The 10th Annual Kollaboration
Date: Saturday, March 6, 2010
Location: Shrine Auditorium
Capacity: 6,300

Competitors:
Paul Jisung Kim
Sam Hart
Will Volume
Clara *GRAND PRIZE WINNER*
Bhangra Empire *1st RUNNER UP WINNER*
Jason Yang *AUDIENCE CHOICE WINNER*
Mike Isberto & Alfa

Guest Comedian:
Rex Navarrete

Guest Performers:
Prepix - Dance Group from Korea
Just Kidding Films
Vudoo Soul - R&B Singer
We Are Heroes- MTV's Best Dance Crew Winners
Korean Union Dancerz - Hip Hop Dance Group
Pigeon John - Rapper
Abraham McDonald - Oprah's Karaoke Winner
Anbu Black Ops - Dance Group

Guest Judges:
Joseph Kahn - Director
KevJumba - Youtube Comedian
Rex Lee - Actor, HBO's Entourage
Lisa Ling - Journalist
Michelle Phan - Youtube Beauty Guru
Nita Song - President IW Group
Patty Yoon - CEO Garco Enterprises

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Kollaboration 10
Written by Daisy Kim

March 6th, 2010 marked a milestone for the non-profit organization Kollaboration in many ways. It was the 10th annual Kollaboration show to be held in Los Angeles, the ten-year-old grassroots movement founded by its Executive Director Paul PK Kim that has sparked a continental collaborative effort throughout 10 major cities in North America. The talent show-which is deeply rooted in promoting the organization's mantra Empowerment through Entertainment-promotes artistic and creative pursuits of its APIA aspiring musicians, dancers and performance artists. In order to prove that APIA artists can be and ought to be successful in the entertainment industry, Kollaboration's talent shows provide the platform for its local artists to defy stereotypes cast by the mainstream media. The organization and community-driven movement has become a stepping stone for the APIA population. Kollaboration, which began as Paul PK Kim's own vision to fill a missing void within the APIA community ten years ago has laid out the groundwork for future generations of artists. Its founder will be stepping away from his post as Executive Director after this year to delve into his own quest for a career as a stand-up comedian and father to his 1-year-old son, Solomon Kim.

 

The year's show was held at the regal stage of the Shrine Auditorium which drew a motley cast of APIA celebrities, community leaders and supportive audience members from toddlers and their grandparents to teenaged fans. The stately entryway of the Shrine Auditorium was filled with celebrated figures in the APIA community while celebrities such as Far East Movement, Wong Fu Productions, Aaron Yoo, Amy Rider, James Kyson Lee, C.S Lee, Alexandra Chun, Joe Hahn (of Linkin Park), David Choi, Dumbfoundead, Jane Lui, Kina Grannis, Karin Anna Cheung, Ktown Cowboys, DJ Shy, and Kevin Shea amongst others walked the red carpet inside the grand foyer. Outside the auditorium, favored food trucks Dim Sum Truck, Yum Yum Bowls, TastyMeat, SliceTruck, Fresser's and Flying Pig were parked to satiate the 5,000 plus attendees at the show.

 
 

The guest judges for Kollaboration 10 were an eclectic group of APIA celebrities and community shapers such as: Emmy-nominated international correspondent and Journalist Lisa Ling, HBO's Entourage comedian/actor Rex Lee, Youtube all-stars KevJumba and Michelle Phan, Grammy and MTV-awards winning Director Joseph Kahn, CEO of Garco Enterprises Patty Yoon, and President and COO of IW Group Nita Song.

 
 

As Peter Rocks and the Kollaboration House Band opened up the show preluding to Korean dance-crew Prepix's piercing dance performance which had audiences thumping along to their routine. Another dance-crew invitee from Korea was Korean Union Dancerz, who mesmerized viewers by incorporating traditional Korean mask dancing with hip-hop and street dance. Anbu Black Ops, the Anime/Ninja dance crew directed by Mike Song of Kaba Modern and Anthony Lee of YoMama gave a new twist to the already popular dance-crews by turning their performance into a hip-hop, ruckus causing, rigorously choreographed, break dancing, story-telling segment.

 
 

What was unique to this year's competitors' performances was that every competitor sang their own original piece. The competitors shared the best of their crafts on stage beginning with Paul Jisung Kim who beat boxed and harmonized his Run/Fly/Fall. Sam Hart performed his popularly recognized Youtube cult-classic Mario Kart Love Song which has already offset a string of covers across the globe.

 

Will Volume, the ingenious orchestration arranger settled onto his seat with his guitar, dedicating his rock serenade Motion of Love to his muse, the Olympian Gold-medalist Yuna Kim. Mike Isberto and Alfa strummed a perfectly harmonized acoustic song of sweet melodies, their co-written song Across the Miles which they had prepared from Los Angeles and New York, respectfully.

 

Jason Yang was magical on his electric violin which resonated throughout the entire auditorium. He was the Verizon Wireless Audience Favorite Winner and was awarded $1,000. Bhangra Empire, the only dance group to compete in this year's show was the most vibrant troupe to grace this year's stage. Enthusiastically remixing Bollywood glamour with Jay-Z, the striking performance won second place and was awarded $1,000.

 

Clara, this year's only female solo performer was the grand prize winner as she won the hearts and respect of the judges with her song Offbeat. She is also the first female solo singer to win a Kollaboration annual talent-show to date. This year's freestyle battles remained competitive as the dance prize was tied by Theresa June-Tao and Leegan Lim, while the vocalist winner was Melissa Griggs from Florida. Each winner was awarded $250.

 

Pigeon John rocked a passionate guest performance with his charm and ever-engaging style while Vudoo Soul with his captivating voice enticed with Girl You Got Me, sung in his trademark soulful style. We Are Heroes showed us what it means to be an ABDC winner with their perfectly synced choreography to individual freestyle delicacies. Just Kidding Films helped keep the show on a comedic note and the biggest Filipino-American comedian of today, Rex Navarrete stormed the crowd into laughter with his impersonations of Philippine's world famous boxer Manny Pacquiao. Oprah Winfrey's Karaoke Challenge winner and avid Kollaboration supporter Abraham McDonald sang his new single I Believe as the grand finale, ending the show in an inspiring fete.

 
 

Audience members, guests, performers and staff members were brought to a halt at the end as a surprise tributary video, starring John Cho, Aaron Yoo, Brian Tee and other Kollaboration affiliates was dedicated to Executive Director PK. PK was joined by his wife Tammy Kim with their baby Solomon in tow was accompanied by Executive Producer Roy Choi and Associate Producer Christine Kim to take his final bow as the face and visionary behind Kollaboration.

 
 

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

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Meet our Kollaboration 10 Competitors!

JASON YANG
	Jason Yang is finishing up his senior year at USC and hoping to pursue a professional career in music after he graduates. Having caught the attention of thousands of viewers on his YouTube channel over the past few months, Jason also enjoys performing at both charity and corporate events nationwide. Jason is the violinist in "The Zodiac Show," a crazy rock show where he performs with artists such as Adam Lambert from "American Idol" and Carmit Bachar from the Pussycat Dolls. Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsG1_IVkjwg Website: http://jasonyang.tumblr.com
CLARA
	Clara is a talented Korean-American performer from Los Angeles, California. Currently a student at UC Irvine and aspiring to be a full-time performer, Clara loves to sing but is also skilled with various instruments such as the guitar, piano, flute, and percussion. Recently, she has won KAC Media's Creative Juice Night competition and the JCPenney ISA Breakout Artist Contest, during which she shared the stage with artists such as Far East Movement, Wong Fu Productions, and Quest. Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZgEb9Nf-NY Website: http://www.youtube.com/ClaraCMusic
PAUL JISUNG KIM
	What sets his music and live performances apart from other artists are his vocal abilities: beatboxing, harmonies, and lyrics. He gives new meaning to the term: "one-man-band". His unique sound (which draws influence from artists such as Matisyahu, Coldplay, and Jason Mraz) and message, have captivated audiences throughout the country. He is no stranger to Kollaboration: he won in 2001, showcased at 2005 All-Stars, and beatboxed with PK in the infamous “DJ Ahjushi” video. Paul is currently working on an EP entitled “Run / Fly / Fall”, which will be available on iTunes, March '10. Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-Mx-w2L7os Website: http://www.pjkmusic.com
SAM HART
	Bay Area native Sam Hart became well known on YouTube for blending his passions for music and video games to write a love song that received over 4 million views. Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDBpQVhCMb8 Website: http://www.myspace.com/blinktwice4ymusic
MIKE ISBERTO & ALFA
	Mike Isberto & Alfa tied for the grand prize at the 3rd Annual Kollaboration Acoustic. Mike is a fresh new talent that has broken into the singer/songwriter scene. He has played many venues including the House of Blues and the Roxy Theater. His eclectic love for music has shaped his style, and brings a whole new sound to folk music. Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKuh0WmaU9I Website: http://www.youtube.com/user/mikeisbertomusic Alfa got her start playing downtown New York City while studying at NYU. A classically trained pianist and violinist, Alfa taught herself guitar 10 years ago and began writing songs not long after. She has performed in many US cities, as well as in her native Philippines and in Switzerland. Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV1Uros5PEA Website: http://www.alfa-music.com
WILL VOLUME
	Will Volume has toured and performed across the country while taking Hollywood by storm, impressing the industry with his 50-piece string orchestrations and charisma in the recording studios. Having performed at the last Kollaboration Acoustic at the Ford Amphitheater, this recording artist and award-winning musician, with his amazing band under his musical direction, would reign the stage again. Website: http://www.myspace.com/willvolume
BHANGRA EMPIRE
	Bhangra Empire is made up of individuals from the Bay Area. Bhangra is a folk dance from a region in India called Punjab, originally done to celebrate a successful harvest. The group performs a unique mix of traditional steps with modern influences, the product a high energy, enthusiastic, and joyful blend of Punjabi culture, South Asian heritage, and American upbringings. They were invited by President Obama to perform during the First State Dinner at the White House last November. Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BxMMQs-6nQ Website: http://www.bhangraempire.com