The 21st Century could easily be referred to as the Century of Entrepreneurs in which many try to start their own business but not all succeed. Whoever ventures into this profession—because that is what it has become—needs to have a really good eye on the kind of things that will succeed and keep people wanting more. That is why Tony “Tong” Jia has started creating a name for himself in the entrepreneur world. What does he have an eye for? The entertainment industry.
From very early on in his life, Tony knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur but didn’t really understand what it meant until he started college. It was in those years that he was able to understand it meant more than just having passion for something; you had to be able to see the opportunity to make changes, to create something unique. But he also learned that it depends a lot on the wisdom you can get from what surrounds you: mentors, friends, and books.
So, how could an Asian American who was dedicated to real estate investments open a path for himself in the era of influencers and entrepreneurs? He focused on his passion: media and film, and found the opportunity to create a change for a community that he so deeply cares about. That is where his good eye for entertainment came into play and he started founding his own businesses. In the DMV region, he co-founded Subtle Asian Party with a Korean partner. This is one of the longest running and largest Asian based entertainment live-events. It attracts mostly Korean and Chinese international students, but also Asian Americans.
Live-events have taken a huge toll due to the current global pandemic. How has this affected Tony’s business? The events the company had planned, had to be cancelled with no new dates. Now, SAP is focusing on online events to keep their followers happy and entertained in quarantine. Recently, a partnership was created with DJ BEAUZ to promote the Blockeley Commencement/Music Festival for UC Berkeley.
When it comes to the entertainment industry, film festivals are one of the biggest and most recognized events. Their importance is so relevant that many brands choose to sponsor several festivals. Because Tony knows the business and is constantly looking for opportunities to give his passions a purpose, he co-founded the Montgomery International Film Festival. Nowadays, he is the CEO and stands by the festival’s vision “to foster a community of free thinking filmmakers, those who are pushing the boundaries of sound and vision into a new frontier.” Due to COVID-19 many festivals have had to cancel their events or move them to an online version. MIFFUS’s team—influential film directors and government leaders of the State of Maryland—are discussing the opportunity to create an online festival for this year.
This entrepreneur has ventured into live-events and film festivals, what else could he possibly do? In the era of videos, he became a producer on a YouTube channel. Asian Boss was created to bring perspective on the latest news and trends in Asia. Their vision wants to “bring young people’s voices together and create a movement to tackle the biggest social and cultural challenges of our time.” It has over 2 million subscribers and videos with thousands of views.
As an Asian American, Tony Jia has experienced moments in which people have treated him differently for being Asian. Recently, he has sensed more tension due to COVID-19 and he is quite concerned about the future but he knows things will improve if the “community stops dividing among ourselves and stands together.” With these experiences, his background, and his entertainment industry knowledge, he has become the perfect entrepreneur profile. His up-and-coming businesses continue to gain recognition for his hard work and passion.
