Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Tan.
Samantha, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – for those who don’t know, that’s north of Singapore and south of Thailand, about 8,779 miles across the world from Los Angeles.
I was a kind of nerd-rebel hybrid in school: a straight-A student and overachiever who ticked all the good-Asian-girl boxes, but also someone who at age 16 got a secret tattoo and boyfriend (now my husband, hah!), and yearned for some way to express her deep emotional inner life. I hungered for a level of artistic creativity and civil liberties that Malaysia did not encourage at the time, so I left for England.
I was a professional dancer in London for seven years, doing West End shows like HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL and THE KING & I. During that time, I started cooking Malaysian food that I missed from childhood, and it eventually became what is now Sam Tan’s Kitchen – my catering side hustle that helps me pay my bills.
In 2011, I got into the MFA program at the Actors Studio Drama School in New York (yup, the James Lipton “Inside the Actors Studio” one). I was the first Malaysian to ever get in and somehow managed to crowdfund $105,000 in 2 weeks to pay for my tuition. The three years of training there changed my life, and in 2015, I became the first Malaysian to be made a Lifetime Member of the Actors Studio.
That status, combined with my UK credits, the press I got from my fundraising and a whole bunch of other stuff, eventually led to me getting my “Artist of Extraordinary Ability” green card. That’s my immigrant story in a nutshell.
I recently wrote/directed/starred in/produced (and also catered!) a short film called ALLY CHIA, a semi-autobiographical dramedy about a young struggling chef dealing with an interracial relationship and an overbearing mother while trying to deliver an important food order. It was shot in one day with a diverse all-female crew, and it combines food and entertainment in a way you haven’t seen before. It will drop on Amazon Prime June 3rd-24th, 2019 as part of their All Voices Film Festival. If you believe in bold, authentic storytelling by diverse creators about underrepresented communities, tune in!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
To choose an artist’s path is to choose a life of constant struggle – financially, emotionally, creatively. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and I firmly believe in the late Carrie Fisher’s wise words: “Take your broken heart. Make it into art.”
Tell us about your business/company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
I don’t know if there are any other Malaysian female actor-writer-director-chefs around – I guess I’m most proud to have all my worlds colliding in my film ALLY CHIA!
On the catering side, Sam Tan’s Kitchen is still one of the only places in LA where you can get really authentic homemade Malaysian/Singaporean food (p.s. – I don’t own a restaurant, everything is made in my apartment). It’s strange that in a culinary mecca like LA with so much amazing Asian cuisine, Malaysian grub specifically is sorely underrepresented. I home-make and ship thousands of little Chinese New Year cookies across the country every year, and I know it means the world to my customers who miss a taste of home. Proud to represent!
On the entertainment side, I made my first film ALLY CHIA with an all-female crew under the banner of STANDCO Productions – a “company” I created using my initials (“ST AND CO”). I was honored to bring together an incredible team of talented ladies to make ALLY CHIA, and I look forward to creating more unapologetic, female-forward projects together in the future.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity” are words I live by.
You can’t control who opens what doors for you, but you should do everything in your power to be deserving and at the top of your game when it happens. I am grateful for what I consider a pretty lucky life, but I also know I wouldn’t be here without my own drive and determination.
Pricing:
- ALLY CHIA, June 3rd-24th on Amazon Prime Video – FREE with your Prime membership
Contact Info:
- Website: www.samantha-tan.com
Sam Tan’s Kitchen: www.samtanskitchen.com - Instagram: @samanthatanofficial and @samtanskitchen
Image Credit:
James DePietro (for personal photo credit), STANDCO Productions (for the three ALLY CHIA stills), Sam Tan’s Kitchen (for the two food/chef stills)
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
