit the other projects.” 

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Above Kevin Lin (Photography: Yu Wei)

The team were on the cusp of something significant. Gurung recalls the movie’s release being a pivotal moment, leading to the first Gold House Family Dinner in New York City. Co-hosted with Chieh Huang, president of the Global Connection Village at the World Economic Forum, and Michelle Lee, the then editor-in-chief of Allure magazine, Family Dinners are not just culinary experiences but practical problem-solving sessions, attended by stars like entertainer Hasan Minhaj, designer Phillip Lim and former vice president of Google Americas Yong Su Kim, among other luminaries. “That [first] night, the group devoted the Family Dinner discussion to how we can support the next generation of businesses, birthing the now market-leading Gold House Ventures Accelerator,” Gurung says. This accelerator has since helped raise over US$2 billion in capital, demonstrating the tangible impact of Gold House’s initiatives.

From 2000 to 2019, Asian Americans became the fastestgrowing racial group in the United States, with the community increasing in size by more than 80 per cent—but, as Chen says, “There weren’t any pan-Asian [organisations] that were honing this power productively.”

But Gold House doesn’t just support those in the entertainment business. At the peak of the pandemic, Gold House co-founded the single largest #StopAsianHate victim fundraiser with GoFundMe, raising more than US$7 million within a few weeks. It was the first to promote local, grassroots organisations that focused on deeply supporting communities that were most affected by hate. The fundraising efforts persist to this day, most recently to support the Taiwan earthquake in April, as well as the Hawaii wildfires in 2023. 

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Above Gurung, Michelle Yeohand Indian director andproducer Karan Johar atthis year's Gold Gala (Photo: Sthanlee B Mirador)

“[In the early days,] Kevin and I went on a roadshow for nine months and met with more than 500 CEOs, A-list celebrities and Olympic medallists, and we told them we wanted to create the benevolent Asian mafia,” says Chen. At the time, the duo wondered why the Asian diaspora didn’t receive as much support as other communities; the consensus was that the diaspora simply did not support each other and were usually the first to criticise members within their own community. “We realised we needed to flip millennia worth of fracture within our own diaspora and build from there.”

A cornerstone of Gold House’s ethos, Lin says, is its “No A**hole” rule, as well as the “Gives-and-Gets” system, which encourages members to share their experiences and contacts while also seeking help. Gurung says: “It’s a beautiful moment of vulnerability and power-sharing, as questions range from ‘I need US$20 million for my film’ to ‘My children are lonely— who can help?’” This culture of mutual support has allowed the organisation to organically grow and strengthen its initiatives. Gold House operates like a well-oiled machine, because there’s a robust strategy underpinning it all, encompassing research, cultural consultation, investments, marketing and awards.

“We measure and monitor the most prominent and pernicious portrayals of our diaspora with leading research groups like Pew, Nielsen, Google and the University of Southern California, and evaluate if these numbers are changing,” Gurung explains.

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Above (Photo: Vincent Tullo)

This data-driven approach ensures that the stories of the AAPI community are authentically and aspirationally told. Examples include monitoring scripts to ensure Asian women are less fetishised in film, conducting artistic evaluation to ensure there is costume authenticity, or even monitoring how the percentage of Asians in C-suite jobs has increased during a certain time frame.

Other metrics include social impact value codified by how many net new dollars or socioeconomic opportunities Gold House can create; it combines dollars invested and promotional value. The team also looks at mainstream success markers like a project or creator’s return on investment, or the percentage of awards won. Through partnerships with major entertainment awards like the Oscars, Grammys and Emmys as well as with its own Gold House Gala, Gold House works to diversify member bases and ensure that AAPI projects receive the recognition they deserve.

Gold House also supports AAPI entrepreneurs through investment and mentorship to foster economic success. Metrics include the growth of their portfolio companies' revenue, as well as any acquisitions or IPOs. The organisation invests in films, indie media companies and accelerators across various creative fields. “Gold House has powered over 400 projects worth over US$50 million,” Gurung says. Its marketing efforts have been instrumental in the success of films like Parasite (2019) and The Farewell (2019).

Then there is Gold House’s One House Leadership Coalition—a union of top multicultural funds that work together to place diverse leaders on the boards of directors and advisory boards of companies seeking to diversify leadership. Finally, its Futures Network programme supports the next generation of leading Asia-Pacific creatives, entrepreneurs and leaders. The network amplifies their voices through resources from Gold House’s corporate and cultural leadership, with exclusive events and curated programming. 

Though other organisations like the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (Cape) have spent the last 30 years in a similar line of work, Gurung says there’s no competition: “Bing is also on the board of Cape, and most Cape board directors are Gold House members, so we see many synergies there.” Lin adds, “We [all] have a lot of desire to see the next generation of Asian entrepreneurs carry on the torch.”

The trio’s plans don’t stop at the US borders. “We’ve been dating the Singapore Economic Development Board for two years and, just a few months ago, we signed a three-year deal,” says Chen. The team is hard at work building the next Silicon Valley and Hollywood there, as a gateway to the rest of Asia. By deploying their network, research, consultancy, accelerators and media arms, they hope to provide the right expertise to ensure that Gold House can create a globally resonant go-to-market plan for companies in the east—ensuring that the companies and their content can be distributed in mainstream magazines, billboards and television, particularly in the west.

At last year’s Singapore Grand Prix, Gold House unveiled Gold Glove, a new initiative to help the next generation of Asia-based families and leaders navigate new opportunities in North America, as well as an expansion of Gold House Ventures to help Asia-based leaders invest in the next generation of founders and companies. 

The team has further plans to take Gold House global. The Gold Bridge initiative, which was announced by Chen at 2023’s Gold Gala, focuses on strengthening ties between communities, industries and, more importantly, across continents. “How can we build a Latino Gold House or the African Gold House?” he asks. The group is committed to celebrating Asian and individual excellence. Chen says, “Kurt Cobain said: ‘They laugh at me because I’m different. I laugh at them because they’re all the same.’ My parents always said you should only ever want to be yourself.” With the work being done at Gold House, this mantra of embracing one’s uniqueness and authenticity has become the cornerstone of its mission. Chen adds: “My real goal is that we cease to exist. Because we shouldn’t have to tell people why we should be supporting each other— we should all just be doing it.”

The proof is in the pudding, Tatler spoke to individuals directly impacted by Gold House. They recount their experiences with the organisation

Sean Wang, Film director

Gold House pushes me to want to be a better filmmaker. They helped spread the word about my casting call, hosted panels and screenings at Sundance Film Festival [where his feature film debut, Didi (2024)— backed by Gold Houses’ Creative Equity Fund—won two awards] and are consistently connecting me with other filmmakers, financiers and inspiring individuals in our community.

Rhea Raj, Singer and actor

Gold House is filled with grand thinkers who so graciously kicked open doors to key relationships and opportunities that have been pivotal to my growth. From producing an industry showcase in Los Angeles to doing panels at Coachella—which eventually led to me meeting my first agent—each activation was so thoughtful. It’s uplifting to be in a room filled with mentors and powerful tastemakers, knowing we’re all aligned in wanting to see our community succeed. Everyone’s wins are a win for our network as a whole, and it’s a reminder that our dreams can be limitless.

Alex Porat, Singer

As a kid, I didn’t understand who I was. As I got older, I started struggling more and more with my identity. Being half Chinese and raised in North America, I have struggled to understand myself. The community has made such an impact on the way I see myself. When you’re a little kid and you don’t see people that look like you in popular media, it can be extremely discouraging. I get pretty emotional at some of the events when I see Asian Americans being recognised, because they’re really paving the way for future generations.

Lloyd Lee Choi, Film Director

I participated in the inaugural Future Gold Film Fellowship [a programme to help drive and support the pipeline of AAPI talent in the film industry] back in 2022 that provided funding and support for three filmmakers to make their short films. Filmmaking can be such an isolating journey, and I felt a certain kinship with so many likeminded people in the Gold House network and family. What excites me and gives me hope is what [this impact] will look like in five, 10 or 20 years.

Credits

Photography  

Ivan Bideac (Chen); Vincent Tullo (Gurung)

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