Who am I? Well, my name is Ali Chen and I’m cast as the Asian American best friend to the girl next door. The professional. And every once in a blue moon, the new immigrant fresh off the boat.

How in the world did I end up as an actor/writer/improvisor/producer/director in Los Angeles of all things? Well, that’s a long story. It involves everything from Shakespeare in London, to casting feature films, to playwrighting to writing and producing a multi-camera comedy for the internet with a live studio audience to directing and producing sketches and other pieces for the internet. (When it comes to comedy that little bit of quirkiness often comes to the surface. It comes from growing up Asian American in the Midwest.)

But I can tell you that I find acting and writing to be a wonderful way of sharing that bit of humanity in each of us. The moment when the acting and writing amplifies the story and we all go, “Oh!” and we recognize a part of us in the character that’s being portrayed. And we realize that we’re not the only one going “Oh!” and that we’re a part of a greater community of humans.

Going through this life together.

That’s part of the reason I do it. That, and just the simple fact that I love good stories. And love taking part in the telling of them.