Factual producer Barcroft Studios and Calico have partnered to coproduce the unscripted series As I Am for Snap.
Directed by Alice Gu, director of The Donut King, the six x six-minute series follows six individuals who shed light on and celebrate the diverse experience of being Asian American in 2021.
Each episode follows a central character as they share their culture and history, challenge stereotypes and address discrimination and hate crimes — from a campaigner fighting to protect senior citizens from violence to a stand-up tackling stereotypes of Asians in comedy.
Executive producers are John Farrar for Barcroft Studios and Danny Lee for Calico. Ellie Winstanley and Alex Mucadum are producers for London-based Barcroft Studios, part of Future plc.
As I Am is Barcroft Studios’ fourth Snap Original, following Mind Yourself, Frontline Heroes and Free Tuition.
“As a first-generation Asian American who grew up in the face of racism, this recent wave of hate crimes stoked by fear has turned the clock back dramatically,” Calico’s Lee said in a statement.
“Thanks to our partners at Snap and Barcroft for taking the initiative in addressing the problem organically by providing a platform to show Asian Americans as multidimensional, and ultimately proving we are not your enemy.”
Los Angeles-based Calico is a BIPOC-owned production company and branded agency behind such titles as Hulu’s Defining Moments; 30 for 30′s Friedman’s Shoes; PBS’s Breaking Big; Netflix/Red Bull TV’s After the Raids; and Complex’s Sole Origins.
Photo: Jenna Dupuy in As I Am