Before venturing into the world of comedy, filmmaker and comedian Kate Lee Moran grew up feeling isolated as a Korean adoptee.
Moran, born in Seoul and raised in Buffalo, New York, would often get into fights with her classmates growing up. It was through performing arts, she says, that she was able to find the solace and power to truly express herself. Despite initially pursuing performance in acting and comedy, Moran transitioned to producing and directing, driven by her desire to amplify marginalized voices.
Through initiatives like “The Revolution,” a stand-up comedy show spotlighting women and non-binary comics, and festivals showcasing diverse talents, Moran has since consistently championed inclusivity. After attending New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, she honed her comedy skills at the Peoples Improv Theater, where she crossed paths with Edward Yoo Pokropski, a comedian and a two-time Emmy-nominated senior writer and producer at NBCUniversal, who shares her passion for showcasing Asian voices. A producer had reached out to them about the idea of a comedy festival exclusively hosting Asian talents.
“Ed and I are both Korean adoptees, which is just honestly a coincidence,” Moran tells NextShark. “We didn’t know each other before we were connected. Ed and I started collaborating together, and we were like, ‘Oh, this is perfect. Let’s create this festival because there’s really a need.’ It was just kind of a match made in heaven.”
The project would soon officially become known as the Asian Comedy Festival (ACF). Its inaugural event in 2020 featured a wide array of comedic acts, including star Ronny Chieng. Since then, ACF has been the largest and longest-running New York City-based international comedy fest dedicated to elevating diverse voices within the Asian and Pacific Islander community.
The launch, which coincided with Lunar New Year, proved to be…
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