UCLA’s Asia Pacific Arts online magazine thriving

Names like Kim Gi-duk, B. Shigley and Hyo-Lee may mean
practically nothing to an average American.

However, they are all famous celebrities in the Asian
entertainment industry, and they are all featured in the current
issue of Asia Pacific Arts ““ a UCLA-based magazine devoted to
both Asian-American and Asian arts and entertainment.

Independently founded in December of 2002 by Thomas Plate, a
communication studies professor, APA publishes online twice a
month. With a staff composed of UCLA students and alumni, the
publication was established to help to fill a gap Plate saw in the
media mainstream. Just over a year after its inception, the
APA’s potential is growing.

“What’s special about APA is that we are
internationally oriented, so English-speaking people all over the
world can enjoy our publication and find value in it,” said
Sara Stokoe, a communication studies major at UCLA and a
co-managing editor of APA.

As an online publication, APA covers stories that range from
Korean cinema to Japanese animation to Thai pop music.

“The main sources of story ideas for APA actually come
from our writers,” said APA editorial director Clayton Dube.
“Our writers usually have family ties in Asia and knowledge
of an Asian language. Their connections enable APA to report on the
latest trends in Asian entertainment.”

The publication started off as a project for communications
majors, but later evolved into an opportunity for anyone with a
passion for the Asian entertainment industry.

“What I didn’t expect was the overwhelming
enthusiasm for this topic from the student body at UCLA,”
said Plate. “The fact that it’s all designed and
written by students makes APA a true reflection of the sensibility
of young people.”

Last September, Plate handed APA to the UCLA Asia Institute.
Now, the magazine boasts a team of editorial directors and regular
writers.

The two managing editors and the rest of the staff are
responsible for the selection and editing of stories. The editorial
board, which comprises three staff directors, limits itself to
guidance and support for the students.

“We have grown immensely over this last year, developing a
style all our own and gaining a lot of recognition along the
way,” said Stokoe. “We went from nothing to
interviewing “˜The Last Samurai’ stars Tom Cruise and
Ken Watanabe, as well as Director Edward Zwick.”

In contrast to the optimism within APA, the overall outlook for
the Asian arts and entertainment magazine is less positive. With
the consecutive terminations of several major Asian entertainment
magazines, namely Yolk, many similar magazines have started
publishing online to reduce costs

During such a difficult time, APA continues to publish twice a
month, and is still operating without advertising endorsements.
With no funding from ASUCLA or the school itself, APA relies solely
on donations to the UCLA Asia Media for its financial
operations.

“Fundings are all out there, we just have to find
them,” said Plate. “Plus, we don’t need a lot of
money to be sizzling.”

“We are looking for other support from donations and
grants from foundations,” said Dube.

First published last April online, APA has already undergone a
number of changes. For example, instead of focusing solely on local
entertainment news, APA has now expanded its coverage to
entertainment news straight from Asia.

“Asian-oriented film, TV and music are becoming widely
accepted here in the last few years,” said Chi. “They
cannot ignore us anymore.”

After almost a year of publishing, APA is well-staffed and now
focused on the future. Although no longer directly involved in the
production process, Plate believes the spirit of the young staff
will continue driving the publication forward.

“I think there is a lot of potential in APA,” said
Stokoe. “It is only a matter of time before we will be the
top leader in Asian and Asian American art and entertainment
news.”