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https://www.theguardian.com/stage/article/2024/jul/30/atsuko-okatsuka-executives-say-we-only-do-one-ali-wong-every-10-years-why-would-we-do-a-second>
"Atsuko Okatsuka has largely been the architect of her own success. During the
long stretches of Covid lockdowns, when most of us sought comfort on our
phones, the Los Angeles-based standup comedian began connecting directly with
audiences by performing jokes straight to camera, filming short skits and, most
famously, choreographing dance routines with her cheerful grandmother, Li (who,
like Okatsuka, has accrued thousands of online followers).
Okatsuka is now instantly recognisable, for both her signature bowl cut and as
the creator of the “drop challenge” – a squat dance set to Beyoncé’s
Partition that Okatsuka has performed everywhere, in grocery stores, cafes
and lifts – with celebrities including Serena Williams and Kerry Washington
joining in.
The response was enough to make her feel she could tour the world: when we
speak, Okatsuka has just arrived in Jakarta, in the midst of a run of sold-out
shows across south-east Asia and Australia.
“I was like, ‘I have an audience, I’m sure of it’ because they were showing up
for me online – surely they would show up for me in person too,” she says.
In this way, Okatsuka, who is Taiwanese and Japanese, says she circumvented
industry racism: by connecting directly with people online, streaming
executives had no choice but to follow.
“If we let the people speak, then representation is fast because the people are
diverse,” she says. “If it’s up to the executives, they would say, ‘Well, we
only do one Ali Wong every 10 years. Why would we do a second person?’”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
