May 21, 2019
We interviewed Hao Wu, a Chinese American film director, producer and writer to discuss his recent work "People's Republic of Desire", a documentary about the live streaming industry in China.
Originally trained as a molecular biologist, Hao worked in tech
before becoming a full-time filmmaker. He held various management
positions at technology companies including Excite@Home, Yahoo
China and Alibaba. From 2008-2011, he was the China Country Manager
for TripAdvisor. As his career progressed, so did his passion in
more artistic and creative endeavors. In 2012 he decided to pursue
documentary filmmaking full time. His latest work, which is the
subject of this episode, is a documentary called "People's Republic
of Desire", a journey into the live streaming industry in China,
where Hao follows a few top streamers on YY to document their lives
behind the screen. The film has won the Grand Jury Award at the
2018 South By South West, among many other awards, and has screened
at over 40 film festivals worldwide. The New York Times calls the
film "hypercharged," while The Los Angeles Times says it's
"invariably surprising and never less than compelling." If you
haven't watched the film, we highly recommend doing so. It is
available on Vimeo, iTunes, Amazon and Google Play; just visit
desire.film for the links. Hao has produced two other
documentaries, The Road to Fame, and Nowhere to Call Home.
Hao holds a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of
Science and Technology of China, a master's degree in molecular and
cell biology from Brandeis University, and an MBA from the
University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.
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