Television producer Alan Yang to speak at USC

Last year at the Emmy’s, screenwriter, producer, director and actor Alan Yang delivered an eye-opening speech on the importance of media diversity as he stepped on stage to receive his award.

“Asian parents out there, if you could just do me a favor and just a couple of you get your kids cameras instead of violins, we would be all good,” Yang said in his Emmy speech, eliciting good-natured laughter from his audience.

Yang is the headliner for the Asian Pacific American Student Assembly’s annual speaker event in Bovard Auditorium, which will take place on Friday night.

APASA is one of nine assemblies of Undergraduate Student Government’s Program Board. The organization programs and advocates for Asian Pacific American students on campus, providing funding and marketing for various student organizations.

Last year, APASA invited actress Constance Wu from the popular television series Fresh Off the Boat to headline the speaker event. Wu inspired students with her compelling story about breaking into Hollywood as an Asian American actress, an industry where Asian Americans experience limited screentime. This year, Alan Yang will continue to inspire students and show that the Asian American community will not be bound by Hollywood stereotypes.

“We hope that APA students can learn from a role model in the entertainment industry — one in which there is traditionally less APA representation,” said Michelle Su, the Events Coordinator for APASA. “Since the event appeals to a larger audience as well, we hope that the general USC community can benefit from the talk with Alan and that the topics discussed can help to build a greater sense of community.”

Yang grew up in San Bernardino, Calif. to Taiwanese immigrant parents and went on to study biology at Harvard University, though Yang always had a passion for comedy writing and veered from biology to be a screenwriter. He first wrote for Last Call with Carson Daly in 2009. From there, he became a producer and consultant for Comedy Central’s South Park, and then finally landed a steady role as a writer for NBC’s Parks and Recreation.

However, Yang may be best known for co-creating the Emmy award-winning Netflix original series Master of None with comedian Aziz Ansari. Master of None follows Indian American actor Dev, played by Aziz Ansari, as he faces issues of love, stereotypes, friendship and family as a millennial living in New York City. The show is witty and thoughtful, capturing Ansari’s humor but at the same time working to break down stereotypes that many Asian Americans face on a daily basis.

Master of None was nominated for four Emmy awards, with Yang and Ansari winning Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 2016 for the episode “Parents.” The episode looks closely at the immigration journey of Dev and Brian’s parents and the sacrifices they made by coming to America for a better life.

Yang is set to speak Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Bovard Auditorium. Students can also win a chance to attend a Meet and Greet by entering a Facebook contest on USC APASA’s page.