Richard Juan has just launched his podcast called "Your dose of inspirASIAN," with Lea Salonga as first guest.
In an exclusive interview with Bulletin Entertainment, he talked about how his latest project aims to put a spotlight on Asians from various industries around the globe, highlighting their fascinating works, admirable accomplishments, and contributions to their communities and to the world.
He hopes that through their stories, they'll be able to inspire the new generation of Asians to pursue their dreams and fulfill their visions.
Richard said, "It is something I am passionate about. I always believe Asians are always downplayed in mainstream media...despite any accomplishments/success. Growing up, and to a certain extent until now, Hollywood have always 'forgotten' about Asians. We're always the 'best friend' or the sidekick. It's only recently with the success of Korean content globally (K-pop, K-Drama), 'Crazy Rich Asian' on the big screen, and 'Parasite' winning the Oscars, where us Asians are finally in the spotlight again. So I feel like I want to be part of that movement to further push Asians into the spotlight, and hindi lang lagi ‘sidekicks’ or ‘afterthoughts.’"
Asked why he picked Lea as first guest, he said, "Syempre we gotta feature our own Asian icon."
In terms of upcoming episodes, he teased they already taped a feature on a Vietnamese-Canadian TikToker with over 9.3 million followers and a model-entrepreneur based in Seoul.
Among his future "dream" guests are Alibaba founder Jack Ma, Ken Jeong, Awkwafina, Constance Wu.
"He is full of experience and wisdom. I’m sure my viewers and listeners will have a lot to learn from him," he said about Ma.