In this episode of Firelight Chats, Anna Yang tuned into the Spacelab to chat with Kane & Mocha about art, authenticity, and creating a supportive ecosystem for creatives to experiment. Anna shares stories from her vast library of books, which include memories from a broken childhood, winning global competitions, achieving success, encountering failures, getting stuck in Taiwan during Covid, bouts with depression, discovering psychedelics, and her enduring belief that advertising & creativity have the power to move cultures.
Anna also shares stories about memorable projects, important people, the entrepreneurial journey, chance encounters, secrets of advertising, drinking moonshine & sipping on Tequila, bronze apples & white lies, autism, toxic thoughts, killing the ego, and the vulnerability & power of love. Anna also reveals some of her hopes and plans for the future, including a forthcoming retreat to Iceland, which promises to be yet another long trip.
Anna Yang is a Chinese American art director, creative maestro, and founder. She is a winner of the prestigious Cannes Young Lions competition, has worked at JWT & W+K, and is a creative partner at The Right Kind, LuckySparks, and Room Temperature. Anna is a graduate of UBC and will soon undertake graduate studies at NYU.

In this episode of Firelight Chats, Keril Victor crooned his way to the Spacelab to chat with Kane & Mocha about his home island of St. Lucia, his adopted home of Taiwan, and everything R&B. Keril shares stories about childhood dreams, the island life, honeymoon spots, similarities and differences with Taiwan, the challenges of learning Chinese, studying at a top university, teaching English, performing again, the Jungle Voice experience, and the making of his latest album.
Keril also shares stories about facing racism, the hard life in the music industry, the inspirations in his life, singing a song for his mother on TV, the benefits & perils of sudden fame & recognition, the departure of money, the arrival of success, the story & concept behind his album & each of the tracks, and his plans for the future. And when the mood beckons, Keril also sings several acapella teasers.
Keril Victor is originally from St. Lucia but has been living and working in Taiwan for the past decade. He arrived in Taiwan on a MOFA scholarship, is a graduate of NCCU, and was a finalist of a nationally televised singing competition. In October of 2023, Keril 韋喆 released his debut solo R&B album, entitled The Departure.

In this episode of Firelight Chats, Charlie Chen sparked his way to the Spacelab to chat Netflix dramas, film, animation, documentaries, and more with Kane & Mocha. Fresh off the recent release of "Let's Talk about Chu", Charlie shares stories about developing the script, inspirational trips to 金山 & Joshua Tree, filming during Covid, the importance of music, putting out fires & staying nimble, intimacy coaches, locking down the right talent, remote directing through iPads, trusting his gut & supporting his director.
Charlie also shares stories about growing up in a mix of cultures, languages, education systems, and religions; culture shocks & expanding his view; early film & theater memories; returning to Taiwan after college; teaching English & working for his family's maternity wear company; deciding to start his production company; and working with his brother, best friends, & a lucky cast of talented teammates.
Charlie Chen was born in Los Angeles, grew up in Taichung, went to boarding school in Boston & college in Seattle, and has spent the past decade+ growing his business out of Taipei. He is the co-founder of LuckySparks, one of two production companies behind the recent hit Netflix global series, "Let's Talk About Chu" (愛愛內含光).

In this episode of Firelight Chats, Derrick Lin riffed his way to the Spacelab to chat with Kane & Mocha by the fireside about life, language, music, bass, touring, and more. Derrick shares some deep & personal stories about cancer, confronting death, inspirational figures in his life, his passion for music, learning from legends, working to elevate the game in Taiwan, vital rituals, memorable concerts, and musical orgasms.
Derrick also talks about getting his start at the legendary Brown Sugar club, transitioning to SMEXY, joining the Taipei Professional Orchestra, the production process behind the TPO's recently released debut album, Twisting Roots, his imminent China tour with Anpu, and his upcoming Australia tour with his band ZyTheWay.
Derrick Lin is the band leader and bassist of the house band at SMEXY, a smart & sexy live music venue in Taipei. Derrick is also a founding member of the TPO jazz big band, ZyTheWay, and plays with some of the biggest jazz and pop talents in Taiwan.

In this episode of Firelight Chats, James Hush engineered his way to the Spacelab to chat with Kane & Mocha about tech, engineering, metal music, enterprise sales, customer service, stand up comedy, hosting events, weddings, and more.
James shares stories about thinking inside the box, moving to LA to chase fame & fortune, entering the startup world, the Louis Vuitton method of sales & marketing, being in a metal band, taking stand up comedy classes, his process of writing jokes, his first time bombing on stage, and swiping right & meeting his wife. He also shares his thoughts and insights about AI, ChatGPT, LLMs; his fear of virtual gf/bf technology; and his goals for parenting and raising his children.
James Hush is originally from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, but is now living in Taiwan on a Gold Card visa. He has worked for Microsoft, GoGuardian, the NFL, Remo.co, and is currently working remotely for Daily.co. He also co-hosts Taiwan Digital Drinks, a meetup for tech-oriented professionals in Taiwan.

In this episode of Firelight Chats, Diogo Pinheiro smooth jazzed his way to the Spacelab to chat with Kane & Mocha about his epic life story from rags to musical riches. Diogo shares stories about growing up in the rough suburbs of São Paulo, playing in the church orchestra, finding the saxophone at the age of 6, experiencing a near-death experience at age 11, his mother's wisdom & faith, getting his first job because of English, and the improbable story of eventually making it to the magical kingdom.
Diogo also shares deep stories about being robbed and kidnapped at gunpoint, losing his car & musical instruments, chance encounters through YouTube, falling in love at first sight with Taiwan, meeting amazing people, crying a lot, and how he got his chance to work with the King of Mandopop himself. Diogo also explains why God is Good, why he cannot not be grateful, and why respect, good vibes, and happiness are so important.
Diogo Pinheiro is a smooth jazz saxophonist originally from São Paulo, Brazil and currently based out of Taipei, Taiwan where he resides on an Artist Visa. When not performing at various events & performances around Taiwan & beyond, Diogo can be found traveling all around the globe as part of Jay Chou's Carnival World Tour.

In this episode of Firelight Chats, Jim Geddes directed his way to the Spacelab to chat with Kane & Mocha by the fireside about jazz big bands, musicals, cruise ship touring, and more. From a small town in Wisconsin, Jim recounts his story of happening upon the saxophone, thinking of music as a way to travel the globe, working at Disney World, living the cruise ship life, visiting 48 out of 50 states on the musical theater circuit, the craziest things he saw while on the road, his favorite musicals, and finally making his way to Taiwan.
Jim also shares stories about working with his idols, learning from legends, forming Taiwan's preeminent jazz big band during the early days of Covid, performing during National Day with the President right behind him and the firework show synced to his music, the arduous process behind the recording of the TPO's first album, his love of indigenous culture, his deep desire to give back to Taiwan, and his thoughts about the current and future prospects for the Taiwan jazz and music scene.
Jim Geddes is a multiple woodwinds player, the founder and director of the TPO - Taipei Professional's Orchestra - is a member of the ZyTheWay band, and can be found touring, performing, and collaborating with top musicians both within Taiwan and internationally. The TPO's debut album, Twisting Roots, was recently released and can be found on various streaming platforms.

In this episode of Firelight Chats, Ivan Yanakov struck his way to the Spacelab to chat with Kane & Mocha about piano, music, freedom, and life. From his childhood in communist Bulgaria, Ivan takes the audience on a whirlwind tour through the French alps, over to the US, back across the pond to London, and all around Asia. He shares stories about pivotal skiing accidents, childhood letters to dictators, enormous protests, seeing the free world for the first time, learning English, great professors, immersing in cultures, 2-year trips to the other side, forgetting clothing, dragon's lair studios, whiskey libraries, evolving as a conductor, leading a chamber orchestra, memorable performances, great venues, and putting together an ensemble of 2 classical and 2 jazz pianists.
Ivan also shares stories and his thoughts about a wide variety of topics, including his connection to Bach, his appreciation of Liszt, the difficulty of Rachmaninoff, the balance of art and craft, the creative process, government censorship and VPNs, the importance of freedom & fast internet connections, golden ages, the classical music scene in Taiwan, and the karaoke uncles that stand in the way of progress.
Ivan Yanakov is an award-winning Bulgarian-born pianist and conductor. He is a graduate of Mannes College of Music in NYC and has performed at some of the most prestigious concert halls around the world, across four continents. Ivan currently resides in Taipei on a Gold Card visa.

In this episode of Firelight Chats, Fan Shen & special guest Truffle, navigated their way to the Spacelab to chat with Kane & Mocha by the fireside about her career in gaming and more. Fan shares valuable stories, learnings, and insights from her rich & rewarding career working at Riot Games, on the Luna cloud gaming platform of Amazon, and leading gaming & partnerships for the $725M Ecosystem Fund at Dapper Labs. This episode also marks the first public tease of the upcoming Mocha Chain & Truffle Coin, which is currently under development.
Fan also shares stories about her earliest gaming memories, hanging out with boys & ditching school, the various culture shocks after leaving Taiwan, her early consulting career experiences, becoming open-minded & flexible, leading various League of Legends business development initiatives, 6-pagers & learning how to operationalize a business, the challenges of cloud gaming platforms, being an integral part of peak eSports, negotiating with Tencent & other gaming players in China. Fan also shares her thoughts about blockchain gaming, parts of Web3 that she's most optimistic about, her all-time favorite games, following your passions, and finding your own wolf pack.
Fan Shen is an investor, advisor, and business executive at some of the most impactful gaming, tech, and Web3/blockchain companies in the world, including Riot Games, Amazon Luna, and Dapper Labs. She is a graduate of NCCU & Columbia University, is currently leading investments for her family office, and splits her time between Washington state & Taipei with her French bulldog, Truffle.

In this final episode of the Firelight Chats 2023 Season, Ronald Chan brewed his way to the Spacelab to chat with Kane & Mocha by the fireside about his life as the oddest one out. Ron shares stories about Canada & his powerful cousin & former guest Angela Feng (Ep045), Club Super Sex & their lovely lunch buffets, studying abroad in Tokyo, classroom hierarchies & other cultural differences, contemplating working as a male host, having to return to Canada, entering management consulting at Deloitte, burning out & feeling empty, almost getting hit by an 18-wheeler, wishing the truck had hit him, and then getting a fateful spammy/scammy email about an unbelievable opportunity in Taiwan that would change the course of his life.
Ron then goes into deep detail about working for Rocket Internet, shifting from Zalora to jumping in as CEO of Foodpanda TW, starting off in a little corner of the Neihu office, building the team, the struggles & successes of scaling the business, getting poached by HappyFresh, what he thinks of various markets - business & otherwise - in southeast Asia, and his latest bubble tea venture. Ron shares stories about the why bubble tea, the building & the interior design, working with mixologists to craft the menu, the importance of sourcing, using quality botanical ingredients, sophisticated techniques & equipment, ice cream & secret menus, and the difficulties as well as opportunities of opening the US branches.
Ronald Chan is a startup founder & operator of some of SEA + Taiwan's largest tech companies, including serving as COO of HappyFresh & CEO/Co-Founder of Foodpanda Taiwan. Ron is a graduate of McGill University, University of British Columbia, and completed a yearlong study exchange program at KEIO University in Tokyo. He is currently working as the CEO & Co-Founder of Odd One Out, a specialty tea & ice cream company with a flagship store in Taipei and several locations throughout southern California.