When Los Angeles-based actress Jennifer Chan showed up at a recent Acting Meetup event at the Fringe Club, she was just hoping to make some contacts that could help her decide whether to move to Hong Kong or not.
“In Los Angeles, they say I’m too Asian and here so far they’ve said I look too Western,” said the 24-year-old Hong Kong-born actress who has appeared in commercials and TV shows in the US. Within minutes of showing up at the free gathering, she was mingling among the 60 other aspiring actors, directors, producers and writers in attendance. There's the 20-something stuntman looking for work, and the woman hoping to ditch her investment banking job in the hopes of writing that great screenplay.
The once monthly event will be celebrating its one-year anniversary this August, having grown significantly since it’s first meeting in the Wan Chai Pacific Coffee. The group was formed by Dan Wilson, 31, an aspiring actor who simply wanted to meet like-minded people. “I wanted to create an environment where people with a creative drive could join others on a project. Most things here in the industry are in Chinese, so for those who want to do cheap projects in English, this is a good opportunity. Or if someone is new to acting but wants to create more opportunities, this is a place to come.” The group has no affiliation to any company and doesn’t cost a cent to join.
Members are updated through a website and emails. “We started off as a group for actors, but very rapidly we’ve attracted those who want to write, as well as producers, independent filmmakers and directors of theater companies,” says Wilson. At last month’s event, one journalist was already taking names to set up a “Journalist Meetup.” “Perhaps in the future we could use the meeting to create a link between Hollywood and Hong Kong,” adds Wilson.
As for Chan, she wound up shaking hands with everyone in the room and left with a fistful of business cards. “People find it very useful because people even share phone numbers and connections they already have. You might not meet someone at the Meetup, but you might meet someone who knows someone,” says Wilson.
Sign up: acting.meetup.com/3
