Rice n Mics

I chat with Sydney comedian Harry Jun to learn about his journey from high school teacher to full-time comedy, content creation and media. Harry gives us the raw, behind the scenes look at the independent creative grind.We dive deep in some Aussie millennial nostalgia (even though technically I'm gen Z), joining Good Game Spawn Point and Squad, navigating social media and exploring Harry's culture through his work.---Harry's Linkshttps://www.instagram.com/_harryjun_/https://harryjun.com/https://linktr.ee/harryjun/---Need a photobooth? Reach out to SonofaBooth - https://sonofabooth.com.au/Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠Follow us on our socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcastMusic: aKu - Love Shine | aKu - The Final Blow---Chapters0:00 Intro2:01 Getting into Stand-up Comedy & ABC's Good Game4:01 What is Good Game Squad on SBS?5:54 Harry Jun's Career Background & High School Teaching10:29 Quitting Teaching & Modern School Bullying Techniques13:04 Touring as a Comic & School Social Media Policies15:51 Performing Comedy in Chinatown & Dealing With Hecklers23:06 What Makes a Hard Comedy Gig?26:51 Reading the Room & Audience Body Language29:07 Solo Comedy Shows, Performing for 2 People & Selling Tickets37:02 Independent Comedy: Do You Need an Agent or Management?40:36 Handling Hecklers & Finding Friendly Faces in the Crowd43:09 Do Comics Have a Breakdown Before or After Sets?44:47 Why Creatives Need to Hang Out With Non-Work Friends48:32 Incorporating Culture Into Stand-up & 'Low-Hanging Fruit' Jokes56:02 Sharing Your Heritage vs Disapproving Korean Aunties1:03:25 Connecting With Korean Audiences & Comedy Inspirations1:08:19 Using Animated Teaching Methods in Stand-up Comedy1:12:13 Performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe1:19:28 SOAB AD1:20:58 The Difference Between Gig MCing vs Performing a Set1:25:31 Swapping Between SFW and NSFW Content Styles1:29:36 Funny Interactions With Kid Hecklers & Future Projects1:33:19 How to Keep Tour Costs Low & Knowing When You've "Made It"1:38:24 What Career Would You Do Without Comedy?1:42:40 Worst Comedy Gig Experiences & Nightmare Rooms1:46:39 Performing Work-in-Progress (WIP) Comedy Shows1:48:49 Meaningful Messages From Stand-up Fans1:51:20 Dream Comedy Venues & Collaborators1:55:36 Why Live Comedy is So Much Better Than Online Videos1:57:13 Advice for New Creatives & Content Creators2:03:13 Outro

I sit down with professional Executive MC and actor Terence Nguyen, aka 'The Main with the Mic'. Terence has built a brand as the area's MC, who has hosted weddings, corporate events, charity galas, but his path to getting here was far from typical.We dive into his evolution from a kid in Western Sydney to a high-energy MC. He shares his foundational training at PYT Fairfield which helped him break the 'quiet Asian' stereotype which led him roles in major products like Anyone But You and Last King of the Cross. Terence also chats about his community work through the Asian Hustle Network and the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation.---Terence's Linkshttps://www.instagram.com/terencenguyenmc/https://www.tiktok.com/@terencenguyenmc---Need a photobooth? Reach out to SonofaBooth - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/sonofabooth/⁠Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠Follow us on our socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music: aKu - Love Shine | aKu - The Final Blow---Chapters0:00 Intro1:38 Are MCs Naturally Confident? Public Speaking Secrets3:48 Acting Career: IMDb, Maria Tran, and Takashi Hara8:51 Starring in "Tuan’s Party" (Theatre & Performance)17:25 Theatre vs. Corporate MCing & Trivia Events21:07 Terence’s Origin Story: From Dinosaur Speeches to the Big Stage26:16 Personal Development: Breaking the "Shy Kid" Stereotype28:08 Wedding Inspiration: Immi & Nico’s Wedding and Toastmasters32:04 University Life and Working at the Courthouse34:50 Mentorship with Jeremiah Hartman: Violating Expectations38:18 How to Find MC Gigs & Average MC Rates in Australia42:37 Being a Chameleon: Adapting Your Energy for Events44:48 What Makes a Good vs. Bad Wedding MC?50:26 Studying Marriage Celebrancy52:11 The Reality of Financial Uncertainty & Freelance Life57:25 SOAB AD58:55 Event Demand: Weekday vs. Weekend Work1:01:23 Speaking Vietnamese: Assessing Language Proficiency1:07:09 Is Basic Vietnamese Enough for Bilingual Weddings?1:09:00 Native Vietnamese vs. Viet-Aus MCs & Word of Mouth Marketing1:12:51 Pricing Strategies: How to Charge Without Undercutting the Market1:15:56 Vendor Relations: Why Timing is Everything in Events1:19:21 Client Chemistry: What Makes a Couple Great to Work With?1:22:58 Essential Wedding Tips: Keep the Speeches Short!1:28:00 The Worst Wedding Experience1:39:14 Protecting Your Big Day: Why You Must Check Your Vendors1:41:47 Community Impact and Working with Sydney Lane1:44:52 Mastering Improv in Low-Stakes Environments1:47:49 Favourite Wedding Trends: Chinese Wedding Traditions1:56:37 Top Venue Recommendations, Dream Gigs, and Career Advice2:03:35 Outro

We sit down with one of the OG creative and wedding videography veteran Andy Yang, where he shares the moment on a morning train commute was one of the many steps to slowly leave behind a stable finance career to pursue a life behind the lens.We dive into the evolution of the Asian Australian creative scene, from Andy's early days filming YouTube covers and touring Asia, to navigating the high-stakes world of wedding videography (The SanDisk failure...).---Andy's Linkshttps://www.youtube.com/@AndyYangVlogshttps://www.instagram.com/andyyang84/https://www.andyyangfilms.com/---Need a photobooth? Reach out to SonofaBooth - https://www.instagram.com/sonofabooth/Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠Follow us on our socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music: aKu - Love Shine | aKu - The Final Blow---Chapters0:00 Intro – Andy’s videography journey2:25 Andy’s career before filmmaking – switching industries4:11 How Andy became a videographer – breaking into content creation9:29 Early life, creative background, and career foundations14:40 Wedding videographer pricing – hourly rates, market trends, OG vendors20:51 Pricing strategy for videographers – avoiding undercutting and managing client expectations23:58 Working with real couples – Nathan & Annette and Andy’s signature filming style28:40 Data loss in videography – backups, workflow, and AI recovery tools36:11 Cinematic shooting style explained – Nathan’s on‑set experience40:42 Editing workflow for videographers – dad content, storytelling, tour vlogs49:12 How the YouTube creator landscape is changing53:20 Behind the scenes of wedding videography – difficult clients and real experiences1:01:14 Dad content and lifestyle filming – meal kits, home shoots1:07:29 What makes an ideal couple client for videographers1:10:43 Time management for videographers – structuring a full shoot day1:12:56 SOAB AD1:14:26 Crew meal etiquette – what videographers and photographers should know1:17:44 Unique vendor ideas in the wedding industry1:21:32 Working styles and camera gear – tools for modern videographers1:28:46 Beginner videographer advice – how to start in photography and filmmaking1:31:46 Advice to younger self – favourite wedding trends and industry insights1:33:40 What couples overspend on – wedding budget tips and smart splurges1:37:37 Outro – final thoughts on videography and content creation

If you were to ask a year ago, I would've said by day, Anna works 9-5 as a finance manager, and by night, she's LateNightAnna. But since then, she is all in on LateNightAnna, cooking, creating and building a food content brand that started with a viral Basque cheesecake during Covid.In this episode, I sit down with Anna to talk about her journey from competing in MasterChef as a teenager, to starting a home baking business from scratch, to documenting her life in her 30s through food, travel and content creation. We chat about how she balanced a corporate career with creative passion, growing up Chinese-Australian in Sydney, performing on stages from singing competitions to national finals, and what it really takes to stay consistent when you’re building something on the side.If you've ever thought about starting a side hustle, chasing a creative dream, or just love food content, this one's for you.---Anna's LinksYoutube Channelhttps://www.instagram.com/latenightannaahttps://www.tiktok.com/@late.night.anna---Items mentionedNoodle bowl: https://www.amazon.com.au/Sets-Containers-Microwavable-Restaurants-Self-Adhesive/dp/B0DPJVT1NW/What we made: https://bylatenightanna.com/fire-carbonara-instant-noodles/Anna's singing channel: https://www.instagram.com/annabanana.mp3---Need a photobooth? Reach out to SonofaBoothWant to get in touch? Send us an email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠Follow us on our socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music: aKu - Love Shine | aKu - The Final Blow---Chapters0:00 Intro2:07 Background, corporate life6:42 Anna's singing journey, different languages10:57 The basque cheesecake, covid business17:26 How do you make a living?21:54 Masterchef appearance24:18 Why food content?26:52 Mukbang, our relationship with food31:37 Bao bae, starting a fast food brand35:18 Growing up with food, inspiration39:10 How did you learn to cook?41:24 When was enough income to replace the corporate gig?45:12 More followers =/= More income49:27 Pivoting to long form content51:43 Culinary Class Wars dishes56:29 Travel content?59:42 What is 'latenightanna'?1:02:04 Son of a Booth ad1:03:34 Cooking starts1:06:53 Light vs dark soy sauce1:12:58 Ingredient you can't live without1:20:56 Are instant noodles your guilty pleasure food/personality?1:23:47 Go to dish to impress someone1:26:47 Drawing on cups1:29:33 Advice for other content creators1:37:14 Outro

Weddings hit different when it’s your close friends, and even more when you’re part of the chaos behind the scenes.We sit down with Nathan & Annette to break down their wedding day - the planning, the emotions, the cultural expectations, family dynamics… and the moments that nearly didn’t go to plan.I also reveal a big announcement of my own...We chat through everything from proposals and adrenaline, to budgets, vendors, tea ceremonies, first dances, and what it actually feels like once the day is over and married life begins.---Corey's mum's catering: msbunmeeNathan's wedding venue: Highline---Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠Follow us on our socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music: aKu - Love Shine | aKu - The Final Blow---0:00 Intro3:11 Describe the wedding in one word4:48 Tung's big announcement9:07 Which knee to get on when proposing, adrenaline14:50 Business class is crazy, having kids17:14 How did Tung design the ring, new drip, wedding season21:15 Picking the wedding venue25:20 Parental input for the wedding, food choices, styling30:54 The tea ceremony, Nathan's big reveal37:03 Getting all the vendors, Tung becoming MC40:52 What almost went wrong? Saving money45:26 Consider being a celebrant47:56 Feelings leading up to the wedding50:23 Planning, parents inviting friends54:29 The deck of cards57:07 Budget, mid, high end venues, food options1:00:28 Vendors for the wedding1:04:58 Picking the first dance song, highlights1:12:39 Would you change anything?1:18:22 Planning Tung's wedding1:20:24 How it feels to be married1:23:14 Nerves, advice for future grooms/brides1:26:54 BUDGET1:29:12 Start planning1:33:36 The photoshoot, potential destination wedding1:39:05 Questions from viewers, engagement watches1:42:54 Outro