As a producer for VICE News Tonight on HBO, I covered the Asia-Pacific region for the international desk. I pitched, developed, and produced both long-form documentaries and daily reports from China, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan. I secured rare interviews with high-profile Chinese dissidents, billionaires, and officials, including a top executive at Huawei.
Year of The Dog: Inside the World’s Largest Human Migration
Chinese New Year isn’t just a holiday. It's the largest annual human migration on Earth. And to Yang Jianguo and Liu Mingchun, it's the only time they get to reunite with their children 1,000 miles away. I followed the couple on a 30-hour train ride from Shenzhen to their home in Sichuan for their yearly family reunion.
How ‘Baby Shark’ Got Made
“Baby Shark” wasn’t an accidental viral hit. Pinkfong, the Korean educational entertainment brand that created “Baby Shark”, has become a toddler music juggernaut over the past few years. VICE News visited the Pinkfong headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, to see how baby hits are made.
China’s Big AI Advantage: Humans
In the booming field of artificial intelligence, cheap labor to process data is a major edge China has over the U.S. In China, rooms full of college students process massive amounts of data that effectively creates the “intelligence” for autonomous vehicles.
Inside The Chinese Telecom Giant That Trump Banned
Huawei tried to save its image over a weeklong press junket. “We wanted to invite U.S. media to come ask any questions on behalf of American customers,” said Catherine Chen, Huawei’s corporate senior vice president and director of the board. VICE News took Huawei up on its offer and found out it was the only news organization that showed up.
Thailand Child Boxing
Despite some criticism, children continue to compete in Muay Thai matches in rural Thailand. VICE News meets with some of these young boxers as they prepare for their next big fight.
Kim Jong Un could officially end North Korea's 68-year war with South Korea
North and South Korea have been technically at war for more than 68 years. I spoke to a historian about how it all started, why it isn't actually over, and the significance of the meeting between Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in.
China’s ‘Social Credit System’ Has Caused More Than Just Public Shaming
China is testing it’s “Social Credit System”. It’s kind of like the American credit score, except it tracks far more than financial transactions. It tracks good — and bad — deeds. We went to a village in one of the first pilot cities to see how the local office funnels the behaviors of 3,000 residents in this neighborhood into social credit scores.
Bart Baker Quit YouTube. Now He’s Making a Living on the Chinese Internet
An ultra-successful YouTuber is hoping he can be big in China, without angering authorities. We met with Bart Baker in Los Angeles and his manager in Shanghai, to see if Baker's path might be a way forward for other struggling YouTubers.
We Went To The Fake Sneaker Capital Of China
VICE News took a trip to the fake sneaker capital of China. Sneaker culture is no longer about sneakerheads – it’s for counterfeiters and business owners.