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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.

History

Kollaboration is an Korean American/Canadian organization and Movement that was founded in 2000 by Executive Director Paul “PK” Kim, hence how the name of the event pronounces similarly to Korean-nation. 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 2006. ^[1]

Mission

Kollaboration seeks to elevate Korean American 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 APIs 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 Korean-American youths, Kollaboration seeks to empower:

• Korean youths by providing them with a creative outlet and leadership training that serves as an alternative to gang-activity and delinquency for those at-risk
• Korean families by offering a platform for communication that bridges the gap between 1st generation parents and latter generation youth
• the Korean 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 so that they may accomplish their goals and dreams.

Goals

1. To unite Koreans Americans, showcase their talents on stage, and inspire the world.
2. To bridge the cultural gap between the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation Koreans and educate the youth about our culture
3. To replace negative stereotypes of Koreans with positive images of expression through proactive creativity.
4. To define our own identity and not have it defined to us through mass media.
5. To elevate the level of talent within the Asian Pacific Islander communities through friendly competition and a professional atmosphere.
6. To raise awareness for community changing NGOs and respective charities in each city.
7. To have immense amounts of good, clean fun.

Operations

Kollaboration currently hosts talent shows across the following six cities within the United States and Canada:

• Chicago
• New York
• Toronto
• Atlanta
• Washington D.C.
• Los Angeles

Controversies

Since the beginning of Kollaboration, the majority of past participants has been predominantly Korean-Americans. Its mission as it states on the website is to heighten the awareness of Asian Pacific Islanders community as a single group; however, it is only featuring one particular ethnic group out of the many Asian Pacific Islander groups in the United States. Some critics argue that Kollaboration is a one-exclusive ethnicity show that is only reserved for the Korean-Americans and not that of other Asian Pacific Islander races. Therefore, it is only representing the interests of the Korean-American community rather the entire Asian Pacific Islander community as it it advcoates. Thus, there has been some rumors that Kollaboration should change its model to the representation of the Korean-American community only, not the representation of the Asian Pacific Islanders.

Notable participants

• Korean pop superstar, hailing fame in all of Asia, BoA
• David "Elsewhere" Bernal, who gained worldwide recognition by means of a viral video called "Kollab2001" showcasing his participation in the contest in year 2001.
• PK, founder, comedian/host and Executive Director of Kollaboration, from BlackSheepComedy.com
• Ben Chung of Jabbawockeez
• Kaba Modern, notable competitors from America's Best Dance Crew Season 1
• Fanny Pak from America's Best Dance Crew Season 1
• Far East Movement, who have toured with LMFAO and have been featured in the soundtrack of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift movie
• Colby O'Donis, who is an American pop singer featured in Lady Gaga's hit song with Akon called, "Just Dance"
• Roscoe Umali, an American MC who has been associated with Drunken Tiger, and has performed with Colby O'Donis at Kollaboration's 2008 show
• Tatum Jones of America's Got Talent
• Junior and Emily of America's Got Talent
• Quest Crew, America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 Champions
• Roy Choi from Mars Ent
• Christine Kim from HOTFC
• Rina Lee from Legacy
• David Choi, who is a sensational hit on Youtube for his original songs
• YouTube star Kina Grannis

References