Kollaboration

Kollaboration is an official non-profit organization, annual talent showcase, and grassroots movement to disrupt the status quo of mainstream media. It is an Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) organization and movement that was founded in 2000 by Executive Director Paul "PK" Kim.
History
Stand-up comedian Paul "PK" Kim founded Kollaboration in 2000 as a platform for aspiring Korean American artists to share their talents and pursue those "impossible" "unrealistic" creative careers. Over time, the LA-based talent competition and showcase spread to several other cities in North America and became a pan-Asian Pacific Islander movement and official 501c3 non-profit organization in 2006.
Kollaboration LA
The first Kollaboration was produced by a small group of Korean American college student and young adult volunteers. These volunteers worked for nearly a year to put together a show that featured rappers, singers, dos and dancers from the Orange and Los Angeles counties.
Each show hosts an open audition for any and all types of APIA talents with the only requirement being: at least one member of each auditioning act must be of some APIA background. They usually attract about 100 auditions, from which staff members collectively select the top 8-10 acts to perform and compete at the Kollaboration event in front of a live audience, including media executives and significant APIA celebrities. A cash grand prize is awarded to the top performer(s), usually chosen by audience applause and celebrity guest judgements.
Over time, Kollaboration has expanded its reach by incorporating smaller shows throughout the year including:
* Kollaboration Star
* Kollaboration Classical
* Kollaboration Acoustic
Notable Artists/judges
Many notable artists have volunteered to judge at Kollaboration shows such as:John Cho, Sung Kang, Grace Park, DJ Shy, Perry Shen, Janet Choi, Shin Koyamada and Helie Lee.Kollaboration has also been known to have special performers like Far* East Movement, DJ Rocky Rock, Jo Koy, Aj Rafael, Run River North, Mike Song, Mike B, Clara C, David Choi, Kina Grannis and more.
Expansion
Beginning in 2003, additional chapters began to form in Chicago, New York, Toronto, Canada, Atlanta and Washington, respectively, with national and international requests for more chapters being received regularly. Today Kollaboration has a total of 13 chapters.
Media
The internet has proven to be a valuable tool for Kollaboration. The website www.kollaboration.org has received for 3.5 million visitors with a daily average of 2000+ visitors and spikes that have reached 40,000 visitors in one day. Kollaboration’s YouTube channel also reaches a large audience with its podcasts and highlight videos from Kollaboration events. Several former performers such as David Elsewhere, Steve Terada, Far* East Movement and Jo Koy
have gone on to be featured in major Hollywood films, television shows and advertising campaigns for prominent worldwide corporations.
Kollaboration Empower
The Kollaboration EMPOWER conference is an event where API youth and young professionals gather to learn directly from some of the community’s most inspirational professionals. At EMPOWER, attendees will be able to explore a creative career paths, industries, and best practices to apply to making their dreams a reality. This unique experience will bridge communities, generations, industries, and innovative minds.

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