Christie Will and Jeremy Szafron for the J&C Review

Hosts Christie Will and Jeremy Szafron are back for their weekly review on everything fashion, music and art! What’s better? Watching these two chat about all other things that come to mind in between… like Jeremy’s hair, and Christie’s pending birth. The J&C Review is one that is not to be missed! Have a product or something you want Jeremy and Christie to review? Hit them up on Twitter @Christie_Will @JeremySzafron, or email your ideas to info@fmaweekly.com

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA (May 3, 2012)

The Leo Awards is an annual event to celebrate the success of the B.C. film and television industry. This year’s show will be held over two days at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver with the Celebrations Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 25th followed by the Gala Awards Ceremony on Saturaday, May 26th.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA (April 25th, 2012) – The world’s most historic and most watched
annual beauty pageant will be accepting contenders for this year’s Miss World 2012 in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China with the Canadian crowning gala happening on May 13, 2012 at the River Rock Casino & Resort in Richmond, British Columbia. Andy Chu has been chosen to direct and produce this prestigious gala event and would like your support by being a part of this historic event.

The Miss World competition, dating back to 1951 and containing over 120 countries and territories, is one of the oldest major intentional beauty pageant. Under the slogan Beauty with a Purpose, this prestigious event has set out to find young women with the intelligence, empathy, humility, and personality to match their stunning beauty to promote international humanitarianism and philanthropy. The Miss World Canada 2012 crowning gala will select our Canadian Ambassador to represent Canada and promote these values internationally

PLAY IT AGAIN: The Ginger 62 club filled Thursday with folk seeking fun and maybe work on Checkmate Films’ pro-posed feature, Hell Mary. Three decades ago, many scored real-money assignments in what was then the Austin hotel pub. Writers, photographers, poets, illustrators and suchlike pitched ideas to and received assignments from Vancouver magazine editorial staff, who treated the Granville-at-Davie joint as a second office. Now it’s the turn of Checkmate Films and FMA Entertainment principal Andy Chu, who co-produced Thurs-day’s event and, as his corporate initials indicate, has long promoted fashion, music and art in Vancouver. Good for him.

“BE SCENE”

When: March 22nd, 2012
Where: Ginger Sixtytwo, 1219 Granville Street
Time: Door 8:00 PM

Hosted by FMA Entertainment Weekly and CheckMate Films

Don’t miss your opportunity to meet with industry Producers, Directors, Filmmakers, Actors/Actresses, Professional Photographers, Fashion Designers, Local Bands, Musicians, Artists, Dancers, Agents and Casting Assistants. The event will include Red Carpet Media Interviews hosted by FMA Entertainment Weekly and other local Media Members, Local Sponsor Raffles, Dance Acts, Industry Introductions (so you don’t have to) and of course….networking. Afterall it really is about who you know, and we want to help introduce you to the right people.

Part of the proceeds for the event will be going towards the BC Cancer Foundation.

Looking for innovation? You don’t have to go any further than CEO/Executive Producer Andy Chu of Arc2 Intertainment. For almost a decade, this visionary has been putting his distinctive stamp on feature films, television, concerts, fashion shows and charity benefits, and he shows no signs of slowing any time soon.

Chu took his first step toward becoming a producer in his teens. While working at a restaurant he created a script, talked co-workers into being the actors and shot a short film to be shown at the company Christmas party. It was a hands-down success and became an annual tradition. A brief stint as a student at Vancouver Film School convinced him he was a rebel who needed to learn by doing. Several years working as a stunt double provided the desired on-set exposure to learn the industry from the inside out. By his early 20′s, he had already landed his first paid job producing a promotional video for the Pacific National Exhibition.

Arc2 was formed in 2003 as an umbrella company for several divisions and Chu tries to stay involved in all aspects. “I do a lot of the groundwork myself. I can’t do everything, but I make the decisions. You have to keep on top of how things are going so you can catch problems early.” The company develops and produces multimedia projects that are technically innovative and visually inspiring. Arc2′s distinct divisions encompass a wide range of capabilities that range from multimedia development and television shows to full blown motion picture production. Right from the beginning the company offered cutting edge concepts such as live web broadcast of the Stripped Concert Series that could be watched on your home computer.

One favourite division is FMA Vancouver. “FMA is my passion. Fashion, music and art has always been a big part of my life. They are all ways we use to express ourselves.” Chu was at the original Fashion Rocks in 2003 and came home with the seed for his own version taking shape. There were initially many smaller offerings such as the Stripped Concert – combining live music with a fashion show – leading up to the first FMA Red Carpet Gala held at The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts in 2004. Called Fashion Rocks Vancouver, it was an extremely complicated show to produce and execute, featuring ten bands and ten designers. Chu remembers, “When that first gala finished, I was sitting backstage underneath a rack of coats trying to figure out what just happened. Was it done?”

After the FMA Gala in 2008, Chu began work on the concept for an FMA television program. The process to get a new show picked up has changed over the years. No longer could you just pitch an idea to the networks; you needed a tentative schedule as well as a pilot. When casting hosts for this show he had specific things in mind. “I looked for people with great personalities, easy-going, good researchers, educated but with some street sense and experienced.” The show was picked up by KVOS, debuted in the fall of 2009 and is just gearing up to air its fourth season in the spring. Chu couldn’t be happier. “FMA Entertainment Weekly has all the bells and whistles – celebrities and fast-paced interesting content. It is more that just another entertainment show. We focus on in-depth stories and introduce almost-famous talents and West Coast trends and lifestyles.”

Once the show was on track, it was time to revisit the FMA Gala. Chu felt the work to hold such a complicated event all on one night while sound, could be both overwhelming and limiting. For 2010, he decided to move to a five day format called the FMA Fashion Week Pop + Culture Festival. “[This] is a consumer-based concept showcasing the current season’s fashions already in stores and as well as pop-up shops for the designers. People can buy what they see on the runway – they don’t have to wait months! We also introduced local fashion retailers, restaurants and art galleries.” Music and fashion offerings hit the stage at at Studio 560 while VIP shopping, fine dining and art exhibitions could be found at select locations city-wide. Some of Vancouver’s top professionals were honoured with FMA achievement awards in the areas of Fashion, Music, Art and Outstanding Contribution to Canada.

Chu feels the media industry is at a crossroads. Change is on the horizon, driven by an ever increasing audience who views television and movie content online. “Cable networks will not be going away any time soon. However, all the other options such as Satellite, online streaming, IPTV and VOD will take away a big piece of the market share from them.” The fashion industry is at the same crossroads and will need to find unique ways to respond to the immediacy demanded by today’s tech-savvy consumers.

Andy Chu brings a wealth of experience to every venture and has made staying ahead of trends a trademark in his work. Always willing to mentor others, he offers the following advice for those looking to enter this industry, “Nothing comes easy and I don’t believe in overnight success! Go with your passion, believe in yourself and embrace new technology.”

For information on Arc2 and it’s divisions go to http://www.arc2intertainment.com For information on FMA Entertainment Weekly go to http://www.fmaweekly.com/.

By Michael Schratter, 24 HR Newspaper – Vancouver -  Feb 27^th, 2012

Prolific and sometimes-controversial Vancouver artist Pamela Masik threw the hot-ticket party of the weekend.

On Saturday night, Masik Studio’s impressive 14,000 square-foot space was transformed into an evening of film, music and live art performances one last time before the building’s slated demolition.

With the help of FMA Events and Maharaj Media, the studio became ‘The Factory,’ an Andy Warhol-themed soiree that brought out appreciators of avant-garde art and scenesters looking for their 15 minutes of fame.

While guests mingled and flirted in their 60’s-themed garb, female gymnasts suspended from the ceiling twirled their lithe bodies in long black ribbons and shimmy steel hula-hoops, and impossibly cute blonde-wigged go-go girls showed off their stamina and snappy choreography.

Later in the night, a live art display had big bouncers cordon off a wide arc as Masik and another dancer in a latex body suite writhed around in copious amounts of white paint then slid and swirled in violent passion on a black canvas wall.

Masik opens her new studio — Masik: The Factory — later in March. If art and history repeat themselves, it promises to be another place of bold artistic vision.

[ by dani kremeniuk and crystal carson ] Photo by: Ryan West

Media rock star Andy Chu is everywhere— and wherever that may be, chances are he was the first to know about it! Every time we see him, the president and CEO of Arc2 Intertainment has a new, innovative project coming down the pike and this time is no different.

Chu has an uncanny ability to look at trends and popular culture, spot the missing link and then—with concise vision—bridge the gap and raise the bar. In 2012, following the success of FMA Entertainment Weekly and Real Estate 101, he’ll be pointing his lens with its edgy/cool perspective at some more hot topics on the West Coast. Real Estate Pacific TV “provides investment, location and real estate information and advice to Asian buyers and sellers, giving insight into today’s British Columbia real estate market.” The reason this show is so relevant right now is the result of a Chinese government restriction on the purchase of homes, capping the number of properties investors are allowed to acquire at home and so increasing the appeal of foreign investment in an already thriving market.

NASX TV “will help investors in Asia make educated choices.” This half-hour, 13-part lifestyle series focuses on providing investment information and advice to Asian investors to offer a local perspective on today’s North American financial market. Scheduled to air in both Asia and Canada, both shows are highly informative, incorporating relatable, reality-based scenarios.

Chu’s eyes light up when we bring up The Mat. “Blackbelt Magazine meets Entertainment Tonight!” he exclaims. A 13-part series covering all styles of martial arts, the show focuses on their origin and influences and is formatted to inform and entertain. Along with his extensive resume of film and television credits, Andy is the creator and producer of the Stripped Concert Series, Fashion Rocks and the FMA Gala Concert, as well as FMA Fashion Week.

Andy Chu’s dedication to his community is demonstrated through his positions as director of the Medallion Housing Society, co-founder of the Buried Heart Society, director of the Vancouver Asian Film Festival and director of the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society, as well as member of Variety-The Children’s Charity. He shows his appreciation for other artists doing the same through the FMA Awards. “The FMA Awards are designed to not only recognize the artists, designers and musicians who devote so much to their talent, but to also give back to our community,” explains Chu.

Andy Chu has a fashion sense as dynamic as his personality. “Style is not going by other people’s rules,” he tells us, “it is a reflection of your attitude, personality…of knowing who you are.” He then chuckles— and I know a more honest version of his definition is about to follow. “I just do my own thing. I really never pay attention to what other people think!” Vv

STYLE & SUCCESS

January/February 2012 VANCOUVER VIEW P. 29