Kollaboration (talent show)

Kollaboration is an annual talent show event created by a small group of professional young Asian Americans/ Asian Canadians, volunteering their time and skills to bring the vast talents of the Korean American/ Korean Canadian community into the mainstream.

Infobox Organization
name = Kollaboration
founded = 2000
type = Non-Profit
website = www.kollaboration.org
toronto = www.tdotkollaboration.org
Chicaco division = www.chikollaboration.org
Atlanta division = www.kollaboration.org/atlanta
New York division = www.kollaborationy.org

History

Kollaboration is an Asian Pacific Islander American/Canadian (APIA/C) organization and Movement that was founded in 2000 by Executive Director Paul “PK” Kim. Under the umbrella of ProKreation Productions - a cutting edge, pioneering production company promoting entertainment in the Asian American community - Kollaboration became officially incorporated as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in January of 2006. [http://www.kollaboration.org/Kollaboration/About/About-Kollaboration.html]

Mission

Kollaboration seeks to elevate Korean American/ Korean Canadian talent into the limelight of the music and entertainment industries, showcasing their talents and the community's potential to the world. It is in this endeavor that the barriers and biases will be broken down, and Korean Americans/ Korean Canadians will be able to truly show the boundless talent and dynamics of a powerful community.

The organization's current mission and mantra is, “Empowerment through Entertainment”. In addition to encouraging the diverse talents of APIA/C youth, Kollaboration seeks to empower:
* APIA/C youth by providing them with a creative outlet and leadership training that serves as an alternative to gang-activity and delinquency for those at-risk
* APIA/C families by offering a platform for communication that bridges the gap between 1st generation parents and latter generation youth
* the APIA/C community at large, by raising awareness for other critical community issues and NGOs.

Through generous sponsorship, Kollaboration endeavors to bring about a paradigm shift of perceptions and to pave the way for future Korean Americans/ Korean Canadians so that they may accomplish their goals and dreams.

Goals

# To unite Korean Americans/ Korean Canadians, showcase their talents on stage, and inspire the world.
# To bridge the cultural gap between the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation Koreans and educate the youth about our culture.
# To replace negative stereotypes of Korean Americans/ Korean Canadians and Asian Americans/ Asian Canadians with positive images of expression through proactive creativity.
# To define our own identity and not have it defined to us through mass media.
# To elevate the level of talent in the Korean and Asian American/ Canadian community through friendly competition and a professional atmosphere.
# To raise awareness for community changing NGO's such as LiNK, GPYC, Nanoom and respective charities in each city.
# To have immense amounts of good, clean fun.

Operations

Kollaboration currently hosts talent shows across the following five cities within the United States and Canada:
* Chicago
* New York
* Toronto
* Atlanta
* Washington D.C.

Notable participants

* David Elsewhere
* PK from BlackSheepComedy.com
* Roy Choi from Mars Ent.
* Christine Kim from HOTFC.
* Rina Lee from Legacy.
* Ben Chung of Jabbawockeez
* Mike Song of Kaba Modern
* Tatum Jones of America's Got Talent
* Junior and Emily of America's Got Talent
* Quest of So You Think You Can Dance

References