Isaiah Steinfeld is a tech executive who started his creative journey in the punk and hardcore scene. Also, he’s is a first gen Filipino, on the national board at AIGA, and a Global Head of Startups at Amazon AWS. We get into his early days at

83. 'It Starts With Us' w/ Alvin Cailan, Author, Chef and host of The Burger Show

Jan 16th, 2023 1h 23m

*Season Finale* Alvin Cailan is a chef, author, and host of The Burger Show on First We Feast. Alvin grew up in a Chicano section of LA as an AMBOY (American raised Filipino), and trained as a world-class chef with Thomas Keller before striking

82. 'I'm Always a Student' w/ Rashad Rastam, founder of Dahsar & Host of 'Wear Many Hats'

Jan 9th, 2023 1h 22m

Rashad Rastam grew up as a skate kid in Philadelphia who went on to found the brand Dahsar. He cut his teeth as a BMX streetwear buyer, designer, digital producer, visual producer at a non-profit, and a brand consultant, all in one. In addition

81. 'We Design With An Accent' w/ Beatriz Lozano, Designer and Educator

Jan 2nd, 2023 1h 2m

Beatriz Lozano is a designer, typographer, and educator who's work pushes the intersection of creativity and technology and was recently inducted into the prestigious Young Guns 20 class. Beatriz has worked with clients like Planned Parenthood,

80. 'Soft But Not Vulnerable' w/ Eva Zar, Director and Photographer

Dec 26th, 2022 1h 24m

Eva Zar is a director and photographer who’s mission is to show diversity across all spectrums in her work. Within a short amount of time Eva's built an impressive client list including Fenty, Olay, MTV, and Pinterest. Eva and Rich Tu have a th

79. 'If I'm Gathering a Gang, I'm Getting Librarians' w/ Lauren Tamaki, Illustrator and Author

Dec 19th, 2022 1h 27m

Lauren Tamaki is an illustrator and artist with a new book out titled Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams's Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration. Lauren and Rich Tu have a hilariously emo

78. 'The Beauty of Being Self Employed' w/ Haruko Hayakawa, CG Artist & Creative Director

Dec 12th, 2022 1h 15m

Haruko Hayakawa is a CG artist and creative director who talk herself 3D when she was 13 years old. She recently took the leap as an independent artist and has worked with clients like Tom Ford, 88Rising, SKKN, and Bon Appétit. Haruko and Rich

77. 'Every Artist is Constrained in Some Way' w/ Mamadi Doumbouya, Photographer

Dec 5th, 2022 1h 7m

Mamadi Doumbouya is a photographer from Guinea, West Africa. He has photographed icons like Spike Lee, Tom Hanks, and Neil Degrasse Tyson, and was recently honored as one of Forbes 30 Under 30. Rich Tu and Mamadi sit down for an exuberant conve

76. 'We Can Express Ourselves Through Work Ethic' w/ Jeffstaple, founder & creative director of Staple and Reed Art Department

Nov 28th, 2022 1h 9m

Before Jeffstaple (born Jeffrey Ng) built a creative empire he was sneaking into Parsons' silkscreening lab to hand print his first Staple tees. As the founder and creative director of Staple and Reed Art Department, Jeff's prolific work encomp

75. 'There is No Playbook to Success' w/ Danica Tan Lijun, Animation Director

Nov 21st, 2022 1h 16m

Danica Tan Lijun is a Singaporean art and animation director with a multidisciplinary background in design, animation and film. She was recently inducted into the global class of ADC Youngs Guns 20 and won the second annual COLORFUL Awards with

74. 'Just Make It Art' w/ Gabriela Namie, Art Director at Google, YouTube Music

Nov 14th, 2022 1h 11m

Gabriela Namie is a designer and art director who's been recognized by the global creative industry and uses design to amplify messages she believes in. Currently she's an art director for Google YouTube Music platform, after being at &Walsh an

73. 'Success is Defined By How Many People I Can Help ' w/ Walt Geer, Chief Experience Design Officer at VMLY&R

Nov 7th, 2022 1h 3m

Walt Geer is the Chief Experience Design Officer of VMLY&R and was named the Change Creator of the Year by Adweek, but took the path less traveled to get there. In recent years, Walt has become a vocal advocate for inclusion in the creative spa

72. 'Chronically Online and Made of the Internet' w/ Kim Pham, co-founder of OMSOM

Oct 31st, 2022 1h 4m

*Season Premiere* Kim Pham is the child of Vietnamese refugees and the co-founder of the Asian food brand OMSOM. Kim and Rich Tu sit down and talk about a range of topics like food shame, the importance of community, her founders' journey, and

71. *LIVE* 'Don't Wait, Just Produce' w/ Esteban Serrano, creative director for Yo! MTV Raps

Jun 21st, 2022 1h 6m

Esteban Serrano is a creator, television producer, and contributor to Hip Hop and pop culture for close to 20 years at places like MTV and FUSE. Over the course of his career, he has worked on iconic properties like TRL and had a hand in giving

70. 'We Can All Speak ETH' w/ Bobby & Ben Hundreds, founders of The Hundreds

Feb 28th, 2022 37m 26s

Bobby Hundreds and Ben Hundreds met in law school and founded the iconic streetwear brand The Hundreds in 2003. They sit down with Rich Tu to talk about the early days of streetwear, their humble beginnings merging influences of hip hop, punk a

69. 'If You Knew What You Had Was Rare, You Would Never Waste It' w/ Melody Ehsani, Fashion Designer

Feb 22nd, 2022 53m 20s

Melody Ehsani is a celebrated fashion designer based in Los Angeles and the Women's Creative Director for the global brand Foot Locker. Melody and Rich Tu have a refreshing conversation about how she turned a passion for justice into a creative

68. 'I Stopped Trying to Put Myself in a Certain Category' w/ REO, Music Producer and Visual Artist

Dec 13th, 2021 44m 20s

REO is a music producer and dynamic futurist poised to change the way the world views digital art. His work in both music and digital art have lead him to into the metaverse with high-ticket NFTs, and collaborations with the likes of Beyoncé an

67. 'I Want to Evoke an Emotion, I Want to Touch a Button' w/ Walshy Fire of Major Lazer

Dec 6th, 2021 36m 36s

Walshy Fire is a Jamaican American DJ, MC and record producer who is a part of the Grammy-nominated dancehall reggae-influenced group Major Lazer. In this special episode, Walshy talks to Rich Tu about how he quit a corporate day job at IBM to

66. 'It's Burnt Wood on More Burnt Wood' w/ Anna Park, Fine Artist

Dec 2nd, 2021 39m 15s

Anna Park is quickly gaining notoriety as one of the most exciting new artists to emerge in the past few years with her large scale charcoal drawings that simultaneously equals parts hedonism and Americana. A recent grad, she has shown in major

65. 'Unity Within Our Community Creates Opportunity' w/ Daniel Buezo, co-founder of Kids of Immigrants

Nov 29th, 2021 38m 34s

*Season 8 Premiere* We're back! Daniel Buezo is a designer and co-founder of LA-based streetwear upstart Kids of Immigrants and the perfect guest to kick off the new season. Daniel sits down with host Rich Tu to talk about his early days growin

64. 'Be Comfortable in Your Discomfort' w/ Cris Ramos Greene, Author of "Embrace That Girl"

Nov 30th, 2020 50m 58s

*Season Finale* Cris Ramos Greene is a Spanish-American writer and author of the memoir Embrace That Girl. Her writing has also been featured in Thought Catalog, The New Tropic, and BuzzFeed. Rich and Cris discuss her debut book, which tells th

63. 'The Story Will Always Glorify the Hunter, Until the Lion Learns to Write' w/ Dometi Pongo of MTV News and True Life Crime

Oct 26th, 2020 1h 8m

Dometi Pongo is a correspondent for MTV News and the host of True Life Crime. He is also the son of Ghanaian immigrants and a Chicago native, who has used his love of music and thirst for knowledge to walk the line between journalism, activism,

62. 'Seeing Brown Faces in Film, and the Making of ULAM' w/ Alexandra Cuerdo, Director, Filmmaker, Writer

Oct 12th, 2020 1h 3m

Alexandra Cuerdo is an award-winning director and writer recently named one of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women In the World. Her feature directorial debut ULAM: Main Dish is the first Filipino food documentary to achieve worldwide distr

61. 'Pursuing Quality Over Quantity, and Going Bi-Lingual' w/ Michael Coveto, Singer-Songwriter

Oct 6th, 2020 52m 20s

Michael Coveto is a rising star in the Latin music scene and also the last in-person interview for First Gen Burden before all hell broke loose in 2020. Michael and Rich sat down to talk about growing in a Mexican American household, how he dro

60. 'Question What You're Teaching and How You've Been Taught' w/ Juan Villanueva, Type Designer at Monotype

Sep 28th, 2020 56m 28s

Juan Villanueva has made a name for himself as a designer and activist who uses his craft to diversify the classroom, decolonize the industry, and speak truth to power. Juan and Rich delve into his Peruvian heritage, his education at Cooper Uni