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KS: All right. Good morning, Mr. KS: Quan. Today is February 14, 2022, KS: 12:30 pm Central Time, and 8:30 in the morning KS: Hawaii time.

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KS: Mr. Quan, [RQ: Happy Valentine's Day!] Yeah! KS: Happy Valentine's Day! KS: Mr. Quan, just to confirm, do you consent to being recorded for this interview? RQ: Yes.

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KS: Awesome. All right. KS: So we'll start at the very beginning of your life. KS: Where were you born? KS: And what was your childhood like?

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RQ: Okay, I was born in Houston, Texas, and my–my childhood–childhood...my RQ: parents owned a family-owned grocery store. RQ: So that played a large part of my childhood because RQ: our house is attached to our grocery store.

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RQ: And so you really couldn't get away from it. RQ: But, you know, I like to think it was a positive thing because it kept our family RQ: close together. And it taught us a sense of responsibility that after RQ: we got done with school, we would come home and work in the store and

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RQ: learn the value of money and hard work and responsibility. RQ: So that, in a nutshell, is what I can think of when I think of my childhood. KS: Sure, yeah. What about your education? KS: Did you–did you stay at the same school your entire—during, like, your

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KS: whole— RQ: Let's see...my elementary school, yes. RQ: From kindergarten through sixth grade, I was at a place called Andrew Briscoe Elementary. RQ: And it wasn't close enough for us to walk to, so my parents would have to drop us off

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RQ: at school. And then in junior high, I went to Jackson RQ: Junior High for my first two years, and then I went to a place called Hartman RQ: for my last year, before going to Milby High School. RQ: And I stayed there at Milby for three years.

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KS: Awesome. So you're born and raised in Houston, right, as you said, and–and KS: you went to UT Austin, is that correct? RQ: Yes. KS: But you've spent your entire career outside of Texas.

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KS: So do you still have any family ties in Houston or Texas in general? RQ: Yes. My mother still lives in Houston, along with my four siblings, and some of RQ: my nieces as well. RQ: So I’d come back to Houston—well, used to come

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RQ: at least twice a year. RQ: But because of the pandemic, I've cut back a lot. RQ: So I did come back at Labor Day. RQ: And that was the first time I'd come back in about two years.

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RQ: So yeah, but yes, I still have a lot of close friends. RQ: You know, my childhood friends that I grew up with, we're able to stay RQ: close, despite our distance and the years. RQ: So yes, I still have a lot of ties to Houston, Texas.

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KS: Great. And so you mentioned you went to Briscoe KS: Elementary. [RQ: Yes.] I think I know where that is, but just to confirm, like, KS: in what general area of Houston did you live? KS: And you mentioned, so you mentioned that your family's grocery store was on Canal

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KS: Street, right? [RQ: Yes.] Can you describe the neighborhood? KS: Like the demographics, the classes, things like that? RQ: Yeah, it was predominantly a Hispanic neighborhood. RQ: So I would say 70% or

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RQ: more of our customers spoke Spanish. RQ: So we would have to be able to speak a few words, at least, in Spanish. RQ: That's the language I studied in high school at least, but you know, just RQ: the numbers, names of items...you know, ask them if that's all they want, if

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RQ: they're done, you know, just basic phrases we would have to learn. RQ: [KS: Right.] So, yeah, yeah. RQ: Briscoe was—I'm trying to think of what neighborhood that was. RQ: I guess the Lawndale area?

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RQ: Gosh, there's a large cemetery nearby there, too. RQ: I...[KS: Yeah.] That's just where my... KS: Yeah. I–I think I remember because, actually, small KS: anecdote, [RQ: Mhm.] I'm a musician.

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KS: You can see a harp there in the background. KS: [RQ: Oh, yeah, I do.] So, I work often with kids KS: and I go out and do community outreach, and I just went to Briscoe on Friday, [RQ: Oh!] KS: and I drove past that cemetery, and I was like, oh, that's so interesting, [RQ: Oh!]

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KS: there's a cemetery right by the— RQ: Forest Lawn, I think it is. RQ: Forest Lawn? Or Forest Park? KS: I think so. Yeah. [RQ: Yes, yes.] That's right, Forest Hill is intersecting—[RQ:

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KS: Forest Hill, okay. KS: Yeah.] Yeah, but that's–that's cool. KS: I was like, I wonder if that's the same Briscoe. KS: [RQ: Yeah. Yeah, it is.] Nice, that's a cool connection.

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RQ: Yeah, it's nice to know it's still there. RQ: I wasn't sure if it was still there. KS: Yeah, and tons of Spanish speaking kids. KS: I think that when I went there, I saw it was officially a

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KS: Dual Language Academy now. KS: [RQ: Oh, okay.] So, everything is Spanish and English. KS: What's your most profound memory about Houston, if you had to pick one? RQ: Hmm, gosh, profound memory… [Both

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RQ: laugh.] I don't think I have a profound memory. RQ: I, you know—I mean, it's just, RQ: I think of it very fondly. RQ: A lot of great memories of growing up there.

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RQ: Again, our family is pretty close, had a lot of great friends. RQ: So we all hung out together. RQ: You know, we all grew up—there was a Chinese—well, there still is a Chinese RQ: Baptist Church that a lot of my friends and family went to.

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RQ: So that's where we spent a lot of our social life, the people we would RQ: date and hang out with. RQ: So, yeah, I don't know it's a profound memory, but—it—when I RQ: think of Houston, again, I think of it with a smile on my

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RQ: face, I think of it, you know, a lot of great things happened there. KS: Yeah. So you mentioned Chinese Baptist Church. KS: Did you and your family go, and is that the Chinese Baptist Church on Brogden? RQ: Yes, it eventually became the church on Brogden.

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RQ: It—I think it used to be on Chartres, near the RQ: George Brown Convention Center. RQ: It's no longer there. It, you know, got demolished and RQ: everything like that.

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RQ: But back in the day when I was young, it was–it was near—there RQ: may still be some remnants of an old Chinatown near downtown Houston. RQ: It was right near there. RQ: And so, but it eventually moved—I think I was maybe in high school or so when they

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RQ: moved to Brogden. [KS: Mhm.] And so, yeah, that’s–that's the same church. KS: Great. Yeah, I actually—I go to CBC. KS: [RQ: Oh, you go to CBC! KS: Okay, all right.

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KS: Well, maybe you met some of my relatives there, then.] Yeah, yeah, I was wanting to KS: ask, like, "Are you related to some of the people I know?" [RQ: Yes. KS: Yes.] So speaking of families, can you tell me a little bit KS: about your family's generation history?

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KS: I see your—you put that you're a Second Generation Chinese American. KS: [RQ: Right.] So can you expand on that? KS: Were your parents are immigrants or were your grandparents immigrants? KS: Because I believe that sometimes people, you know, think of it differently.

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RQ: Yeah. I'm not the best at my family’s history. RQ: But basically, my dad was born in China. RQ: And he came over with my grandfather, who immigrated over, RQ: [KS: Okay.] I think back in the 1930s.

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RQ: My mother was born in Augusta, Georgia. RQ: So she was, you know, born in this country. RQ: So—and then they met kinda RQ: around World War II time.

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RQ: Yeah, my—okay, if you could follow this...my mom's sister RQ: knew my dad's cousin. RQ: [KS: Okay.] Yeah, something like that. RQ: [Both laugh.] [KS: Yeah.] It was—they had mutual relatives—or

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RQ: relatives that knew each other. RQ: And so they brought my dad and my mom together. RQ: And then they got married around, gosh, RQ: ‘44 or ‘46 or something, I've never—gosh, in the '40s, late '40s.

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RQ: And then they first settled, well, they first went back to China actually, for a RQ: little while. And my—that's where my oldest brother was born. RQ: And then I think because of the Communist takeover in '49, they moved back to the RQ: US and originally settled in San Antonio.

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RQ: And that's where one of my–my older sister was born. RQ: From what I've been told, they were trying to buy property in San Antonio, and because RQ: of some racist laws, they weren't able to. RQ: And so they had relatives in Houston that said, "Why don't you come on over

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RQ: here instead, and you can, you know, have a place or open a store near RQ: where we have a grocery store." And so that's what they did. RQ: [KS: Okay.] I think they moved there probably in the mid '50s or so. RQ: Something like that. And so that's why we wound up in Houston.

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KS: Yeah, yeah, that was gonna be my next question. KS: Because like China, and then Augusta, Georgia, and then San Antonio. KS: [RQ: Yeah. Yeah.] But can you tell me a little bit about your family? KS: Are you close or were you close growing up?

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KS: So, you mentioned you have four siblings, so I'm curious about that. KS: Oh, yeah, we were all pretty close. KS: There's, I don't know, it was kind of like a demarcation between—first, KS: there's a son and then my two sisters, okay.

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KS: And they were always considered the older group. KS: And then it was myself and my younger brother. KS: We were like the “boys.” You know, we were kind of like, they're the older group, and KS: we're the younger group. Anyway, but we've all been pretty close.

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KS: My younger brother was born on the same birth date I had, August 29. KS: But we're four years apart. KS: So we’d, you know, celebrate our birthdays on the same day, of course. KS: But, yeah, we—I mean, we never really fought that

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KS: much. Sometimes my sister—okay, the oldest brother's KS: Gordon, then it's Wanda, Jeannie, myself, and Davy. KS: And I know my sister Jeannie would tease me sometimes. KS: She would say, “Oh, yeah, you were— [coughs] excuse me—like,

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KS: the golden child.” [KS laughs.] Yeah, I was the golden child. KS: And she would get jealous of that. KS: And so she sometimes, I don't know, she said one time she hit me KS: with a–a 7UP!

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KS: bottle one time, because she was so jealous of me. KS: [KS: Oh no!] I don't remember that. KS: But–but we're very close now. KS: And, I mean, we don't talk to each other every day or anything.

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KS: [KS: Mhm.] But we're close. She, in fact, she was in town to visit me, let’s see, KS: last—not this following weekend, the week before, she was—she and her husband were in KS: town. And so they stayed with me for like five days. KS: [KS: Good!] So, you know, we had–we had a good friend—relationship.

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KS: We all played, you know, football together in the backyard, at least the boys did. KS: You know, the sisters, my oldest sister Wanda, KS: we kind of thought of her more like our second mother, almost. KS: She was very maternal.

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KS: Let's see, what else. KS: And I think all of us going to the same church, we all kind of—I kinda just followed KS: in their footsteps, too. KS: So yeah, they went to choir practice, so we would go to choir practice.

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KS: [KS: Yeah.] You know, they would go to these retreats, we’d go to the retreats, you know, KS: that type of thing, so yeah. KS: Yeah, yeah! And their names do sound familiar. KS: So that's–that's cool that there's connection here.

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KS: So you were born in Houston in the '50s, right? KS: [RQ: Yeah, mhm.] And you worked in the grocery store? KS: [RQ: Yes.] What was that experience like? KS: Did your siblings also work with you?

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KS: You had to speak Spanish, right? RQ: Yeah, I think the boys in the store—boys worked more in the grocery store than RQ: my sisters did. RQ: They just felt like, not a chauvinistic type of thing, but they just felt like

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RQ: the boys needed to work harder, like putting up stock, working RQ: at the counter. I remember I used to, like, drive RQ: and deliver groceries to customers, that type of thing, which was kind of fun. RQ: We would work, like I said, pretty much every day after school.

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RQ: Weekends—Sundays, my dad only opened the store to like 2 o'clock. RQ: And because of church, we didn't have to work on Sundays. RQ: Saturdays, let's see. RQ: Saturdays, I think we had to work as well, I can't remember.

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RQ: We, you know, we did get to go out sometimes and do fun things with our friends. RQ: But for the most part, you know, school—work at the grocery store played a RQ: big part in–in our lives after school. RQ: Sometimes, you know, we kind of resented it because we couldn't do as much [KS: Right.]

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RQ: fun things as we'd like to do. RQ: But again, I think probably looking back, it served RQ: a good purpose in teaching us hard work, the value RQ: of money, and things like that. [KS: Character building.] Character, uh huh.

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KS: So now I know how you sort of gotten to speaking a little bit of Spanish, and you KS: also said you spoke a little Mandarin. KS: Is that just from your family? RQ: Oh, only because I, you know, 'cause Mandarin's become more

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RQ: popular over the last few years, I've just tried to learn more. RQ: I took a trip to China in 2017 and RQ: tried to, you know, pick up a few words, and just to be more RQ: worldly and just be able to communicate with more people.

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RQ: Just to learn some basic words of Mandarin. RQ: Yeah. KS: So is your family—did your parents speak Mandarin? KS: Cantonese? Toisan?

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RQ: No, they spoke Cantonese and Toisan. KS: Cantonese, okay. So do you have any proficiency, language proficiency, in KS: Cantonese or Toisan? RQ: I wouldn't say I do.

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RQ: I mean, I can hear—understand a few words, say a few words. RQ: But conversationally, I probably can't. RQ: Yeah. [KS: Yeah.] KS: So, moving on to your career, [RQ: Yup.] your great, amazing career.

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KS: [RQ laughs.] You started your first job in Arkansas, and that was as a newscaster, KS: only at the age of 21, which is incredible! KS: [RQ: Yeah, yeah.] How did you get that job? RQ: Okay, well after graduating from—well, senior year at the University of Texas,

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RQ: you know, I was starting to look for job opportunities, and a classmate of mine was RQ: from Arkansas. RQ: And so she told me about this position, that they were looking for a minority. RQ: I had no idea of—I'd never been to Arkansas before, you know.

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RQ: But when you're in a situation where you really don't have any RQ: experience and you're looking to just get started, you say, go ahead and try. RQ: So I sent a resume to that station. RQ: It's in a town called Jonesboro, Arkansas.

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RQ: I had never even heard of the town before. RQ: But I think, again, they were looking for a minority. RQ: I don't think they were looking for Asians, they were probably looking for African RQ: Americans or Hispanics.

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RQ: But anyway, he liked what he saw. RQ: So he had me flown in for an in person interview. RQ: And I always remember, you know, it was a very small airport with only prop planes RQ: that could fly in, and the plane was very bumpy.

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RQ: And so I remember when I landed at the airport, I literally threw up. RQ: [KS: Oh no!] Like, oh my goodness, what a bad omen this might be. RQ: But, you know, when I went to the interview, they liked me, and so they RQ: offered me a job. And so, I was the weekend sportscaster,

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RQ: and I was a news reporter Wednesday through Friday. RQ: So I did both news and sports. RQ: [KS: Go on.] Again, it was a small town, like 30,000 people. RQ: Yeah. But we were the only TV station in town.

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RQ: I remember the station was located outside the main city, RQ: kind of a country road. RQ: And it was very hilly. And when it would snow, unless you had a four-wheel RQ: drive, you couldn't even get to the station, you had to park on the main road and then

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RQ: walk like 10 minutes [KS: Oh, wow.] to get to the station. RQ: It was that backward (?) kind of in a way. RQ: But I made some great friends there. RQ: And I was a little concerned they might be kind of racist in Arkansas.

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RQ: This is, you know, way back in the day. RQ: And—but, you know, I think maybe only once or twice did I hear anything RQ: semi-racist. And again, I made some friends there that I'm RQ: still friends with on Facebook to this day, so it was–it was an

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RQ: unusual place to start, but I guess it all worked out. RQ: Yeah. KS: Yeah. Was that always the goal for you, to be a newscaster, sportscaster? RQ: Originally I think, in high school, I wanted to become a radio disc jockey.

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RQ: I thought that working on the radio would be fun, playing records, talking, RQ: things like that. And then when I was in college, a classmate of mine was an intern at RQ: a TV station. And he invited me to tag along with him to see what RQ: working in TV might be like.

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RQ: And I found that to be a lot more fun. RQ: You know, we got to go out and cover stories, and—instead of being in the studio RQ: all the time. [KS: Mhm.] And so I changed my emphasis. RQ: I was a Radio TV Film major, but I changed my emphasis from Radio to TV.

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RQ: So I took more TV classes in my senior year. RQ: And so that's how I wound up going into TV instead. KS: Very cool. So you started your first sports anchor KS: job at KITV in Hawaii, is that true?

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KS: In the '80s? RQ: The full time anchor job, yes. RQ: [KS: Mhm.] Sports Anchor job was in the early '80s. RQ: Yeah, yeah.

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KS: And then you returned to KITV after this lengthy career [RQ: Yeah.] with a number of KS: other network affiliates. KS: [RQ: Right.] What prompted you to return to where you started 40 years ago? RQ: Okay. Well, what had happened was I was in the Bay Area, and I

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RQ: more or less left Broadcast TV, but I was making these short RQ: documentaries about Asian American pioneers. RQ: And so Honolulu has this Hawaii International Film Festival in November, RQ: and I'd never been to it before.

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RQ: And so I thought, "Oh, it'd be kind of fun to go to Hawaii on vacation and also check RQ: out the festival." I didn't have an entry in the festival, but I just thought it'd be fun RQ: to go. So I flew out here. RQ: I was—I think I stayed almost like three weeks, a long time.

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RQ: And while I was here, I knew that my—an old friend of mine had become the news director RQ: at KITV, a person I had known from the Bay Area. RQ: So while I was here on vacation, I called her up and said, "Hey, I'm in town for a RQ: while. Let's go grab lunch." And so over lunch, she told me that the station

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RQ: was looking for more male RQ: Asian anchors or male anchors, they–they were having problems with the one that they RQ: currently had, and would I be interested in possibly coming back? RQ: And, you know, I had no idea I'd be

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RQ: moving back to Honolulu, [KS: Ah.] I was just here to have fun. RQ: But I gave it some thought, and they offered me a—you know, the news anchor RQ: position, which I had never really done. RQ: I had always been a sportscaster before, so I thought this might be a nice

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RQ: challenge, to be a news anchor. RQ: I will admit, on the mainland too, even though I was a Sports Anchor for many years, RQ: I was never the Sports Director. RQ: And I always felt I was hitting this glass ceiling where they wouldn't promote me to a

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RQ: certain level. But here in Hawaii, you know, partly I guess because there's this large RQ: Asian population, they don't have that type of ceiling. RQ: In fact, it's a plus to be Asian here. RQ: So anyway, so you offered me the position.

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RQ: And I—after some thought and some negotiation, then I've decided, "Okay, let me RQ: do this and try it and see how it goes." So, yeah, so I signed a two-year contract. RQ: My two-year anniversary just passed last week. RQ: So anyway, they signed me for two more years.

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RQ: [KS: Mhm.] And so we'll see how it goes after that. KS: Congrats! What is so special about KITV, in your opinion? KS: So you're a News Anchor, [RQ: Yeah.] how is this position KS: significant—is it significantly different from being a sportscaster?

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RQ: Yes, it is. I mean, when you're sports, you have like about three minutes of airtime. RQ: And you know, you do a few highlights and give some scores, and RQ: pretty much you're done. RQ: You know, in–in—when you're a News Anchor, as the word implies, you're

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RQ: anchoring the entire newscast. RQ: So you have to be up on a lot more topics than RQ: just football and baseball and basketball. RQ: [KS: Right, yeah.] You have to know, you know, government and

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RQ: crime and just pretty much everything. RQ: And you also have to kind of know the players here. RQ: When I first moved back, you know, I had to take a refresher course on, you know, who the RQ: Governor is, who are our State Senators and Representatives, yeah, and

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RQ: then not just know who they are, but then later meet them in person, you know, get to RQ: know them, so you're comfortable with them, and they know you. RQ: So, you know, it took at least six months to kind of RQ: feel comfortable doing the news.

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RQ: And also another thing: in Hawaii, of course, there's all the Hawaiian names too. RQ: And even though I worked here before, the native Hawaiian movement has become a lot RQ: stronger since I last lived here. RQ: And so they're pretty sensitive on the way you pronounce certain Hawaiian names.

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RQ: You want to try to, you know, not make a mistake doing that. RQ: So, yeah. KS: Yeah. You pronounce, is it every single vowel or something? KS: In the Hawaiian language?

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RQ: [Laughs.] I believe so. RQ: I don't want to say if there's a blatant, you know, there’s just one straight RQ: rule on that, because [KS: Sure, yeah.] I'm learning every day. RQ: Yeah, it's like, I mean, people will say—I mean, I still say, "Oh-ah-hoo

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RQ: (Oahu)". But people, because of a certain little sign in there, it's "Oh! RQ: Ahoo", is actually the correct way. RQ: And I don't say it that way. RQ: But for some of the native Hawaiians, might, you know.

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RQ: Just little things that I just take for granted that RQ: I got used to doing. KS: Yeah, yeah. So hopping back to Jonesboro, actually, KS: how does that town compare to Houston, demographically and culturally?

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KS: You said it's smaller for sure. RQ: Oh, absolutely. I mean, there's really no comparison. RQ: I think Jonesboro is basically black and white population. RQ: There weren't many Hispanics at all.

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RQ: Not, I mean, I think we had one Chinese restaurant in the entire town. RQ: Maybe two Asian families, maybe. RQ: Of course, Houston, it's so diverse. RQ: It's so huge.

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RQ: You know, with the sprawling freeways and everything like that, RQ: I—we really didn't have—we don't have a freeway in Jonesboro, [laughs] it's just a–a RQ: major interstate, that went by, I think, one shopping center, you know. RQ: So it was really small town, small town stuff.

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RQ: But it—you know, like any small town, it has its own charm. RQ: And, you know, everybody kind of knows everybody and knows what's important in the RQ: city—the town, basically. RQ: So again, I–I think what I enjoyed most was that I

00:24:31.160 - 00:24:46.520

RQ: got along with pretty much everybody. RQ: And I think being an Asian, I was almost like, a novelty, but not in a RQ: bad way. I think people liked getting to know someone who RQ: wasn't—who was Asian, you know, just something different.

00:24:47.420 - 00:24:58.450

RQ: And so, anyway, it was a good experience. RQ: But again, comparing Jonesboro to Houston, there's just, yeah, you can't. RQ: It's like night and day. KS: Right, yeah, yeah.

00:24:58.540 - 00:25:13.090

KS: And Houston is, as you said, incredibly diverse. KS: [RQ: Yeah.] And speaking of diversity, even as of today, we hardly KS: see—I was going to say Chinese American, but really Asian KS: American, I guess, faces, in sports reporting.

00:25:14.240 - 00:25:28.920

KS: Why do you think that is? KS: And do you believe that it's difficult for Asian Americans to enter that field? RQ: It's gotten better. RQ: I will still say there's a certain...Well, for me, when I

00:25:29.180 - 00:25:48.110

RQ: got into the field, you know, typically your parents–your parents want you to RQ: still typically become an engineer or doctor, something more RQ: traditional. Sportscasting still isn't very traditional. RQ: Even working in TV for most Asian men is not that traditional.

00:25:48.880 - 00:26:05.860

RQ: So when I first got in, you know, my parents kind of resisted, did not—were not RQ: sure if that was the right profession for me. RQ: I think after a year or two, they finally began to think, "Okay, this might RQ: work out for Rick and, you know, this is the right thing." Even

00:26:05.860 - 00:26:22.830

RQ: today, though, you won't see that many Asian men on the air. RQ: You'll see more than it used to be for sure, but it's RQ: still, you know, not a mainstream job, where parents will typically say, RQ: "Oh, yeah, I want my–my son become a newscaster or sportscaster."

00:26:24.440 - 00:26:40.120

RQ: It is tough too, I mean, starting out, pay is bad. RQ: You might have to go to a small town like I did. RQ: You know, if you get married and have to uproot your family, it's–it’s a difficult RQ: job. So I think right now, in fact, we're having a hard time filling

00:26:40.120 - 00:26:52.900

RQ: positions with qualified people, because there are fewer and fewer people who are RQ: going into the profession. RQ: And then the ones that are good, they probably want to stay where they are, RQ: and they don't want to move.

00:26:54.080 - 00:27:07.260

RQ: I mean, Hawaii is a wonderful place. RQ: But still, it's–it's, it's quite a decision to move from the mainland to live here. RQ: And you're far apart, far away from most people. RQ: And the pay is not as good as it is on the mainland too.

00:27:07.260 - 00:27:19.940

KS: I see. KS: What in your opinion, are the most significant KS: misconceptions about Asian Americans in this field—newscasting, KS: sportscasting, things like that?

00:27:20.570 - 00:27:37.430

KS: And what do you think the future holds for Asian Americans in this field? RQ: Well, misconceptions... RQ: [KS: Or do you think there are any? RQ: Maybe they aren't—there aren't any?] Yeah, I think for a while, a long time, the reason

00:27:37.430 - 00:27:52.140

RQ: why a lot of News Directors did not hire Asian men was that they just didn't—don't RQ: find them very attractive. RQ: Asian women, they’ve never had that type of problem; they've always been looked upon more RQ: fondly, deemed more exotic and beautiful, while Asian men still kind of

00:27:52.140 - 00:28:10.110

RQ: suffer from the stereotypes of being kind of weak and just RQ: not, I don't know, because maybe we didn't have a Connie Chung or whatever. RQ: They just weren't looked upon as someone you wanted to have on your staff. RQ: [KS: Mhm.] Or if you did, maybe, you know, they can be a Reporter, Field

00:28:10.110 - 00:28:26.990

RQ: Reporter or something like that, but not in a position of authority, like an RQ: Anchor. [KS: Right.] That's slowly changing. RQ: I know in the Bay Area, there's a lot more Asian male Anchors on the air RQ: now. Here in Hawaii, I think I'm the only Asian

00:28:29.440 - 00:28:46.330

RQ: male for the weekday newscasts, the primetime newscasts. RQ: There's some in the morning, in the afternoon, but I think I'm the only one RQ: in primetime here. RQ: So, you know, so there's–there's–there's still maybe some misconceptions about Asian

00:28:46.330 - 00:29:03.200

RQ: men being looked upon as authority figures, or–or RQ: News Directors feel comfortable in hiring for that job. RQ: Yeah, that's the main thing, I think. KS: Yeah. What do you believe is the most gratifying part of your job?

00:29:04.580 - 00:29:24.300

RQ: I think informing people, educating them, making RQ: a difference, where maybe you brought a spotlight to a RQ: problem that needed to be solved, and it was solved. RQ: You know, maybe somebody, off the top of my head, maybe

00:29:24.300 - 00:29:36.790

RQ: somebody is sick or needs help, and you alert the RQ: community to that. RQ: And so an effort, grassroots–grassroots effort grows, RQ: and that person is taken care of.

00:29:37.560 - 00:29:51.330

RQ: [KS: Yeah.] Or just giving somebody some recognition that may not have gotten the RQ: recognition they deserved. RQ: Those type of things I enjoy. KS: Yeah. So out of your entire sports reporting career,

00:29:51.880 - 00:30:06.320

KS: you spent over 20 years with KPIX, right? KS: [RQ: Mhm.] That’s the San Francisco CBS affiliate, for those who will eventually KS: watch this interview, may not know, where you became the first Chinese American KS: man to be a weekday Anchor in the Bay Area.

00:30:06.320 - 00:30:18.380

KS: Is that correct? [RQ: Yes, yeah.] How did you feel when you landed that KS: job? RQ: Very, very happy. RQ: I mean, again, it—my career

00:30:18.530 - 00:30:38.160

RQ: has been, I've been fortunate to have a lot of things work out in my career. RQ: I had been wanting to move to the Bay Area for several years, and had pretty much given RQ: up. The only station I did not apply for work was at KPIX because I had been RQ: told that they had the #1 sports team already in the Bay Area and weren't

00:30:38.260 - 00:30:53.850

RQ: looking to hire anybody. RQ: So I'd flown back to Honolulu thinking I could stay here. RQ: And on my answering machine was a voicemail from KPIX, and it RQ: turned out their Sports Director had gone on vacation in Hawaii

00:30:53.850 - 00:31:05.870

RQ: and seen me on the air. RQ: And a producer called and said, "Hey, we're looking to add a number–a number three guy RQ: to our sports staff, would you be interested?" So it was very surreal. RQ: [KS: Wow.] Yeah.

00:31:06.340 - 00:31:23.300

RQ: So I go back and listen to this voicemail, I said, “I cannot believe this!” And so anyway, RQ: I called them back. RQ: And after about six weeks of talking, whatever, then they finally RQ: hired me. So it was–it was quite a breakthrough for myself to move to

00:31:23.300 - 00:31:40.880

RQ: a big market like San Francisco. RQ: I will add, another—a friend of mine who had been in the Bay Area had sent me a news RQ: article called, I think it was headlined, "Why Aren't There Any Asian Male RQ: Anchors in the Bay Area?" And it piqued my interest, and it kind of challenged me too in

00:31:40.880 - 00:31:54.650

RQ: a way, like, "Hey, maybe I could be that person.” You know? RQ: In fact, I kept that article over all these years. RQ: [KS: Yeah, of course.] Yeah. RQ: And so that I think that kind of triggered my interest in moving to the Bay Area.

00:31:55.180 - 00:32:12.740

RQ: And then [Zoom froze] [KPIX] did, RQ: was looking for somebody, and I wound up being that person. RQ: So yeah, the point of pride to be—had been the first in the Bay Area. RQ: I always thought that with so many Asians in the Bay Area, that that would have happened

00:32:12.740 - 00:32:27.150

RQ: long before. But you know, they have their prejudices, I guess, as RQ: well. And nobody really came forward to take that RQ: position. So I feel fortunate that I was the first. KS: Yes, yeah. Yeah.

00:32:27.150 - 00:32:40.700

KS: That's–that's incredible. KS: And so coming up to Hawaii. KS: You moved there in 2020 for this current position, KS: right? [RQ: Yeah.] But did you live there previously?

00:32:42.370 - 00:32:53.290

RQ: Yeah. In the 80s. RQ: [KS: Right.] I was a sportscaster. KS: So what do you love most about Hawaii? KS: And how is this culture different from Houston culture?

00:32:54.380 - 00:33:11.650

RQ: [Laughs] Well, I think the natural beauty of Hawaii is the first thing that just RQ: strikes you, you know, everywhere you turn, there's so much RQ: greenery, or—I'm fortunate that the apartment that I'm living at, RQ: oftentimes I'll look outside and see these huge rainbows outside.

00:33:11.960 - 00:33:25.830

RQ: It's just surreal. RQ: Yeah. And people ask me, they say, "Is this—is that real, or a special effect that RQ: you–you put in your Facebook posts?" And it's real! RQ: And I just feel very fortunate to–to be able to enjoy this

00:33:25.830 - 00:33:45.010

RQ: natural beauty so much, that, you know, the ocean's like a 10 minute walk from my RQ: house. And you know, the past week has been all RQ: 80-degree temperatures and sunshine, you know, so RQ: that's the one thing I really enjoy the most is just, you know, something that

00:33:45.530 - 00:33:57.750

RQ: you see around you all the time, doesn't cost anything, it's just free. RQ: I mean, it's just part of the landscape here. RQ: The people too, I think are very special, you know, we'll talk about the Aloha RQ: Spirit and things like that.

00:33:57.750 - 00:34:11.090

RQ: And I really do feel that there's a certain love for the land, respect RQ: for the land here that they have. RQ: Let’s see, a certain pride, you know, anything related RQ: to Hawaii.

00:34:11.230 - 00:34:27.370

RQ: Like, for instance, the Super Bowl, we found out that RQ: a Japanese doctor here is part owner of the Cincinnati Bengals. RQ: And he was the first Japanese American, first Asian American to own part of an RQ: NFL franchise.

00:34:27.970 - 00:34:42.090

RQ: And so I did that story. RQ: And everybody took, you know, so much pride to say, "Oh, yeah–yeah, somebody from RQ: Hawaii owns part of a team that's playing in the Super Bowl." Right? RQ: So anything that we can take pride in that is from Hawaii.

00:34:42.150 - 00:34:56.940

RQ: Like Bruno Mars, he's from Hawaii, right? RQ: [KS: Oh, is he?] Yeah, so people, you know, take—so there's a real sense RQ: of pride of anything that comes from Hawaii that makes it big. RQ: We like that. So, anyway, so the people are very special here too.

00:34:57.860 - 00:35:13.440

RQ: Compared to Houston, you know, we're–we’re an island, you know, we're limited RQ: in how far we can go. RQ: You can probably go around the whole island in about hour and a half, you know. RQ: Houston, you can just, you know, keep driving forever [KS: Yup!] and

00:35:14.570 - 00:35:28.420

RQ: wide-open spaces, right? RQ: So we're limited in our land. RQ: Houston, let's see, the topography is pretty much all flat. RQ: You know, here we have a lot of mountains and hiking trails, and of course the ocean's

00:35:28.420 - 00:35:43.810

RQ: all around us. So it's a lot different from that too. RQ: I remember when we were small, we used to, like go to Galveston [KS: Yeah.] for our RQ: getaways, right? And the water there, you know, compared to the water RQ: here, it's like, so different.

00:35:45.180 - 00:36:03.080

RQ: Yeah, the water, I just took my sister to a place called Hanauma Bay, which is a RQ: reserve. And the water’s like, you know, just crystal clear there. RQ: And you see these saltwater fish, like a foot and a half long, RQ: just swimming next to you, and it’s just very surreal, almost.

00:36:03.080 - 00:36:15.550

RQ: It's so beautiful to see that, and you wouldn't see that, of course, in Galveston, RQ: right? So [KS: No, not at all.] big difference. RQ: [Laughs] KS: Yes, yeah, I–I went to Hawaii once in 2010, and–and

00:36:17.980 - 00:36:32.120

KS: it was just the most incredible experience, seeing–seeing the beaches, and you KS: know, you see it in pictures, but it never really compares to the feeling you get when KS: you're standing there. KS: And–and the water, you're right, is just so incredibly clear.

00:36:32.120 - 00:36:44.680

KS: And, and like you just stick your foot in. KS: And then there are all these fish there suddenly. KS: [RQ: Right.] Yeah, and Galveston is just brown...[laughs] so—for KS: lack of a better description.

00:36:46.610 - 00:37:02.930

KS: So moving on, you're a member of the Asian American Journalists Association. KS: [RQ: Yeah.] Was there any discrimination in the field of journalism that KS: necessitated the formation of an exclusively Asian KS: American organization, do you think?

00:37:04.510 - 00:37:24.250

RQ: Well, again, I kind of touched on earlier about the RQ: glass ceiling thing [KS: Mhm, yeah.] where I felt like I was RQ: deserve—deserving of–of a promotion, or at least a chance to be the Sports Director RQ: at KPIX after being there for so many years, and was always passed over.

00:37:25.590 - 00:37:41.860

RQ: You know, AAJA, they–they wrote a letter to the station, RQ: you know, to the News Director complaining about, you know, why was Rick passed over? RQ: It, you know, didn't do any good. RQ: But, you know, that's what the organization is there for, to try to help promote

00:37:42.170 - 00:37:56.320

RQ: Asian American talent. RQ: And when things are wrong, try to right those things. RQ: I think there's still a place for it, though, as far as a mentorship program, RQ: just being a—some type of voice for Asian American journalists, I think that's needed

00:37:56.320 - 00:38:11.750

RQ: still. And I think it's played a nice RQ: role in...Well, we would have a RQ: convention every year, right? RQ: The National Convention. It gave us a chance to kind of like, share our stories with each

00:38:11.750 - 00:38:28.930

RQ: other and kind of, you know, reaffirm that, hey, we're not the only ones going through RQ: this type of stuff, you know. RQ: And maybe, you know, share job leads, whatever, if somebody wanted to move to RQ: another market. So, it was something—I–I would go to the convention

00:38:28.930 - 00:38:44.620

RQ: every year. Well, the last two years they haven't had it in RQ: person because of the pandemic. RQ: But before then, I think I probably went to like, you know, 15 straight RQ: conventions. And mostly it wasn't for a job, but just to see my friends.

00:38:45.060 - 00:38:56.300

RQ: And just to catch up on what's going on, how they're handling their jobs, you know, what's RQ: new with their lives, that type of thing. RQ: So it became a social function as well. RQ: [KS: Cool!] So, yeah.

00:38:56.300 - 00:39:09.350

KS: Awesome. How would you compare journalism and newscasting? KS: Are they very different? RQ: Well, you'd like to think newscasting is journalism. RQ: [KS: Right, right, yes.] Some people might say...Newscasting,

00:39:12.830 - 00:39:31.180

RQ: you know, while you are giving information, you try to present it in an RQ: entertaining fashion, without, I don't know, being RQ: too showbiz, I guess. RQ: But you don't want to just read monotone, you don't just want to give people

00:39:31.180 - 00:39:50.010

RQ: numbers and stats. RQ: You know, you try to humanize it to some extent so people relate to it. RQ: You know, just reading stories, you want to be able to RQ: know what words to emphasize, how to read it with some

00:39:51.230 - 00:40:05.590

RQ: authority, but at the same time, you know, stress RQ: what's—what—what's important, the message you're trying to get through. RQ: And that's–that’s why I try to read through all the scripts before I go on the air, so I RQ: have some working knowledge of what I’m talking about.

00:40:07.350 - 00:40:23.990

RQ: Sometimes I can’t do that, and you just have to kind of fake it. RQ: But, you know, you try to—again, your–your viewers RQ: looking at you as a person who's supposed to know what he's talking about. RQ: So if I don't know [KS: Then you don't know.] the audience will kind of tell

00:40:24.600 - 00:40:37.790

RQ: if you don't know. RQ: So that's why I take it, you know, it is important to try to, you know, like I read RQ: the newspaper every morning, and I try to watch as many news shows as I can, you know, RQ: I try to be as well informed as I can.

00:40:37.790 - 00:40:55.500

RQ: So when the subjects come up, then I can speak with a certain tone, RQ: where people will trust me that I know what I'm talking about. RQ: So anyway, back to your original question of show—well, newscasting and RQ: journalism, you know, it's a mixture of both.

00:40:55.930 - 00:41:12.060

RQ: You are trying to present the news in a certain RQ: way, but also have good journalistic integrity, too, right? RQ: So, you don't play with the facts or give too much of your opinion. RQ: [KS: Right.] You know, that's become the rage, you know, over the last few years.

00:41:13.430 - 00:41:28.010

RQ: You know, so many people accuse the media being so left-wing in RQ: their viewpoints, and I try to take a neutral stance, RQ: just give the people the facts, the information they need to make their own RQ: decisions.

00:41:29.330 - 00:41:44.690

KS: Yeah, yeah. And I agree, it's so important. KS: And with the pandemic, I feel like everyone's just on their KS: phone, on their TV all the time, [RQ: Yeah.] especially when they're not working. KS: And it's so easy to get pulled into websites or

00:41:45.420 - 00:42:00.740

KS: pools of information that—not, maybe, are completely factual. KS: [RQ: Yeah. Right.] So—and so I think it's really great that, KS: that you said that journalism and newscasting are, you know, you got to have KS: integrity for both of them.

00:42:00.740 - 00:42:16.640

KS: And–and you got to make people trust you, because...well, KS: that's what we look for, right? KS: [RQ: That's right.] But moving onto your work in documentaries, like you KS: mentioned, it's super interesting to read about your work there.

00:42:17.390 - 00:42:29.250

KS: And you mentioned you were doing some documentaries on Asian KS: Americans, right? KS: [RQ: Right.] So how did you choose the people that you KS: were putting in there?

00:42:29.420 - 00:42:47.750

KS: And how did the audiences respond to the documentaries? KS: Were there any key messages that you were trying to get across about these people? RQ: Well, the first, I guess the first major documentary I did was about a woman named RQ: Dorothy Toy, who was a dancer back in the 1930's.

00:42:49.790 - 00:43:06.690

RQ: And the reason—well, I got to know RQ: Dorothy because she was very active in the community in the Bay Area. RQ: And when you're a newscaster, sportscaster in the Bay Area, you RQ: typically are asked to emcee a lot of different events and things like that.

00:43:06.740 - 00:43:25.050

RQ: So anyway, I got to know Dorothy through that originally, and she also lived in RQ: Oakland, where I lived in the Bay Area. RQ: So I did a short story about Dorothy, gosh, way RQ: back, maybe 2010 or

00:43:25.050 - 00:43:36.410

RQ: something like that. RQ: She was already in her 90s. RQ: And so—but she still had a pretty sharp memory. RQ: But I was thinking, you know, Dorothy is getting older, I need to do a more

00:43:37.060 - 00:43:55.230

RQ: in-depth story about her because I–I don't know if you ever got to RQ: see that documentary I did, but she was a real groundbreaker in the field of RQ: entertainment, and she traveled all over the world. RQ: She had a dance partner named Tony Wing—Paul Wing, excuse me, Paul

00:43:55.230 - 00:44:15.660

RQ: Wing. So they went by Toy and Wing, that was the name of their dancing duo. RQ: And they performed in New York, Broadway, in London, everywhere. RQ: So anyway, I–I was thinking to myself, "Dorothy is getting older now; RQ: we need to do a more in depth where I talk to people who might have known

00:44:15.710 - 00:44:28.480

RQ: her, talk to her daughter, things like that." And so RQ: I did a little GoFundMe to just do that. RQ: And I produced it. RQ: It was like a 28-minute documentary.

00:44:29.550 - 00:44:45.330

RQ: And we premiered it at this place, RQ: Great Star Theater in Chinatown, which is a very famous theater. RQ: And people just loved it. RQ: And Dorothy was there in person too, so we got to recognize her.

00:44:45.990 - 00:45:00.760

RQ: And so, I started entering it in different film festivals, and it RQ: really got a strong response. RQ: In Boston, it was named, I guess—what do they call it, like the People's Choice Award RQ: or something like that, [KS: Mhm.] that the audience gets to choose their favorite

00:45:00.760 - 00:45:12.230

RQ: documentary. And that won the award there. RQ: So it probably played in maybe like, maybe it’s 10 different RQ: film festivals across the country. RQ: They were all Asian American film festivals.

00:45:12.600 - 00:45:30.100

RQ: But I think it really kind of struck a nerve with a lot of RQ: people, because they didn't know about this one. RQ: And to see, you know, at this age, she was still very active and RQ: stuff like that. So anyway, so that encouraged me, that made me think, "Oh, you

00:45:30.100 - 00:45:48.320

RQ: know what, maybe–maybe it's just part of my calling just to do these documentaries, using RQ: my broadcast skills, my reporting skills, to make these stories RQ: more of a long form." Because typically, in TV, you know, your stories are pretty short. RQ: Three, four—no, not even three or four; more like two and a half minutes at tops.

00:45:48.320 - 00:46:05.220

RQ: That's a long story. So from there, you know, I kind of built a RQ: reputation for doing these stories. RQ: And so, what was it, the Chinese Historical Society approached me about doing a RQ: documentary about Ed Lee, who was the first Chinese American mayor of San Francisco.

00:46:06.200 - 00:46:22.790

RQ: And that was my biggest project, they–they raised about RQ: $100,000 to do this project. RQ: And so I spent about almost a year working on the RQ: documentary, interviewing Mayor Lee's siblings who lived in Seattle,

00:46:24.540 - 00:46:36.300

RQ: a lot of political figures in San Francisco. RQ: And so we had this huge premiere at this—I can’t RQ: think of the name of the building. RQ: It's right across from City Hall in San Francisco.

00:46:37.250 - 00:46:54.690

RQ: But we had like, you know, 700, 800 people there. RQ: And Ed's family flew down from Seattle for the premiere. RQ: Anyway, so it was a–it was a huge deal. RQ: And so, yeah, so I guess each step of the way, I just got more

00:46:54.690 - 00:47:09.400

RQ: encouraged, that I enjoy doing these things, I enjoy telling these stories. RQ: And by the response from people, it just encouraged me to do even more. RQ: Yeah. KS: Yeah. And people really, really seem hungry for it, especially as there’s this sort of

00:47:09.440 - 00:47:24.070

KS: resurgence, I think, in like interest in culture and [RQ: Yeah.] grounding KS: yourself in your heritage. KS: So, continuing on that topic, can you tell me a little bit more about your KS: current projects on Y.C.

00:47:24.250 - 00:47:38.030

KS: Hong, who is the first Chinese American immigration attorney in California? KS: Is that project still ongoing? KS: And if so, what prompted you to make a documentary on them? RQ: Yeah, it's actually over with now.

00:47:38.030 - 00:47:48.080

RQ: I–I did— [KS: Oh, it is? RQ: Okay.] Actually, I completed it about a year ago. RQ: [KS: Oh, okay! Cool.] Oh, yeah. RQ: So, Y.C...Let me think, how did I first wind up with Y.C.

00:47:48.830 - 00:48:05.470

RQ: A friend of mine, RQ: who was working on another project, told me about Y.C. RQ: Hong, and my older brother's an immigration lawyer. RQ: And so she thought—in fact, this woman, I don't know if you know her.

00:48:05.580 - 00:48:16.860

RQ: Her name is Karen Fang. RQ: She's a professor at the University of Houston with film, RQ: so she knows my brother Gordon. RQ: And so, when she ran across this character Y.C.

00:48:17.320 - 00:48:34.940

RQ: Hong, she said, "Rick, your brother's an immigration lawyer, you do documentaries, RQ: you'd be perfect for this type of story." And so Y.C., RQ: his office was in downtown—excuse me, Los Angeles RQ: Chinatown. And I happened to be going down to LA for some other

00:48:35.920 - 00:48:50.810

RQ: business, I don't know what it was. RQ: And so I had a chance to go down there. RQ: And I wanted to see what his office looked like, because I had heard they RQ: preserved to look just like it did back in the 1950's, or whatever.

00:48:51.600 - 00:49:06.500

RQ: And so I was able to contact the property owner, and they let me come up and take a RQ: look. And it was just—it was like walking back in time. RQ: It was incredible to see how they kept everything, you know, the typewriter there, RQ: the old telephones, I mean, everything was well preserved.

00:49:07.280 - 00:49:25.720

RQ: And as a documentarian, you're always thinking visually: RQ: "Do I have enough visuals to tell the story properly?" And for me, that kind of sold the RQ: deal. It's like, "Wow, this is—I can make something from this." RQ: And so I became friends with Y.C.'s surviving

00:49:27.770 - 00:49:42.820

RQ: son. Y.C. had two sons, one's already passed, but the other son is still alive. RQ: He's, gosh, probably in his late 80's by now, but he was still very RQ: articulate. He–he turned out to be a lawyer himself. RQ: And we became good friends.

00:49:43.640 - 00:49:57.190

RQ: And so he, you know, shared with me a lot of old photos and RQ: anecdotes about his dad. RQ: There's also a museum. RQ: I can't think of the museum, but a lot—after Y.C.

00:49:57.500 - 00:50:16.010

RQ: passed away, he donated a lot of his papers to this museum. RQ: And so I spoke to the archivist there who could kind of also guide me through with the RQ: significance of Y.C., what he did–what he did, when he was alive. RQ: So anyway, Y.C. was also a member of this group of called the Chinese American

00:50:16.010 - 00:50:31.440

RQ: Citizens Alliance, the CACA, are you familiar with them? RQ: [KS: I believe, so. I think so.] They're probably the oldest Chinese American RQ: civil rights organization in the country. RQ: And so, I–I went to their national convention and told them

00:50:31.440 - 00:50:48.150

RQ: about this project, I said, "Would you be willing to help back me financially? RQ: Because he was a prominent member of your organization, this would be good for you, RQ: and, you know, it'd give me the funding to finish the project." And so they liked the RQ: idea. I put together enough—put together like a short trailer, like a two,

00:50:48.230 - 00:51:00.930

RQ: three-minute trailer. And so I played it at their convention. RQ: And they really liked it. RQ: So, you know, I was able to, I guess, probably raised about 20 RQ: grand, something like that, to help make the project.

00:51:02.050 - 00:51:18.320

RQ: I needed more money for this one because I lived in the Bay Area, and I had to fly back RQ: and forth to LA, plus hire a cameraman, stay in a hotel. RQ: So there were more expenses involved than usual. RQ: So anyway, they–they enjoyed the final project—the product—final

00:51:18.380 - 00:51:33.860

RQ: product, and so they show—have shown it, I think, at RQ: every CACA chapter across the country, which is a lot. RQ: I think it's like 30, or...and so that's—anyway, RQ: that's how it came to be.

00:51:34.240 - 00:51:45.280

RQ: [KS: Okay.] Yeah, it was just a mutual friend of mine turned me on to it. RQ: And I found the right group that would back me financially on it. RQ: So, yeah. KS: It's amazing what connections can do, right?

00:51:45.630 - 00:51:58.710

KS: [RQ: Yeah!] So, can you tell me about any other KS: current projects in the works? KS: Is anything being cooked up? RQ: Well, the last project I actually did was about a—it was totally different from my

00:51:58.760 - 00:52:14.300

RQ: Asian American subjects. RQ: It was about a man named Jack Cione, who is a—he was kind of an RQ: infamous nightclub owner here in Honolulu, back in the 1970's. RQ: And he was known for not just his fe—nude female entertainment,

00:52:14.800 - 00:52:33.630

RQ: but he broke ground with nude male entertainers. RQ: And that was just like before the Chippendales and all that kind of stuff. RQ: Pretty outrageous. But again, you talk about connections, we had a RQ: mutual friend, and Jack, he's now 94 years old,

00:52:34.410 - 00:52:46.050

RQ: and he's at a retirement home. RQ: But a friend of mine was performing at that retirement home. RQ: And she introduced me to Jack. RQ: And she said, "Rick, if you ever want to do a fun documentary, you should really get to

00:52:46.050 - 00:53:04.630

RQ: know him better." And so during the pandemic, I called him up and RQ: said, "Hey, Jack, let's go out and have lunch and just talk," and the more and more I RQ: got to know him, you know, he would show me his scrapbooks and photos, and I RQ: came to—I thought maybe, you know, this would make a really funny story, or

00:53:04.630 - 00:53:21.130

RQ: interesting story. It's a little risqué, but I think RQ: he—people would be interested in hearing what he had to say. RQ: So anyway, so I made that documentary, and then entered it in the RQ: Hawaii International Film Festival here, and they accepted it.

00:53:21.520 - 00:53:35.250

RQ: And so they showed it in November at a movie theater, [KS: Congrats!] and it's gotten a RQ: really good, good response. RQ: People–people—it's called Honolulu's Naughtiest Nightclub Owner! RQ: [KS laughs] And, yeah, it's gotten a lot of interest.

00:53:36.620 - 00:53:53.330

RQ: I think as the pandemic eases, we'll show it more here locally. RQ: But it's funny, I just got contacted by a small film festival in Italy. RQ: In fact, they had seen it on a website, on the Hawaii International Film Festival RQ: website. And they wanted to show it.

00:53:53.820 - 00:54:03.630

RQ: So I entered it over there, too. RQ: And so, yeah! KS: Wow, cool, awesome. KS: [RQ laughs] Moving across the world making money.

00:54:03.820 - 00:54:22.670

KS: So our last couple of questions here are more about KS: identity and giving advice to future generations. KS: So one question I have is, in your survey, you KS: mentioned that you identify as Chinese American, if someone asked you.

00:54:24.020 - 00:54:42.650

KS: Would you also describe yourself as like, generally Asian American, and what KS: does it mean to you to identify with either of those labels? RQ: Well, yeah, Chinese American, Asian American. RQ: You know, although I'm not your super traditional person, I grew up

00:54:43.150 - 00:55:04.780

RQ: with enough Chinese traditions that I still respect, you know, our culture. RQ: I think I realize because, you know, RQ: I work in a non—in a profession that a lot of Asians, RQ: you know, do not work in, I feel like I have a certain responsibility

00:55:05.410 - 00:55:22.760

RQ: to do well, because if I don't do well, RQ: it might hurt other people's chances of doing well in this profession. RQ: So in a way, I guess I consider myself a pioneer of sorts. RQ: [KS: Yes.] Yeah.

00:55:22.760 - 00:55:41.510

RQ: Yeah, I take pride in being Asian American, you know, even though I don't really speak RQ: the language fluently, I–I think just growing up RQ: in a–in a household that my parents, who speak Chinese and RQ: things like that, and being around enough relatives that do speak Chinese, and my mom

00:55:41.510 - 00:56:01.680

RQ: still celebrates Chinese New Year by eating certain dishes and things, RQ: you know. It—I've always, I don't know, I've never felt ashamed of RQ: being Chinese, you know, even though among mostly whites growing up RQ: or whatever, like that. And so, yeah, I think the

00:56:01.760 - 00:56:20.840

RQ: main thing is, again, is that going back to my profession, people RQ: will look upon me sometimes as a role model or pioneer that, "Oh, you know, RQ: Rick's Asian American, Chinese American, but you know, he's succeeded in a RQ: career that a lot of Asian American men have not pursued."

00:56:21.430 - 00:56:39.300

RQ: So I think that's a big, big deal. KS: That's–that's so meaningful that you haven't had terrible experiences. KS: I don't mean this in a weird way, but just experiences where you felt KS: ashamed of being Chinese American.

00:56:40.180 - 00:57:02.150

KS: And you mentioned that, I think you said in Jonesboro, there were like, maybe a KS: few instances where, like, you felt like, "Oh, maybe that's a little racist." KS: But–but how would you, I guess, KS: suggest people to–to stand their

00:57:02.150 - 00:57:23.260

KS: ground, to remain really proud of their culture, KS: to take pride in that kind of stuff, even when there's a lot of KS: AAPI hate and violence going around now? RQ: Oh, well, I don't know, again, off the top of my head, just, I

00:57:23.320 - 00:57:44.160

RQ: think supporting RQ: organizations that–that stand for, you know, Asian American values, RQ: you know, me being involved in things like AAJA and stuff like that, you know, RQ: me going to different events here showing, you know, just my visible

00:57:44.160 - 00:58:03.730

RQ: presence, supporting different groups, organizations. RQ: That’s why I always felt it was important to be involved in the community when I was in RQ: San Francisco, is that, you know, you’ll–you’ll see some Asian RQ: newscasters, I think, that will kind of shy away from being involved in all these Asian

00:58:03.730 - 00:58:19.090

RQ: American events. But I just felt was my responsibility. RQ: You know, they're looking at me, I'm representing, you know, they're our audience, RQ: right? I need to be out there. RQ: So, you know, I–I emceed hundreds of different

00:58:19.730 - 00:58:39.850

RQ: events. And so I think being involved in the Asian American community RQ: will show that you want to be a part of it, that you have pride in being a part of it. RQ: So yeah, being involved, making yourself visible. RQ: Just letting people know you support these type of groups and efforts.

00:58:40.680 - 00:58:48.140

RQ: That's one way to show your pride. KS: Yeah, I completely agree. KS: I'm sorry for the noise. KS: This lawnmower is going off.

00:58:48.140 - 00:59:04.150

KS: [RQ: I can't even hear it, I can't even hear it.] Okay, so my last question today KS: is for any young entrepreneurs out there that are KS: seeking a career in journalism, newscasting, sports–sports KS: casting, what advice would you give

00:59:06.580 - 00:59:22.970

KS: them? RQ: Well, realize that it's not going to be easy at the beginning, especially at the RQ: beginning. You're going to have to sacrifice a lot of things. RQ: You have to decide whether you're willing to, you know, pay those dues

00:59:22.970 - 00:59:36.790

RQ: for a while. You know, TV, it's changed in—just RQ: over my career, it's changed a lot. RQ: At one time, I think it was considered kind of glamorous and sought after. RQ: And now the media, people hate the media.

00:59:37.810 - 00:59:54.600

RQ: A lot of people do. Our ranking is a lot lower than it used to be. RQ: So there used to be, back in the day, more people wanted to go into the field. RQ: Now, you know, it's not–not as many. RQ: Plus, people don't get their news as much from regular TV like they

00:59:54.600 - 01:00:09.030

RQ: used to, they get it of course on the internet and their iPhones and RQ: laptops or whatever. So just be prepared, that's not going to be an RQ: easy situation. RQ: A lot of reporters these days, young reporters have to shoot their own stories,

01:00:09.030 - 01:00:21.870

RQ: have to edit their own stories. RQ: When I started, I got to go out with a cameraman. RQ: I had a cameraman kind of looking after my back and just, you know, helping me. RQ: Most young reporters have to do everything themselves.

01:00:24.070 - 01:00:43.010

RQ: Which, you know, it can hurt the quality of the story. RQ: You know, when you're doing so many jobs at one time, it’s–it's just—it’s hard. RQ: So just be prepared, it's not all glamour [KS laughs]. RQ: You're gonna have to pay some dues and work your way up, and make some sacrifices, work

01:00:43.010 - 01:01:03.120

RQ: the weird hours, you know, be chasing down stories in the middle of the night. RQ: Yeah, just be prepared for that. RQ: But if you succeed, you know, I think the rewards are still there, RQ: you get a lot of satisfaction, again, of making a difference, of, you

01:01:03.120 - 01:01:19.450

RQ: know, perhaps righting a wrong, making differences RQ: in people's lives by telling their stories and things like that. RQ: I mean, even though our audience isn't as big as it used to be, it is still pretty big RQ: out there. I mean, people still watch.

01:01:19.940 - 01:01:39.500

RQ: And you–you can make a RQ: larger difference, because RQ: TV reaches so many people, even though, again, it doesn't reach as many as it used RQ: to. So, you know, hang in there, try to–try to

01:01:40.220 - 01:01:55.550

RQ: make friends with other journalists so you don't feel like you're alone. RQ: Just, you know, be willing to find a mentor if you can. RQ: I know when I first started, I didn't know really how to write for TV. RQ: I was—my scripts were way too long.

01:01:56.170 - 01:02:14.440

RQ: And so I showed it to a gentleman who had been in the newsroom for a lot longer RQ: than I had. And–and he was able to, you know, scratch out stuff like, “Okay, you RQ: don’t need that, you don't need that, you can say this in a lot shorter way." RQ: So don't—you know, try to find a mentor to help you.

01:02:14.770 - 01:02:28.510

RQ: Don't take too much pride in yourself, saying, "I don't need any help." You know, we RQ: all need help, we got to get better. RQ: So that helped me when I first started. RQ: So anyway, I'm kind of rambling there, [KS: It's great!

01:02:28.510 - 01:02:38.430

RQ: No, no, no, not at all. RQ: I appreciate it.] I was just trying to think off the top of my head of what I can say, but RQ: those are some of the things. RQ: [KS: Great.] Not going to be easy, get a mentor, yeah.

01:02:38.880 - 01:02:52.700

KS: Yes, and it's all worth it! KS: Is there anything else that I didn't cover that you would like to talk about or tell our KS: future viewers? RQ: No, again, I've just been very fortunate in my career.

01:02:52.990 - 01:03:09.250

RQ: TV, it can be a real crapshoot sometimes. RQ: You might wind up, you know, stuck in Bismarck, North Dakota forever or whatever. RQ: When I–when I was working in Arkansas, you know, I wasn't RQ: sure if this is still going to be the right career for me.

01:03:09.850 - 01:03:26.800

RQ: A friend of mine had invited me to her graduation at the University of Hawaii. RQ: So I took a break and came out for that. RQ: And by coincidence, the week I was here for her graduation, RQ: KITV was holding auditions for weekend sportscasting jobs, and I had no

01:03:26.800 - 01:03:40.350

RQ: idea that that would be going on, because I had been told there were RQ: no job openings here. RQ: So I went to the audition while I was on vacation here and wound up getting the RQ: job on my last day of vacation here.

01:03:41.000 - 01:03:58.090

RQ: And then as I mentioned earlier, when I moved to the Bay Area, it was only because RQ: their sportscaster had seen me on TV here, you know, again, kind of Kismet type of RQ: thing where it just happened. RQ: And then again, my last trip in getting the job in KITV where I

01:03:58.090 - 01:04:14.420

RQ: am now, it was only because I came out for that film festival and had lunch with this RQ: News Director. And she told me about the job. RQ: So, you know, all along the way, doors have opened. RQ: I don't know if it was God looking after me or just, I was supposed to be here, right

01:04:14.420 - 01:04:31.060

RQ: time, right place. Sometimes that can be more important than being RQ: talented. Just, you know, you just don't know what's going to happen. RQ: So you have to be open to those opportunities, I guess, RQ: and know that some things are beyond your control.

01:04:31.540 - 01:04:47.390

RQ: But, you know, I feel happy that I'm in the right place where I'm supposed to be RQ: right now. It gives me a lot of peace of mind. KS: Yeah. And then you're also in one of the most beautiful places in the world. RQ: Right, exactly! [KS: So that helps, I'm sure.] Yeah, it does help!

01:04:47.630 - 01:05:02.280

RQ: But I had no—a couple years—I had no clue that I’d ever be back here RQ: again. But, it—things worked out for a reason, I think. KS: Yeah, think so. Well, thank you so much, Mr. KS: Quan for your time. [RQ: Okay!] I know you're a very busy man, so I'll let you get

01:05:02.280 - 01:05:20.120

KS: on with your day, but HAAA thanks you for your time KS: and for your opinions and for your stories and KS: really for your, you know, your being a pioneer as you–as you so beautifully KS: said. Representation really does matter.

01:05:21.290 - 01:05:34.530

KS: And I'm sure that people, you know, who watch this in two KS: months or in two years or two decades [RQ laughs] that will be inspired by you, so–so KS: thank you for all you've done. RQ: Okay, my pleasure. Thank you so much, Kelsey.