Episode 37: Jaeson Ma (@jaesonma),  the co-owner of Triller, is no stranger to adversity. From running the streets to his close brush with the law, it was hard to imagine where he’d be today. Now, he’s a serial entrepreneur with a string of success stories behind him: He’s the co-owner of Triller, the founder of East West Ventures,  and co-founder of 88rising and Stampede Ventures. 

His journey began with a thirst to prove himself -- knowing that even though Asians weren't being represented in the media,  it didn't mean they weren't worthy.  He became committed to the mission of boosting Asian representation in entertainment and fusing the best of eastern and western cultures together. In this episode of WYND, Jaeson takes us through the ups and downs of his story, from  the challenges he faced as a teenager, to his first job with MC Hammer, to launching his first company and becoming a venture capitalist. 

Show Notes:

• 0:55 - Introductions to Jaeson and his work
• 3:15 - Born in Lubbock, Texas, where his immigrant parents studied at the Church of Christ and became the first international Chinese students to study at Pepperdine University. They then moved to San Jose in the Bay Area where Jaeson grew up.
• 5:25 - Growing up with an incredibly diverse community, but still not seeing that diversity reflected in mainstream media. 
• Growing up with heroes Yan Can Cook on PBS with an inauthentic Chinese accent and Bruce Lee who had already passed away.
• 9:00 - Growing up with Michael Chang (Tennis Grand Slam Winner) and practicing tennis to be like him.
• 10:27 - Jaeson's dad as a minister and an entrepreneur, who went to Chinatowns across America to sell steam cleaner trucks.
• 12:31 - How his parents influenced him towards his different interests like entrepreneurship and spirituality.
• 14:47 - Studied three different majors after being a problem child. Got kicked out of schools and was almost sent to jail. How his parents were happy he was studying in college while both of his siblings are valedictorians and overachievers.
• 17:25 - Growing up with a non-present father, separated parents, and being unable to find love and consistency at home.
• 19:55 - The value of representation and allowing it to change the limits in your mind of what is possible.
• 22:22 - Growing up in hood San Jose, and an anecdote on how his small eyes were made fun of in school. All of his friends had bigger eyes than him, and howit let to an identity crisis growing up.
• 27:23 - Growing up always feeling shorter, smaller, and skinnier. His constant desire to want approval from others, and never getting the affirmation he needed at home.
• 28:44 - Getting into acting in theater class, getting accepted into Oregon Shakespeare, and learning Shakespeare with the best actors in the world. Entered a new school,  joined theater and landed lead roles. How Jaeson consistently met challenges and overcame them.
• 34:22 - Being MC Hammer's personal assistant and investing in Justin Lin's Better Luck Tomorrow. Starting a Hip Hop Bible study and turning his life around.
• 38:44 - The Hip Hop Bible Study becoming a huge community event, reaching out to MC Hammer and getting him to speak at the event.
• 42:51 - Following MC Hammer on his venture capital jounrey. Meeting the early employees of Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
• 48:44 - The power of seeing Asians and representation in a full length Asian film. The desire of wanting to represent Asian culture through the powerof stories and film.
• 51:29 - Leaving venture capital and pursuing film, and a discussion on Asian Americans breaking into the scene.
• 53:47 - Growing up with Hong Kong cinema in the 80s in the summers, and developing an East West mindset. Wanting to bridge the gap between