Shanghai'd...again

Happy 2009 everyone!  It's the year of the ox and I'm especially excited 'cause that's what I am!  Moo, it's gonna be an outstanding year, economic downturn be damned!!!

Anyway, been meaning to finish my lil blog travel entries from Asia 2008 out.  I'm such a procrastinator.  After Spore, I landed in Shanghai, my final stop.  Shanghai?  Again?  Yes, again.

The first time I went to SH on this trip was right after Beijing - the first leg of my trip.  I had timed it pretty awfully and arrived to SH right at the start of the week long national holiday all of China was taking.  Everyone was either out of town or unwilling to meet.  Perfectly understandable.  Perfectly idiotic on my part.  But then, again, the way it all worked out, I'm glad it went down the way it did.

My 2nd stay in SH was filled more as a producer than an actor - and maybe appropriately so.  I've learned on my trip here firsthand that SH is more a town for commercials, modeling (advertising in general), some TV shows, and only a handful of films.  For film, Beijing's where it's at.  As a result, there are fewer talent agents, and film production companies aren't as rampant.  Nonetheless, while I was in SH, I got a slew of good meetings in with some very interesting people doing very interesting things.  TV shows, puppet series, reality shows, the Shanghai International Film Festival, fashion events, I met with folks in and around these scenes in Shanghai and it was all very much more fuel for the fire.  Again, how it will all play out in the end for me insofar as making a move out to Asia and working in various regions, remains to be scene, but at the very least, it was a good introduction to the world in SH - a city I'd also love to live in, but really don't know about given the lack of film work.  (Maybe part time?  My family does have a place in Pu Xi).

I met with old friends I'd planned on meeting while there and I even met with old friends I didn't plan on meeting out there!  It was all really inspirational, eye-opening, and educational to see how people have made their way out there - and to China in general.  Between SH and BJ, there is a lot of energy going on across all kinds of industries - including the kind that I'm most interested in.  I definitely feel a desire to spend good amounts of time too in SH.

It was absolutely fun times as I spent Halloween here and got to see how SH celebrates it and while in town, I had a chance to do a quick shoot with a fellow AnD artist I met on here (AnD - really putting people together!), photographer/model Ksenia Dzhalaganiya.  If you're ever in Shanghai and in need of shots, look her up - she's great!  These were some of the shots from our shoot on a rainy afternoon:

I guess that's all I have to say about my Asia trip and all the cities I went through.  All in all, it was an amazing experience - one that I'm really glad I went through.  I set out with a handful of contacts and a general idea of what I wanted to do, and I came away with getting to know more people I could ever imagine and a much clearer vision of what I have to do.  I've gotta get out to Asia!  Part-time/full-time basis, whatever it is - I left SH on a plane with my heart and mind intent on coming back to this side of the world sooner than later.  May 2009 be the year of the ox who does more stuff in Asia!