Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom

This month’s “Fretful Laowai: Rear Window Edition” finds KEVIN GEIGER and Brendan catching on 3 main topics: the new normal, our new thoughts about the state of things, and the new directions we’re going in - all observed from our respective rear apartment windows: BD in Los Angeles, and Kevin in his new home of Taipei. Enjoy!

"Just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD do something.” MENGFEI LI shares his perspective as a former international journalist who lived in the US for 13 years, but who also has the clarity of someone trained to be a detached observer. We discuss how political reactions affected the spread of COVID-19 in different countries; the near-term futures we can anticipate; the power of engaged citizenship; and most provocatively, the meaning of the word FREEDOM.

Knowing your audience. Multinational branding. The ideal brand-customer relationship. Creating tangible, transformative results through trust and understanding each others needs. Gumpian journeys and near-death experiences as deep-game changers. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and harnessing the energy of facing your fears. The importance of contingencies in long-term planning, and how if you think you’re still in the same business today that you were two months ago, you’re likely in trouble. Veteran music businessman JOSH LEVINE of the “Rebel Radio” podcast and I get into all of this and more.    Episode Permalink: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/josh-levine-entertainment-brands-and-creatives AMP Music Summit (online, May 6): https://ampmusicsummit.com Josh’s "Rebel Radio” Podcast: https://www.rebelradio.net Mark Levine (Josh’s dad) interview: http://howchinaworks.libsyn.com/mark-levine-a-true-friend-of-china

RONALD PAREDES designed the logo of the podcast you’re listening to, but that’s only a tiny hint of what he’s all about. On our first talk (linked below) we talked about his background in Venezuela and his initial move to China when things went south in his home country. Today we discuss his experiences lately in Nantong, China as a father, husband, freelancer artist and designer, and socially aware human. Ronald cares deeply about women’s rights, homeless or otherwise displaced people, the overnight bricking up of the back road out of his town, rising nationalism and racism, the lack of acceptance and growing outright resentment he receives from less-educated people in his relatively rural home, and his feeling of being rootless and floating as he enters middle life. It’s a moving, candid, and powerful share by Ronald, and I’m honored to bring it to you.    Ronald Paredes online: https://mundosanto.art "Creativity Roots” latest episode: https://creativityroots.com/2020/04/22/change-happens-within/ “The Daily" April 20th episode: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/podcasts/the-daily/coronavirus-how-long-lockdowns.html Ronald Paredes 2017s interview: http://bigfishmiddlekingdom.libsyn.com/022-the-war-of-art-ronald-paredes

In the last week I’ve been a guest on THREE shows I love, so instead of releasing new interviews of my own, I wanted to take a break and acknowledge / share the shows that folks were nice enough to invite me on. Special THANKS to all involved with making the Grey Space Podcast, The Cinematography Podcast, and the CinemATL Podcast. Links below to check them all out!    Grey Space Podcast: https://youtu.be/VSKCGHftiX8 CinemATL Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/ycyuhxan The Cinematography Podcast: http://camnoir.com/podcast/ep71/

My guests this week are JOHN PETERSON and CHRIS SANDERS. John is a friend from all the way back in high school, and Chris has been a great friend and business / creative collaborator in LA for over 15 years. They are on two opposite sides of the country and dealing with the pandemic response in their own ways, and each talk adds an interesting perspective to the mix. Chris is also this week’s long-form interview guest on “If I Knew You Better”, linked below.    CHRIS SANDERS on “If I Knew You Better” - Permalink: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/chris-sanders-austin-hollywood-and-masonry

This week my monthly freeform check-in show with KEVIN GEIGER - a little ditty that we call the “Fretful Laowai Radio Hour” - moves BACK to it’s original home, “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom”! Kevin and I discuss the latest and not always greatest news in our respective worlds as we stay at home away from home. Please SHARE-RATE-SUBSCRIBE and most of all, be safe!   DHL China PPE shipping deal (in Chinese): https://marketing.5idhl.com/overseasstudent2020/?tracking=&from=singlemessage&isappinstalled=0   Kevin Geiger AWN article: https://www.awn.com/blog/new-normal   Kevin Geiger on “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom”: http://bigfishmiddlekingdom.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=geiger   Kevin Geiger on “If I Knew You Better”: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=geiger

STAR BURLEIGH, BRIAN ENGELMAN, JONO KENYON | Pandemic Perspectives from Los Angeles, Louisville, and Auckland   Star is a fashion stylist and designer based in Los Angeles but whose work is around the world. Brian is a media entrepreneur who left LA to move to Louisville, Kentucky. Jono is a British actor back home n Auckland, New Zealand whose vacant ROOM in LA I’m staying in as we wait out the next chapter in the pandemic drama. Listen and hear how three people are having very different responses to this unique time. NOTE that these conversations were all recorded at various points LAST week relative to the release date. The differences between now and then are stark.    STAR BURLEIGH online: http://www.starburleigh.com BRIAN ENGELMAN online: http://www.thenewamericanmedia.com JONO KENYON on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5645314/

Welcome to the rebooted podcast! For the time being, I’ll be doing special episodes talking to all sorts of people, in and out of China, about their response to the pandemic and the impact it’s having on them. This week we hear from Jeff Marder and Susie Qin. Jeff is a musician in NYC with strong ties to China, and Susie is a resident of Beijing who shares her experiences both with COVID-19 as well as SARS v1.0, which she lived through as a high school student - two great short chats back-to-back. Please enjoy, be safe, and tune in next week for more!   Previous long-form “BFMK” interviews: Jeff Marder: http://bigfishmiddlekingdom.libsyn.com/077-broadway-music-freemasonry-martial-arts-more-jeff-marder Susie Qin: http://bigfishmiddlekingdom.libsyn.com/089-susie-qin-from-erdos-to-beijing-places-in-between   Brendan Davis online: Twitter: @VeritasInLux Web contact: https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/contact-us

We’re coming off an extended hiatus on my NEW podcast, "If I Knew You Better", and looking forward to a great 2020 of new shows. This week, I sit down with KEVIN GEIGER again for a special New Years Eve edition of the two-man jam we call the Fretful Laowai Radio Hour. Enjoy the show, and please join me NEXT week when I interview…my Mom. Happy New Year!   http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/kevin-geiger-fretful-laowai-nye-special

In this week's episode - cross-posted on both "If I Knew You Better" and "Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom"! - I discuss the BFMK reboot, a new layer for KNEW, the great new episode of “How China Works” done by my partner Yingying Li, and much more. KNEW is adding a feature that I think of as “Marc Maron hosts The Daily”, while the revived BFMK will take my solo China-centric chats in a new direction. Please check them all out via the links below, SUBSCRIBE and SHARE if you enjoy, and stay safe and sane while we head into the next exciting chapter of global humanity.    Show libraries: “If I Knew You Better”: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com  “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom”: http://bigfishmiddlekingdom.libsyn.com “How China Works”: http://howchinaworks.libsyn.com

This is a short introduction to a very personal series of interviews I did on my other show, “If I Knew You Better". They deal extensively with domestic abuse, sexual secrets, and escaping violence in the home. But there is also lots of humor and inspiration here, so I hope you check it out. Parts 1 and 2 are searchable everywhere and also linked below; the finale - Part 3 - is coming next week.  Act 1 | Into The Unknown: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/ellen-shook-my-mom-part-1-into-the-unknown Act 2 | Us Against The World: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/ellen-shook-my-mom-part-2-us-against-the-world

October’s solo episode of my new show could be called “If You Knew ME Better”. This is a very candid and revealing one, as I share details about my father and his life that I never have publicly, so I wanted to share it here, too. NOTE: *trigger warning* for those sensitive to stories of domestic violence that you might want to skip the second half of this one. SHARE: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website/brendan-davis-about-my-father 

This week I’m cross-posting an 8-minute shortie episode to both “If I Knew You Better” and my original, retired podcast “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom”. There are THREE recent episodes of my other show, “How China Works” (co-hosted with Yingying Li), that I really don’t want you to miss. Check out those shows and our guests MARK LEVINE, FU HAN, ISABEL CROOK, & JESSE APPELL via the links in the shows notes, and subscribe to “How China Works” and “If I Knew You Better” so you don’t miss anything. Thanks! LINKS: https://www.howchinaworkspodcast.com/resources

Writer-Producer-Director KEVIN GEIGER & I had a long-running “bonus feature” on THIS show called the “Fretful Laowai Radio Hour”: a very popular free-form conversation about all sorts of current China-Hollywood & related issues. I’m very pleased to now bring "Fretful Laowai" to my NEW show, “If I Knew You Better”, as a recurring feature. Please search it in YOUR favorite podcatcher or find it right HERE to listen & SUBSCRIBE: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/kevin-geiger-the-fretful-laowai-radio-hour

Okay! All good things must come to an end, and in this - the last episode of “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” - I say THANK YOU to many of the people who’ve helped me make it as good as it can be. The catalog of over 120 shows will stay live forever, but to hear me on NEW shows, please search and visit “If I Knew You Better” or “How China Works”. Thanks for over 2 great years! MORE: https://www.crazyinagoodway.com SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR listen / learn more below: APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website/ LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources “How China Works”: LISTEN - APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-china-works/id1440747395 / ALL PLATFORMS: http://howchinaworks.libsyn.com / WEB: https://www.howchinaworkspodcast.com

Nick Cheng is a popular British comedian based in Beijing, and a natural storyteller. And he has some great stories to tell: some are funny, most are fascinating, and a few - discussing a family member’s suicide attempts, his coming out while a member of the Royal Navy - are wrenching. But all are worth hearing, and I am glad to share them with you on this very special LAST REGULAR EPISODE of “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom”. Please enjoy! LINKS: https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/home/nick-cheng

This week I want to tell you about another of my podcasts, “How China Works”. My co-host Yingying Li interviews 2-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker Malcolm Clarke about his new film BETTER ANGELS. If you like THIS show, I think you’ll like THAT one, too, so I hope you’ll check it out! APPLE: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/0001-introduction-to-how-china-works/id1440747395?i=1000422918906&mt=2&app=podcast / ALL PLATFORMS: http://howchinaworks.libsyn.com / WEB: https://www.howchinaworkspodcast.com

Michael Nakan is the founder of Clipper Media Capital, a London-based production and packaging company. He cut his Hollywood teeth on the US version of “House of Cards” and then in NYC at HBO before returning home to the UK to work in development for DARKEST HOUR director Joe Wright. He's also established a China office of his UK firm and is successfully bridging the gap between the two markets. A great talk! LINKS: https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources MICHAEL NAKAN / Clipper Media Capital: https://www.clippermedia.co.uk  SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR listen / learn more here: APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website/ LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources

Weiko Lin was born in Taipei, Taiwan, & he continues to work throughout Asia, but it’s in Hollywood that he’s really made his name. His upcoming book, Crazy Screenwriting Secrets (Michael Weise Productions, avail July 1) is both a solid art & craft writing manual, AND a knowledgable how-to on navigating the often-treacherous waters between China and the global cinema industry, as epitomized by Hollywood. If you follow the world entertainment business with any degree of seriousness, YOU MUST LISTEN TO THIS SHOW. Just sayin’. Enjoy! FULL BLOG POST: https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/home/weiko   WEIKO LIN book: Crazy Screenwriting Secrets - Pre-Order now on AMAZON:  https://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Screenwriting-Secrets-Capture-Audience/dp/1615933018   BRENDAN DAVIS on “The Carl King Podcast”: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-carl-king-podcast/id1202709564?i=1000440895085 SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/carlkingdom/brendan-davis-interview-carl-king-podcast-15-060619 or SEARCH “The Carl King Podcast” in your favorite podcatcher   SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR listen / learn more here: APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website/ LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources