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CHRISTINE LEE
CEO, Kimbop TV |
Christine Lee is an Emmy-nominated TV Reporter with 10+ years of professional work experience at the NBC stations in Dallas and Phoenix. Her company, Kimbop TV, allows her to film, write and edit videos centered around strong narratives. Lee is currently focused on creating travel videos that showcase priceless experiences and help companies with destination marketing.
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I saw online that you recently transitioned from news reporting to starting your own business. Could you tell me a little bit about Kimbop TV and the work you do through that platform?
KimbopTV is my platform. I used to be a news reporter at NBC and now this is kind of my own NBC. It’s a way for me to always have a place where I can share my stories. I started it last year with the intention of using all of my skills as a broadcast journalist to help people and find fulfillment in myself. I initially created KimbopTV to do three things: one is to do media coaching for people who need help with public speaking skills or with finding the right talking points. The second is to create videos for small businesses that maybe can’t afford video advertising for promotional purposes and to tell their stories on a deeper level. Third is to do public speaking, so if people need an emcee at an event, I can offer my services. What was it like growing up between two separate cultures? How did you reconcile those differences? I think growing up in Culver City, where there weren’t a lot of Korean people at the time, I was always viewed as an outsider and didn’t learn to take pride in my Korean culture. I went to a middle school that had a lot of Asians, but as soon as I became best friends with a white girl, they ostracized me and spread rumors about me. That experience really made me realize “Oh, Asian people are mean”, and I didn’t want to be a part of them. I think because I spent so much energy trying not to be the negative versions of the Asians I saw growing up, I kind of put my Asian identity in the closet. It’s not until I moved away after college that I started really missing my own culture, missing seeing people who looked like me in my neighborhood and getting to eat the kind of food that I thought I didn’t like. As a reporter, have you witnessed firsthand how representation matters in the media? I mean obviously right now with the Olympics and K-pop and K-dramas being so huge, people are definitely more open to Korean culture than I was used to. When I was growing up, Korean culture wasn’t cool. Korean culture was considered stinky. I had friends make fun of me for bringing Korean food for lunch at school. Now, people drive from faraway places to go to Koreatown. I just did a food tour video in Koreatown, and the store owners were like, my god, these people are coming not just from other cities, but from other states just for our food. Well now that you’re more connected to your roots, have you ever felt compelled to do a story specifically on Koreans or Korean Americans? In Phoenix, I did a story about North Korean refugees and exposed to a lot of people living in Phoenix the reality of North Korea, because all they knew was the dictator and the bad things North Koreans did. But in reality, there are a bunch of people living there who can’t leave. And the few that do make it out do so at a tremendous cost because their family back home might get harmed, but they’re here, and they’re trying to start their life again. So I’m trying to bring stories that highlight Korean experiences in a way that the mass media might not necessarily cover. |
"If you need to get somewhere super quick, then you’ll eventually burn out...But when you slowly build a more solid foundation, you’ll be harder to break down."
That’s great! Besides immigration, what are some other relevant Korean-American issues in your life right now?
One is the topic of domestic violence. Since I experienced it and sexual assault firsthand, once I found out how common it is in Asian -- specifically Korean -- cultures, it was a lot heavier on my heart, because it hits so close to home. I somehow thought it was an isolated incident, or that it doesn’t happen too often, but by working for a non-profit I learned that it happens to a lot of people in the Korean community. I had an opportunity to talk to a group of about 100 Koreans grandmas and grandpas in Sacramento. When I spoke to them about my personal experience, there were grandmas crying. There were also grandpas who were kind of looking away and shaking their heads. Afterwards I found out that quite a few of them were abused and/or abusers, and I guess they never thought or talked about it. This gave them the opportunity to reflect on the life they lived and the actions they took -- or the lack of action because some of them never stood up for themselves. This issue is definitely not touched upon nearly enough in our culture. Why do you think domestic violence is such a big issue in Korean communities? Korea is a male dominated country. Guys are more precious than girls; they’re brought up as the king of the family. You know, my grandma cried when I was born because she thought I’d be a boy, but I was a girl instead, and it was an extremely big disappointment for her. I think if you live with that mindset, as a boy, it’s gonna be instilled in you that you’re the precious son and can do no wrong. And that it's okay to be demeaning to girls. Koreans are also notorious for abusing alcohol, and while I don’t think alcohol is the reason for domestic violence, it makes you think it’s okay and reduces your inhibitions. Like all of us, your family comes from an immigrant background. Were there certain times when your family couldn’t access government or health services due to the fact that they couldn’t speak English? My grandpa had his snack shop -- when I think about it, starting your own business is really hard. And I still see immigrants doing it now, and I’m like, “How do you even do it?” As an English speaker I still have trouble figuring out if I did everything correctly, so I think people like my grandpa showed tremendous courage, starting their own shops from scratch. I know my mom wanted to be a nurse, but when she came here, she couldn’t pursue that route anymore due to the language barrier, so it changed the course of her career, her life. What’s one thing you don’t understand about the younger Korean-American generation? I don’t think it’s just among Koreans, but I feel like there is a lot of entitlement in the younger generation in general. They don’t have to work as hard for stuff. Their parents will do their homework for them, drive them to places, do the work that I had to do growing up, and I don’t think that’s fair; that’s not teaching them about real life. Even working alongside some younger people in more recent years, they feel like they deserve kudos, and I’m like, just do your job and don’t expect compliments. Do you have any advice for the younger Korean-American generation? Respect your parents, and respect your family, but also respect yourself. Don’t be afraid to take changes, but also be mindful of what you’re putting at stake. When I went from the newspaper to my first TV job, I cut my salary in half and was getting paid less than a Wendy’s worker. I took a huge chance because I really wanted to get my foot in the door at the TV station. When I expressed my hopes and dreams to my family, they were okay with the fact that I wanted to take a chance for a year because they knew I was able to make a living doing something I love. Give yourself that opportunity to take that chance but do so in a way that is smart and thinking ahead. Also, I don’t think I learned the importance of self-care until way later on. Self-care is so so important if you want to have longevity. If you need to get somewhere super quick, then you’ll eventually burn out and start questioning the meaning of everything. But when you slowly build a more solid foundation, you’ll be harder to break down. |