Virtual Programming: Writer and Filmmaker Alan Yang shares his creative process and personal story as a way to build empathy in a time when America needs it most
ALAN YANG is no stranger to feeling like an outsider. Growing up in Riverside, California as one of the few Asian kids at his school, he struggled to find a comfortable place. Today, Yang uses the tools of his trade to advocate for Asian Americans and immigrant communities, most recently with his Netflix feature film Tigertail, loosely based on his family's immigration story from Taiwan, and his recent PSA Fight the Virus. Fight the Bias, aimed at combating the upswing in racism toward Asian Americans amid the Coronavirus. Yang is a powerful storyteller, usually finding the funniest way possible to connect to the heart of the character, and he created some of the most beloved shows of recent years from Southpark to Parks and Recreation to Master of None. Yang sees his work as a way to build empathy during a time when America is divided, and helps us understand the humanity that exists outside of our own inner-circles. Awards Daily calls his work "a necessary viewing experience": He "succeeds brilliantly— telling rich, complex, heartfelt stories." Audiences describe Yang as open and funny, honest and sincere, and upbeat. Although he already has an Emmy award, Yang is just getting started, and we have a lot more to hear, see...and feel...from this young, ambitious, and inspiring writer and director.
Alan Yang is an Emmy-winning writer and current Executive Producer of the acclaimed Netflix series MASTER OF NONE, which he co-created and wrote with Aziz Ansari. Yang is the producer on Netflix's Free Food For Millionaires, and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy for his work on the show's standout episode Parents. In addition to an Emmy nomination for Best Comedy, MASTER OF NONE earned a Golden Globe nomination, won the Critics Choice Award for Best Comedy, and was named Rotten Tomatoes' Best-Reviewed Comedy of 2015.
Currently in an Overall deal with UTV, Alan wrote on the beloved comedy PARKS & RECREATION for its entire run. He began his successful comedy career working on Carson Daly’s late night show and is a graduate of Harvard University and alumnae of the Harvard Lampoon. He also co-created the popular sports blog FireJoeMorgan.com under the nom de plume "Junior."