Privy Featured Member: Stream Lee (They call her the "Mayor")

We spent a few minutes this week with Stream Lee, Privy's Seoul Ambassador...

For many people, defining their occupation is a one-word answer. But our modern globalized world has seen a proliferation of people who are not so easily defined. Their networks of connections mean that for these people almost nothing is impossible to accomplish. In many ways, such individuals are the heartbeat of Privy. So we jumped at the chance to interview Seoul-based member Stream Lee, founder of XStream Productions Global and the embodiment this phenomenon.

1. What do you like about Privy or the promise Privy offers?

I'm not an elitist by any means but because the nature of my work and people in my immediate realm I hardly want to be approached by just anyone or everyone while opening myself up to networking.

With Privy there is an element of "quality control" in that if you are a member of the select slice of the pie then it gives you an opportunity to move among your peers without having to dig thru the whole pie to find them.

1. We hear that you founded your own company. Can you tell us about XStream Productions Global? Was it the name that gave it away?

Yes. When I started out I was a part of a small group of bi-lingual broadcasters, and working in the entertainment industry in Seoul put me into situations that made me realize there was a sore lack of support in certain areas.

Particularly in liaising between East and West, I realized I had come across a niche that no one had focused on. They kept bringing me in to moderate and consult on projects. I realized so much was getting 'lost in translation'. Asian business is unique and innocent cultural misunderstandings can make million-dollar projects fall over in a second. With my diverse industry knowhow, I could make business seamless and people were using my knowledge to make bank.

I am not so open about what we do because I find that when people label you, suddenly they don't consider you for other jobs you are more than capable of. We facilitate in many aspects of the industry, from the business side of film and TV, high profile VIP events, corporate functions, booking artists, press junkets - in years gone by we've been involved in pretty much every facet of "enter-media" (although these days it's more business than partying). Still when people ask me what I do, I tend to leave it to their imagination.

1. What is your favorite part of living in Seoul?

Originally from Canada, when I first arrived in Seoul I was heartsick because I felt so small in such a big place where I would never acclimatize. Everything seemed so foreign back then, but now I know my way around the city in a way that I am intimate with her. My friends call me "The Mayor" and it's a nickname I have grown fond of, I feel like I've earned my stripes. I definitely feel like Seoul has given me opportunities I perhaps wouldn't have had so readily anywhere else. Seoul has welcomed me with open arms.

1. In your travels across Asia, what are some common trends you have noticed, whether in the people, the culture, etc.?

Let's be honest. I'm a woman and yes, I'm Asian. I'm on the right side of youngish. I'm gonna be brave and say I'm not Mr. Hyde and so the kind of access given to me in North America is not the kind of access I have here in Asia to the upper echelon of society, entertainment, business - and I mean access to people from around the world. I always say that someone I would have to line up to meet in NY is often brought to me here in Seoul. Asia is a new must touch-base hub.

People may think that Asia is so patriarchal that women would have less access here, but actually they need me for my expertise, so they let me play with the big boys consult me on business matters and everything else that comes with being in a hierarchical society. It suits my Korean-parents-brainwashed-feminine sensibilities. I'm good at smiling behind my hand.

1. Your reviews on Privy are always stimulating. Where do you get your inspiration?

I started out my professional life as a journalist so writing about something used to be very data based - you know, newspeak. After migrating to television my writing style changed dramatically because I felt I could let out the creative tiger in me. Although now a days it's more about contracts and proposals, when I have a chance to review I don't rattle off info - rather I get into what the ambiance was like, how the people there made me feel - a mix of more senses than just sight. I guess you could say I try to relive and experience and try to tell the reader what they can expect. People might think I go over the top sometimes but I don't try to, I just don't bother with the BS. Like if the scene was skanky, I'll say so. In Korea, we'dd say, the water is bad!

1. Do you think the club scene is hotter in Asia or in the States?

Well one thing I try to stay attuned to is the "party scene" because of my involvement in it. Several years ago the party scene was blah. Like a bad home video version of an American music video. Everything was wannabe but not even close. Now, wow... seriously, we book world classed acts and people in the audience KNOW who they are listening to, no more can I mock people in Asia for being "fobbish". Seoul, Shanghai, you name it the party scene has become its own kind of sophistication.