First Generation Burden

Zipeng Zhu is an art director, designer, illustrator, animator and Young Guns winner living in New York City. We talk about his upbringing in China, where he grew up speaking Cantonese and Mandarin, while learning English in a Chinese boarding school. We discuss his journey to the United States to study at SVA, his first professional experiences at Sagmeister & Walsh, and the challenges of bei...

Christine Sienicki is a dancer, model, and actress who has been a member of the legendary Radio City Rockettes since she was 18 years old. We talk about her upbringing (being of Filipino, Czech and Polish descent), her first big gig performing at the Super Bowl, and the steps it took to join the Rockettes. Also, we joke around a lot and tell a couple of stories that we've never told before. Check...

Khary Randolph is a comic book artist and creator from Boston, Massachusetts who found his way into comics' inner circle with a who's who's of properties under his belt including Spider-Man, X-Men, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hellboy, and Teen Titans. He's recently worked on "We Are Robin" for DC and co-created the character Mosaic for Marvel. We talk about his upbringing, his transition into th...

Nishat Akhtar is a graphic artist living in Portland Oregon. Originally from Philadelphia, educated in Brooklyn she traded tall buildings for taller trees. We talk about how her parents came from India to the United States at the beginning of the Asian immigration boom of the 70's, growing up in Philly, going to high school with Kobe Bryant, and what representation and multiculturalism means when...

Shane Griffin is an Irish born artist, working in all fields of visual arts. Including design, illustration, film directing, and fine art. Named an ADC Young Gun in 2012, & Print Magazine's New Visual Artist '15 Under 30' in 2015. We talk about his upbringing in Ireland, his arrival in New York, his work, how he uses light, what it means for an artist to get away with something, and his near d...

Matt Vu is a designer at Nike, and a native Oregonian via Vietnam. We talk about how his father left his homeland after the Vietnam War and came to the United States. We discuss a range of topics including streetwear, West vs East, Hip Hop stories, 90s nostalgia, and social justice. We basically cover everything. Check out FirstGenBurden.com for all the episodes Follow us @ firstgenburden and Rich...

Born in Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua and raised in Durango, Mexico. Ricardo Gonzalez (aka @ItsALiving) is a graphic designer focused on lettering, typography, calligraphy & typeface design. We talk about his upbringing in Mexico, being a skater, painting murals all over the world, and our mutual disdain for the word "influencer". Also, we get to the bottom of the origin of "ItsALiving". Check out Fir...

Juan Carlos Pagan is a New York based Artist, Designer, and Typographer. Juan has been honored for his work by The Type Directors Club, Communication Arts, ADC, One Show, Cannes Lions, Clios, Fastco, and Print Magazine. He also designed the branding for the ubiquitous social media platform Pinterest. His grandfather was a political refugee in Cuba who fled to Puerto Rico, eventually arriving in Ne...

We speak to Leslie Rosales from the iconic Def Jam. We talk about her beginnings in South Central L.A., being Filipino in a predominantly African-American neighborhood, her start in the music industry, women in Hip Hop, working with Nas, and important causes like #HashtagLunchbag . Check out FirstGenBurden.com for all the episodes Follow us @ firstgenburden and Rich Tu / @ rich_tu Thanks DesGin fo...

Ahmed Klink is a filmmaker and photographer based in New York City who has photographed Steph Curry, Kendrick Lamar, Kevin Hart, Migos, and Future among others. He was born in Lebanon in in the 80′s where he managed to escape a raging Civil War at age 2. Ahmed found shelter in France, where he grew up and lived for 20 years before moving to the United States of America. We talk about his work, his...