I am tremendously disappointed in finding out on Instagram this afternoon that there was a “Fresh Off the Boat” blogger event in conjunction with the “Big Hero 6” event today, and that not only was I not included in this, but that none of the influential Asian American bloggers were. I never heard back from Ellen Gonzalez at ABC.
In our phone conversation on Jan 20, you repeatedly stated that you wanted to help and to be a friend to the Asian American community. You offered me a spot on the tour, but said ABC had no budget to fly me down from the San Francisco Bay Area to attend, even though the photos clearly show a group of bloggers on a tour bus on their way to the studios. And I understand that your group was not even able to secure a spot for Cynthia Liu, a well-respected and influential blogger who lives in LA and requires no travel assistance, to be the lone Asian parent blogger to represent us at this event.
We also talked about the influence and reach of Asian American bloggers and our community’s high rates of digital engagement. While our numbers in terms of hits and followers may not be as high as some of the bloggers that Disney works with, the quality of our content and the degree of our influence and engagement with the right people is important. Among us, we have journalists and writers for larger publications, vloggers and even stand-up comics. Disney inviting even a few Asian bloggers to this event could at least extend a welcome to let us know that our community is recognized and valued.
The actions on the part of ABC send a clear signal that the company does not think it’s worthwhile to put any effort into multicultural marketing — or at least marketing to Asian Americans. Perhaps ABC feels that Asian Americans are already on the band wagon in support of “Fresh Off the Boat”, without any additional outlay on the part of ABC. Or perhaps you don’t want “Fresh Off the Boat” to be pigeonholed as an Asian show, or even a show targeted to minorities. All too often, the media ignores Asian American stories. Or frames them only as they relate to larger society. Or perhaps Disney thinks that by inviting a group of white, middle-American mom bloggers, the show could be framed not as an edgy, urban program and more as a family-friendly sitcom.
I understand those concerns, I really do. And I really celebrate ABC’s willingness to be the network that is willing to take a risk on an atypical TV show that doesn’t fit neatly into anyone’s preconceived notions of a family sitcom. And that ABC has hired a great team of producers, writers and actors to execute this vision. It is truly a milestone, not only for the network or those directly involved with the production, but for all of who are watching at home and seeing a family that resembles ours on the screen (some for the first time). And we watched the premiere with baited breath, hoping that this would finally be our community’s chance to be recognized on network TV, not just for our own fulfillment, but to illuminate our experiences to our friends, classmates and neighbors. Or to the person who lives in a town and knows no Asians at all.
But even after our discussion about “Big Hero 6” outreach, ABC expressly chose not to engage with the Asian American community, by not inviting even one or two token Asian bloggers on this trip. You could have invited me, you could have found numerous other Asian American social media influencers. I even offered to work as a consultant, and I could have helped you identify the right mom and dad bloggers who could bring the voice and personality to these publicity efforts.
I’m not blogging for free DVDs or free trips, even all-expense paid trips to Aulani. Just as I write about my own daily life, I’ve been writing about “Fresh off the Boat” because it’s also my hope — and that of almost every other Asian mom or dad blogger that I know — that “Fresh Off the Boat” will show the human side of the Asian immigrant family. That we will not be those foreign people who speak unintelligible languages and eat smelly foods and parent our children in incomprehensible ways. That it would show that we, however flawed we may be, are just hoping — like Eddie says on the show — for a “seat at the table”. That we could be humanized and that people would recognize that we are just trying to make our way and want to do the best we can in raising our own families.
I see from the social media chatter that the bloggers on the tour had mixed reactions to “Fresh Off the Boat”. One woman said that she didn’t think her kids were ready for all this talk about race and “white people”. Well, neither are my kids, but they have no choice but to be ready for race and racism. As a child, I experienced being called a “chink” and having teachers mispronounce my name and classmates taunt me with nonsensical “ching chong ding dong” sounds, just like Eddie did. I even wrote a piece published today on Mom.me about how watching Fresh Off the Boat can be a springboard to talking with your kids about these sensitive topics. I also wrote a preview of the show on BlogHer.com earlier this week. Perhaps if I, or another Asian American blogger had been in the mix, we could have brought a personal touch to the conversation. They could see that we are also good people, and they might even like us and listen to what we have to say.
As I’ve said earlier, I’m a big fan of “Fresh Off the Boat” and will continue to write about the show and support it as I see fit. But blogging is also a business, and one in which people of color have traditionally struggled to find opportunities to earn revenue from their work. More than any other demographic group, Asian Americans tend to blog in their own free time, buying movie tickets out of pocket, and traveling our own dime, often after working a full-time job elsewhere, because it doesn’t seem feasible that our websites— even the tremendously popular ones — can bring in the kind of sponsorships that can offset our overhead costs. Brands have shied away from us in the past because they “simply didn’t know what to do with us”. I say this because I wish ABC would extend the access and the courtesies to make it easier for us to cover and write about the shows we hold dear to our hearts.
I’m so disappointed by these events that I don’t even know what could appropriately rectify the situation. “Fresh Off the Boat” has been hailed by critics as a ground-breaking show that challenges people to think about race in new ways. The irony is that this publicity tour has not been handled in a culturally competent way. Please don’t tell me that ABC or Disney wants to be our friend, because friends who say one thing and then treat each other badly are no friends at all. It’s better to know clearly know where I— and the rest of the Asian American community— stand.
Mona Conception’s post at Kirida: Fresh off the Boat But Not on the Bus
and Thien-Kim Lam”s post at I’m Not the Nanny: Rocking the Fresh Off the Boat Blogger Bus
and Phyllis Myung’s post at Napkin Hoarder: Fresh Off the Invisble Boat and Bus
Jessica Gottlieb’s post: Did Fresh Off the Boat Forget Asian Bloggers?
Chris Lam at What I Run Into: Fresh Off the Boat Blogger Drama
Brandi Jeter at The Blogger Influence: http://youtu.be/wNe5Dv1a7mo
Marsha Takeda-Morrison’s post at Sweatpantsmom: I’m so Asian
Fairy Princess Diaries: Made the Boat, Missed the Bus… #FreshOfftheBoat
Kathy Zucker: Own Yourself
Asian Americans still live in the 1960’s from a “respect” standpoint. Still constantly degraded, disrespected and overlooked in all aspects of culture. One of the most idiotic decisions ever. I see no way someone would have done this for Ugly Better or Empire.
Total PR Fail. It’s talking out of both sides of the mouth. “Sure, we support diversity and this show featuring an Asian American family, but that’s all we’ll do. When it comes to PR and Marketing, we’ll fall back on what’s the most comfortable for us which is to reach out to the white bloggers we already know..” It’s not that hard to find influential Asian American bloggers and writers if you tried. Show a little effort.
I thought the same thing when I saw the images from the press junket. We have talked about this and still can’t understand the lack of representation from not just Asians but any people of color. Thank you for sharing.
do you have POCs at Disney and ABC we can contact to express our displeasure?
As a Latina Blogger, I can totally relate. It gets really frustrating not only seeing the same faces at every event… But it’s also the faces that I don’t see that saddens me.
How can you highlight a show and/or movie about Asians, Latinos or African Americans and not include any of the above in the media blitz?!
Things need to change, it’s 2015 people, not 1520!
It’s time for diversity, on all fronts!
Rosalynda Segovia Thorn
@MommyPowers
I agree Lynda.The majority are the same faces time and again. Forget reach, voice and matching the event to the right person in media, if you’re not in the tight circle, there’s no chance. Recall? http://jezebel.com/who-the-hell-is-marshall-weinbaum-and-why-did-he-take-t-483845048 That being said, all attendees publish the same articles afterward, so it’s Disney-regulated and regurgitated information anyway. Either way, it’s a PRfail all around.
Thank you so much Grace for this and for posting that photo last night. I had to speak up because it just. pissed. me. off. Disney and the PR companies they hire have a responsibility to think about the whole picture. Bloggers of color are not an afterthought. Thank you for encouraging me to do it.
Fabulous on point article. I know exactly how you feel. As an African American travel blogger I experience this all the time. It’s so sad that this happened, but you are bringing attention to this travesty with this article.
Kirstin N. Fuller
http://www.Passenger156.com
@thetravelindiva
You went over and beyond to reach out to pr and extend your expertise, Grace. You’re such a class act. I’ve been watching the ig feed with sad shock, too. For those of us with such strong missions and an engaged audience with purpose, it’s never about free dvds or airfare. You should have been there, no doubt. I would have loved to follow as this is indeed a BIG deal.
I’ll be checking out the show now because you approve, though. For what it’s worth.
That’s HAOLEWOOD for ya! God bless AmeriKKKa.
This post disappoints me so much. I am a Latina blogger, and I was not on this trip but have been a several prior. First off, do you see how much you are stereotyping? There were mothers of Asian children on this trip, parents of bi-ricial kids, and a few multicultural bloggers. But you choose to just see the surface. Isn’t that what we as minorities fight against- people only seeing our skin and not who we are?
Next- this is just the technical stuff, but this trip wasn’t to promote Fresh Off The Boat or Big Hero 6, it was just part of it. This trip actually came from a budget for a film. So assuming ABC was lying to you was a horrible assumption to make without actually looking at the whole trip, not just the part which you chose to see.
These comments sound so bitter and resentful, and the post was not well researched because to me, you just ended up sounding upset that you weren’t invited.
Thank you for pointing out that there were Latina bloggers on this trip. I appreciate the support for Asian Americans in the media from people of all backgrounds. But it’s also a valid issue that Asian Americans are often overlooked in marketing and access. As I’ve mentioned before and as the many people who can relate to this reflect, this is not just about one person but about issues the Asian community faces in general.
I did also point out that some were mothers of Asian children and raising them with a multicultural upbringing. Does that not count?
my main niche is entertainment, so I agree that diversity is heavily lacking on TV, film etc. In fact is something I often point out and discuss with directors and writers I interview. But I know for a fact that above all other studios Disney/ABC is the best at it and they include everyone. They don’t see color, but rather who will provide widespread coverage to a multitude of audiences.
Parents of children with different ethnicities qualifies them to write about just that – parenting multicultural children and the joys and challenges associated. It does not magically give them the perspective or understanding of growing-up Asian in America. That is why diversity on a blogger junket is so important and that is what was missing on this trip. Sort of like saying, “I have a gay friend, so I understand what it means to be gay.”
Frustrating that it’s 2015 and people still don’t get it!
I would say nope, doesn’t count. Watching someone else live an experience (even raising them cognizant of what they might face) is absolutely different from the actual experience. I say this as a hapa woman whom most people read as white. If I’d been included, as an Asian-American/hapa blogger? I’d still consider it a failure because my self-identity and my raised-identity coexist with the white privilege I am given based on how people read my body.
YES – thank you Grace for writing this letter and always speaking up!
You’re assuming from a photo of a few bloggers on the trip that other races weren’t represented, which is highly presumptuous. The show appeals to many people, not just Asians. And, in fact, there were two bloggers that are Latina, one that is Mexican-American and likely more than that, thought I didn’t take a complete poll. I also didn’t assume that from this one Instagram photo alone.
Of course the show appeals to many people, just as good entertainment does. I really appreciate the support of non-Asian bloggers and hope that they’ll continue to watch and love it. I think there’s also room for some Asian bloggers. Thanks for stopping by.
Not to defend Disney, but as an entertainment publicist, I know that the prevailing practice is not to spend time/resources going to groups you know already hold a movie/TV show in high esteem and don’t need prodding to see it. For e.g., a PR firm I know was hired to promote the indie film “A Better Life” but were not looking for Hispanic PR firms or specialists.. The studio (the client) knew it already had that community’s interest, but to help the film’s profile, it wanted to spread the word of film to non-Hispanic bloggers. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but it’s about allocating dollars/time to the mainstream audience (ie, white) to get them on board with the show and spread the word so that it is not regarded as an “Asian American” show. In order for FOTB to succeed, it needs to have widespread support from a much wider audience.
I know exactly what you are talking about and understand that’s the landscape of the entertainment world. But for a company as big as ABC, I think they could have included a few Asians as an sign of inclusion and goodwill. Thank you for sharing, Dolly.
I haven’t gotten around to seeing if I can see videoclips of this in Canada. I don’t have a TV….
It’s so sad that some parents are uncomfortable to even discuss racism and stereotyping with their children.
Thank you, Grace, for writing this. I love how a few commenters are implying that you are jealous for not being invited. BECAUSE THAT IS THE ONLY POINT THAT CAME ACROSS. (Righhhhhhht.) I’m being facetious, of course.
I hope that there will be more inclusion of bloggers of color at these types of family event press junkets.
I also hope that the bloggers that were selected at these events understand that this post doesn’t mean Asian American bloggers want them to be kicked off the bus. It means we want to be invited on the bus.
Thanks so much for sharing this, Grace. It’s especially glaring to see a lack of representation from Asian-American bloggers at this particular event, but it should be the default that these blogger groups (or any groups!) are comprised of people of all backgrounds no matter what’s being promoted. Where were the African American bloggers for this trip (regardless of whether it was meant to be for Fresh Off the Boat or another film)? True, we are much more than our skin color. At the same time, why not be inclusive?
You have this all wrong. Check the last trip I was on and you will see several ethnicities including Asian on the trip. Then tell me again there are never ethnic races on these trips. How to get invited has nothing to do with color of skin but showing enthusiasm for the shows, the brands and posting when they send info. It doesn’t work for everyone but for those it does they will get invited and invited again because they are Disney enthusiasts. How never to get invited is to blast the brand essentially saying they are excluding races other than Caucasian. Because had you researched past trips you would see your post is incorrect in its assumption that it’s only Caucasians on the trips.
You also have to send the links to the reps so they see the interest. Do you get the releases from Disney. Do you post and send links. Do you have over 5000 social following. There are so many things that go into why the people get chosen for these trips. In fact I would love for some of the ladies from my last trip to weigh in, the ones who are not Caucasian, because then you’d see it’s not how you have perceived it.
I agree with everything Yolanda said above.
Toni – You’ve missed the point of Grace’s letter. Her point was not that there were too many Caucasian or too few Latinas (3/25) on the trip – her point was that there were no Asian bloggers. Zero. Regardless whether it was her or another popular blogger with 5,000+ followers – there were none.
Whatever trip you previously attended, as diverse at it may have been, THIS trip clearly lacked diversity. McFarlandUSA/Disney does not get credit for prior events. Given part of the trip was to review two Asian themed shows, there should have been Asian representation there, not the last trip and not the next. This trip.
As the person who took the photo used (without permission) in this article and others, I have a few things to say.
First off, the photo itself was just a fun selfie on a shuttle bus with 25 bloggers. The photo only shows a small handful of the bloggers on the bus. This was not in any way an official PR shot. The trip itself was for McFarlandUSA, with a number of other events (including Fresh off the Boat) tacked on, most likely at the last minute.
Did you or any off the other writers contact any of the bloggers on the trip to ask about diversity? To ask if there were any multi-cultural bloggers on the trip? Not that I know of. I was certainly never contacted. There were in fact a number of different types represented.
I’m a bit offended on a number of levels with this. First, that facts were not fully checked before starting to blast a trip, a company, a network and a group of bloggers. Second, that my picture (just a fun, silly photo taken during a packed 3-day event) was used without my permission. It was intended to just share the fun and excitement of the trip, and not be used for political gain. Not only was it used without my permission, but I received no credit or link whatsoever. That’s just courtesy 101 when you steal someone’s photo.
I ask that you please remove my photo from this post immediately and hope that you do reach out and get more information about the trip so that you can make a more fact-based decision. Thank you.
Andrew, it is unnecessary to contact every blogger on the bus to ask about multiculturalism and participation, and it’s patronizing to assume that people who are raising this concern did it based on judging the faces in this photo alone.. A perusal of the #ABCTVEvent hashtag provides an almost comprehensive sampling of everyone on the bus, along with links and bios. You guys published the guest-list through participation in the hashtag.
We do all realize that the hashtag is public, right?
Also, we do all realize that publishing your photo to the promotional hashtag in relation to a publicity event does render a screen-capture of that photo part of journalistic fair use, right (specifically with regard to review and critique)? Also, it is attributed to you: your screen name is shown as the publisher of the image.
I remember a time when non-Caucasian bloggers were up in arms when American Blogger came out about lack of representation of bloggers with ethnicity…….
My role as a blogger is behind the big brands, politics and some entertainment – and I happen to be Latino. While I was immediately doubtful that you could discern race or culture from a single photo, I totally agree that having Asian bloggers at the event totally makes sense. HOWEVER, it has become evident that you wrote this reactively when some research might have been far more fruitful.
Once armed with all the facts, you might have (maybe not) realized that Disney’s decision was far more strategic than PR, and that a single photo (not from the correct event) can’t really tell a full story.
Grace, I’m all for supporting multiculturalism and inclusion — but we must be armed with facts, not simply emotions. Thank you for bringing attention to this.
Here’s a video that humorously yet truthfully captures what Asian American actors face today: http://youtu.be/qOwBGPkY0ZU