Check Out Patty Setiadi’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Patty Setiadi

Patty, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hey, I’m Patty Setiadi. Growing up in a Chinese-Indonesian Christian family, I learned the importance of hard work, dedication, and family values. As the oldest of six kids, I navigated multiple moves and cultural shifts, always finding myself as the odd one out. My family moved from Norwalk, CT to NY and eventually settled in Bridgeport, CT, where I stood out in both affluent and diverse environments. But reflecting back, standing out was a blessing in disguise.

My passion for entertainment and travel grew through my experiences. I discovered my passion for theater in high school, becoming class president and active in the theater program. I worked at a Japanese restaurant, where my dad has worked for over 25 years, and honed my communication, customer service, and organizational skills. In college, I navigated challenges as a first-generation student, but I was determined to pursue theater and acting. My college experience culminated in an internship at a TV production company in Puerto Rico, sparking my passion for travel and exploring new cultures. This also helped inspire my Radio Show/Podcast the D.A.E. Show (Does Anyone Else) where we have guests from different backgrounds answer the question “Does Anyone Else…” and ultimately we wanted to showcase despite all of our differences we are more connected than we think. The COVID-19 pandemic hit as I prepared to graduate, leaving me uncertain, but I stayed positive and adapted, reflecting on my experiences and skills to make a positive impact.

After returning home things turned for the worst when my dad contracted Covid-19, possibly from working at the restaurant. I was thrust upon the opportunity to help him in his recovery and after he recovered, I struggled to find employment in the stagnant entertainment industry. Feeling frustrated, my mom suggested visiting our family in Indonesia.

I hadn’t been there in nearly a decade, and reconnecting with my roots was appealing but scary. Traveling during COVID-19 was a nightmare, but a kind stranger facilitated my entry into Indonesia. Returning after nearly a decade was surreal, and I reunited with my mom and 2 youngest siblings that have grown so much. We soon embarked on a trip to my mom’s hometown, Manado, to visit our large family. One of my grandpa’s Opa Harry (Opa means Grandpa in Indonesian) was having his birthday so we wanted to surprise him. It was a wholesome moment that got us excited to surprise our other Grandpa Opa Deany. Opa Deany actually surprised us, he had been sick for the past few days and the Church didn’t notify us or any family, and we rushed him to the hospital. I was shocked to see him lying almost lifeless on my lap, but he responded to my English conversations, and we shared a heart-wrenching conversation.

Opa Deany’s passing was devastating, but I knew I would carry his memory and spirit with me always. After caring for Opa Deany, I needed a break and recharge. I wanted to continue to spread positivity as Opa Deany always taught me. He’s one of those people that would give $10 to a hungry man even if it meant he had nothing to buy food for himself. My mindset was more open and positive and that’s when Bali beckoned, and I met an amazing group of people from everywhere from Denmark, to Finland, to Singapore, to England and beyond that I can call my chosen family.

I was inspired by this non-profit organization, Rumah Caring, and joined them on service trips. We got to help various locals impacted by the pandemic in the north of the island giving various donations. Beyond this we even helped mentor kids, teaching them English, teaching them about sexual education and just general guidance. Being in Bali for over 3 months helped me realize a lot of my strengths in connecting with people and helped me fully uncover my passion and love for travel.

I spent the holiday season in Jakarta, celebrating Christmas and my mom’s birthday with my family. After a simple but fun New Year’s Eve celebration, I made a final trip back to Bali for a week. When I returned to Jakarta, my little sister and I prepared to leave for the States. Eventually, we said goodbye to my youngest brother and mom, and flew back to JFK, eager to start our next chapter.

Back in the States, I helped my little sister adjust to her new surroundings, prioritized family responsibilities, and squeezed in domestic adventures, visiting friends in Boston, Springfield, New York City, and Nashville, but I knew I had bigger international travel aspirations.

As June approached, I planned my solo birthday trip to Northern Europe, attending the Roskilde music festival in Denmark and visiting England, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. In Denmark, I reunited with friends from Bali, participated in the Nordic Race, and spent time with their families. This whole trip deserves an eventually fully fleshed out story time possibly on the Patty Show Podcast but this again solidified my passion for bringing joy and positivity to the world.

After the festival, I flew back to the States, stopping in London one last time. My best friend asked for help with a road trip from Nashville to Connecticut, which included a fun stop in Washington, D.C. So I booked the flight at Copenhagen airport immediately. This led me back to Connecticut for the next wave of travel.

One of my little brothers was planning to go back to Indonesia after almost 10 years and being the oldest my parents suggested I help guide him. I definitely didn’t ask many questions and gladly joined the ride because I planned a bigger trip within. We traveled to Jakarta, making an epic stop in Abu Dhabi along the way. We rode camels, ATVs, and sandboarded in the desert, while watching belly dancing under the stars and visited Ferrari World! In Jakarta, we met up with our mom and her best friend, and connected with my dad’s side of the family. We flew to Manado to see family again. After a few weeks, I bid farewell to my family and started my solo travels again.

I flew to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Phuket, Thailand, where I took Muay Thai and yoga classes and met cool creative people from around the world. Many of them I got to see again in my other travels! I even connected with some friends I met during my Northern European trip! Bangkok Thailand was fun because of the night life and the connections. To reiterate, I got to meet and have fun with various new friends I met along my solo backpacking travels! I returned to Bali, my second home, and was welcomed by my original Balinese personal trainer and boxing coach friend.

My best friend arrived, and we embarked on a spiritual and fun adventure, getting tattoos, going on multiple service trips with Rumah Caring, and exploring. We connected with so many amazing humans from all walks of life and truly made the best of our time here. On a whim, I took a trip to Lombok, where I fell in love with its calm atmosphere.

Back in Bali, I thanked my Danish friends and family before returning to Manado to see my family again. My friend and I randomly attended a wedding, dancing and karaoking all night! He left soon after, and I stayed for a couple more weeks before heading back to the States to start my next chapter in Los Angeles.

In LA, I pursued my passion for entertainment and hosting after some time. Coming to LA without a guaranteed job was a leap of faith I don’t regret taking. I was nervous though because the last time I did anything in this realm was before Covid but my younger cousin put it best when she said, “Patty is Speed Running LA”. To me the run started more with a crawl because applying to multiple jobs using Linkedin, Indeed, Facebook job groups, word of mouth, random in-person inquiries and even Craigslist led me to multiple rejections from places like Target, Indochino, NBC and plenty of more. But what I’ve learned from living my life and all my travels, persistence combats failure. Remembering Opa Deany I know he’d want me to look at the brighter side of things. I knew If I wanted to thrive I had to keep going and put my head down.

One of my big breaks was landing a job at Squid Game: The Trials, an immersive experience near the Grove where people come to play the various Squid games to win a prize. My first day I was set up at the pedestrian gate informing people about the parking situation and providing any support I could. That’s also when it started raining out of nowhere. Never coming to LA in my life I thought rain was very uncommon so I was shocked to be outside in the rain. My mom always called rain “Hujan Berkat” or Blessed Rain in Indonesian and looking back at it, I’m blessed to have this first opportunity because it led me to everything I’m doing today.

During my time at Squid Games I met so many inspirational people and they reminded me that this whole experience was temporary soI needed to apply to another few jobs and hustle. That’s when I found on a Facebook LA Job searching group someone looking for extra support for the Emmy’s after-party. It was a 10pm-4am shift with Sequoia Productions. I didn’t think much of this because I needed the money but it actually reminded me again why I’m here. I got to be around celebrities that I looked up to and having this proximity field my fire to make it in entertainment and beyond. I continued to do various gigs with them and even got to be a part of the Gold Gala, a Gala with various Asian Talent that truly inspires me as an Asian Entertainer.

I sought new opportunities, leading me to a job at Loqui, a Mexican restaurant, where I had a memorable interview amidst a rainstorm or in my mom’s words “Hujan Berkat”, surrounded by puppies at a pop-up event. Although I didn’t expect to return to the restaurant industry after graduating college, I accepted the offer, recognizing that sometimes taking a step back can propel you forward.

During all of this I created a Casting Networks profile and applied to commercial acting work with the guidance of my brother and friends in Squid Games. I booked my first commercial for a major car brand and even got to be seen at the NBA Finals where a lot of my friends back home gave me plenty of love and support. Continuing this I wanted to expand my comedy skills. I applied to be a UCB Diversity scholar and was accepted and took a Stand-Up comedy class where I got to “headline” the UCB Stand-Up Comedy Showcase. My comedy training didn’t stop there as I also passed my audition from the Groundlings school and continue to hone my improv skills that will benefit my hosting/presenting.

I worked as a dodgeball referee, Hollywood nightclub promoter, and running coach, and my determination paid off. I found these various gigs mainly from Craigslist. I remained committed to excel in LA and didn’t stop for anyone.

In LA, I remained focused on becoming a late-night show host/presenter, auditioning for an Indonesian short film where I’d be playing as an Indonesian aerobics instructor in the early 2000’s. The night of my self-tape was after a long day of multiple jobs but I powered through and sent it even though I was late by a day and didn’t memorize the lines. The director loved my approach and I’m grateful that this opportunity reminded me that entertainment, acting and all of it never left me. It was also super inspiring seeing the amount of Indonesian creative talent work on projects like this. We even had our rehearsals at the Indonesian Embassy in Koreatown which was both intimidating but encouraging.

Squid Game ended faster than expected so I did what I’ve been doing, continuing to apply to jobs. During the tail end of Squid games I applied to yet another Craigslist posting to work as an Audience Hype Crew Member for an up and coming Game show on Amazon Prime Video called “Wish List Games”, I didn’t know it at the time but it’s hosted by a person I want to emulate career-wise Nick Cannon along with the funny Lele Pons. My audition through Zoom full of fireworks and they were excited to have me on the team hyping people up and despite not ever trying this I knew I could use my skills of entertainment and positivity to get people hyped up, I guess being the School Mascot would pay off! Unfortunately after some back and forth emailing I was told that they were no longer hiring Hype Crew members as they hired a comedian to take upon this role. They did give me some hope when they suggested I be a contestant on the show as there were some spots open. If I learned anything from my travels and life in general it’s to believe and bet on yourself, I didn’t think too much on it and submitted what I had to submit. I gave them my wish list of items from the Amazon store and proceeded to actively wait as I applied to other opportunities.

I was contacted by an Indonesian Recruiter on Linkedin that was looking for a person that was fluent in Indonesian with critical thinking skills and a bachelor’s degree so I gave my all in the interview process. They thought of me as a great fit but unfortunately the role was filled up, I kept going. During this time I did various gigs including one where I worked for a major food festival doing everything from garnishing the food, scooping Ice to even taking orders from thousands of people in Texas and even Washington State! The food industry didn’t run from me because I even got a gig working as a server/busser at prestigious Country clubs in LA. Persistence paid off because I got an email from a producer for the “Wish List Games”, he wanted to have a zoom call to see if I had the right fit. I gave some items on my wish-list which included things like an insect trap, a new hybrid mattress, a bidet and even a tiny home! Amazon truly has it all. With any audition or call nerves come and I thought I did fairly well. The following days as I’m working my Front of House shift at the Mexican restaurant I go to help customers grab their online pick-up orders and pass an order to an oddly familiar face. I’m wearing a baseball cap and my hair is hiding but the producer that interview immediately recognized me, “Patty!?” he said with excitement. We had a laugh and gave a quick handshake/hug combo and he told me to keep an eye out for an email. The next day an email from the Game show arrives and I’m set up with another interview to secure my spot and they want me to come as an audience member/contestant for the shooting days. It was 2 full length days from 6 am or so until after 6pm at night. I wake up early take the bus and train over and get as ready as I can be for this moment. It is explained to all that came that not everyone is guaranteed to play the various games to win the prizes on their wish-list so this got my head spinning. Thankfully I made a lot of great friends that felt that same anxiety and despite it being an intensive shoot day I had a blast being part of the whole process. The first day was wrapped and I didn’t participate in any games so my expectation was a bit low for the next day but I showed up because despite my doubts I remember to always keep a positive mindset. The second day goes by we are almost at the last few games and I’m almost content with not participating and just grateful for the journey. Being in the presence of a greater Presenter like Nick Cannon and seeing him absolutely crush hosting this show was inspiring and fueled my drive even more to become the best I can be. How each game works is everyone stands up and Lele Pons starts saying items on the contestant’s wish-list. This round the first item is a Tiny home, I keep standing and so do 15 other people. This has happened before, Tiny homes are popular probably because of the LA housing being so high. The next item she said was a hybrid mattress. Now it’s just me and a few other contestants. When I hear her say Bidet. I absolutely lose it, I’m so hyped up on my way to the stage my nerves were going crazy. Nick Cannon kept his cool and we went over my list and you can watch on Prime video what I say about the different items on my Amazon Wish List but now I knew it was real when they gave me the safety glasses to play essentially a life-sized Jenga. In order to win all 10 of my prizes I had to pull out 10 huge boxes in a short amount of time. To not spoil the ending I’d recommend catching “Wish List Games” on Amazon Prime video to see the result and watch the show as all episodes are out now. This whole experience reminded me again why I’m in LA and why I belong here.

I applied to become an Orange Theory fitness instructor, but didn’t get the job. However, I gained experience and because of that process got my ISSA (International Sports Sciences Association) CPT Certification and landed an interview at other gyms like Gold’s Gym and LA Fitness which both went well and both gave me job offers. I accepted the job at LA Fitness because of proximity and also the fact my first gym membership with my younger siblings was at a LA Fitness back in CT. I started working as a certified personal trainer after my birthday and am happy to help others with their fitness journey in-person and even online! I applied to talent agencies, mainly for commercial divisions, and sent various cold emails. Prestigious Models/Image Powerhouse stood out, and my now-agent reached out. During the initial zoom interview I asked the CEO Kim a question at the end regarding how the agency could help me propel my hosting/Presenting career forward. Her answer gave me a great sign and amazing insight. “Do you have a podcast?”, she asked. I replied with a low energy “no” and this gave me all the clarity I needed, this agency wasn’t me to thrive and push me the right way. I was accepted across the board! For the Commercial, Print and Theatrical Divisions. I was beyond excited to be part of the family.

I received an email from the same Indonesian recruiter about another remote opening for Meta, and I applied. After a Zoom interview, I got the offer. I had to move on from my time with Loqui but thankfully still keep in contact with all my connections from there. I started working at Meta, labeling AI language models in Indonesian, Malaysian and English, and this gave me the opportunity to think and act with inspiration and not desperation and create my podcast, “The Patty Show.”

I’ve been posting new episodes every week, and it’s been refreshing. I’m glad that I can have guests from all over to talk about Passion, Pleasure and Positivity and how we can all pursue our personal paradise. I’m finding my balance, doing my podcast, being a personal trainer, working at Meta, doing commercials and acting, and being a good brother and son. My story is a testament to pursuing what you love and being a good human being.

I hope to inspire everyone to find their passion and reach their personal paradise. This is for the people I love and care about, and for those I don’t know yet, I’m Patty. If you told me almost a year ago when I arrived in LA that I’d be writing this for a legit publication like VoyageLA I’d say “you’re looking too far ahead”. I’m just truly blessed and hope this inspires someone. Let’s continue our story and pursue our personal paradise one day at a time.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s been like my favorite type of peanut butter, chunky. Sorry to all my smooth nut butter fans out there. Dealing with bullying at a young age at the time was rough and being the oldest of 6 kids not fully knowing how to navigate that was difficult. Thankfully I took great lessons of patience and acceptance from it and I want everyone to feel welcome when they’re around me. The other bumps or chunks in the road in my life right now I can be appreciative towards but I’d be lying to you if I said I was happy to see Opa Deany so sick like that on my lap and having him suffer while people he and we thought cared for him wanted him to pass was gut wrenching. I am grateful because of the power of traveling that I had one last chance with him and could be there for his ceremony where hundred of people came to support during such a hard time like Covid. Shifting towards my career, taking that leap of Faith in LA almost a year ago was rough, taking public transit in the rain in LA with messed up bus times and a bunch of questionable folk at 3:30am in the morning wasn’t easy. And having to worry about each paycheck and the next job and/or gig isn’t for the faint of heart. These are some obstacles I’ve faced and despite it all I’m grateful that I could overcome each and it is making me into a man that I know young Patrick is proud of.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I breathe entertainment, being an Entertainer, Presenter/Host, Actor, Comedian, Podcast Host, while balancing my role as a Personal Trainer both in-person and Online while also working with AI Language models in Indonesian, Malaysian and English as a Data Labeling Analyst. My entertainment work is embodied in my passion project and podcast “The Patty Show” where I bring guests from all backgrounds to talk about Passion, Pleasure and Positivity and how we can all pursue our own personal paradise. This show is also a way for me to show my gratitude and give my flowers to the important people that have impacted me and it’s a vessel for me to continue to hone my hosting/presenting and entertainment skills as a whole. Being signed across the board by Prestigious Models/Image Powerhouse in their Commercial, theatrical and print divisions is a true blessing and going out on auditions and different projects is something I never get sick of. My comedy background from UCB as a Diversity Scholar is invaluable to me and along with the Groundlings school improv, it helps me tie in all my passions together. Entertainment isn’t my only passion, growing up I was overweight, then became underweight and now I’m having fun with fitness inspiring others to have fun and stay active. Being someone’s partner in Fitness as their in-person Personal Trainer or Online Coach or a hybrid of both is a blessing thanks to my Certification and knowledge from ISSA where I’m a certified personal trainer and nutritionist. I’m proud to have all of this work that I enjoy and can help better this world. It also doesn’t hurt that the Passions pay.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My family. Blood Family and family I’ve made along the way. There’s an extensive list but everyone knows who they are, a lot of them are on my podcast “The Patty Show”. I want to give a shoutout to everyone that believed in and still believes in me no matter what zip code they are in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://pattysetiadi.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pattysetiadi/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pattysetiadi
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PattyShowPodcast
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/pattysetiadifitness/

Image Credits
Jackson Davis
Owen Nathanael
Amazon MGM Studios