about

I'm from San Bernardino, CA.

I lived in Tokyo for a few years, am fluent in Japanese, pretty good in Spanish, okay in Mandarin,

I have a PhD in Asian Studies from Cornell University, did a Fulbright in Japan, a post-doctorate at Princeton,

and my time now is split as working as a documentary filmmaker, with work on HBO, on VICE TV, and on Showtime.

Thus far my work has won two Emmys (plus two nominations), and a Pulitzer (with the Los Angeles Times).

I’ve also established the (possibly) world's largest public collection of Japanese hip-hop, and hosted a TV show about video games.

My dissertation was on Japanese hip-hop, happy to send you a copy if you'd like to read it.

The most recent class I taught was at UCLA, entitled ‘Why is Japan so Cool?’. It was fun, might do it again soon.

For recent things I've written for various places, check here. To check out my donated library collection at UC Riverside, check here (or visit – it's open to the public).

more?

if you'd like a more detailed resume, here you go.

Feel free to contact me if you need specifics.