Steven Jen-Hon Kung is a Taiwanese American film director and writer."Not sexy enough? The plight of Asian American male actors". International Examiner, Yayoi Lena Winfrey February 7, 2015"A Leading Man: LAAPFF Review". Hollywood Reporter, 5/13/2014 by Justin Lowe
Early life and education Kung was born and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia where he attended Kempsville High School. He received a BA with High Distinction in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, and an MFA in Motion Picture Producing from the Peter Stark Program at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.
Career in film
Kung worked as an assistant producer on the film Mad Men"Where are all the Asian rom com leads?". Daily Life, July 11, 2013 . Candice Chung and associate producer on the film "The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez", starring Ernest Borgnine."Review: ‘The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez’". Variety, Joe Leydon December 6, 2012 Kung's documentary, SPEW: The World of Competitive Debate, premiered at the Independent Film Festival of Boston. He was the writer and director of the narrative feature, A Leading Man,"“A Leading Man” puts an Asian male center stage". Meniscuszine, By Jim Higgins – December 24, 2012"Hong Kong FILMART: Young, Rich & Overlooked- The Demographic Studios Should be Targeting". SSN Insider, March 25, 2014 Diane Panosian which premiered at the Hawaii International Film Festival"Steven J. Kung: ‘A Leading Man’ at Austin Film Festival". Austin Fusion Magazine"FILM REVIEW: A Leading Man by Jimmy Zhang". Asians on Film, .October 16, 2013 It was the first film he had directed,"A guide to making Hollywood less white, by the filmmakers who have done it". Washington Post, 2016 02 25, By Gendy Alimurung and it won awards for Best Drama, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor at the Asians on Film Festival. In 2014, PolicyMic listed Kung as one of six Asian-American Filmmakers shattering America's Asian Film Bias. He is currently a director in the Disney ABC Directing Program for the 2016-2018 television seasons.
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