Perspective is everything. It shapes history. It determines sense of self. Quite often we sacrifice our own sense of this for what others dream of. Only the Good Survive, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival, is a film that takes this concept into a very dark place and in doing so, challenges us to rethink our own identity and motivations. As the editor of this film, Mengyao Mia Zhang engages her own sense of perspective in a very powerful manner and establishes a riveting tone. Director Dutch Southern believed so strongly in Mia’s abilities that he often gave her free reign creatively. This is the filmmaking equivalent of offering your child to someone else to raise. Ms. Zhang concurs that this was the process stating, “Dutch would often say during our editing sessions ‘Whatever you think is best’ and ‘That’s up to you,’ which is quite uncommon. While he had a clear vision in the broader direction, he gave me a lot of freedom to play around with.” Certainly some of this belief is based on Mia’s enthusiasm for the story as she remarks, “Only the Good Survive has a very unique style, which was fun for me to work on because this kind of film doesn’t come along often. The first time I read the script, I was immediately captivated. The writing was exceptional and conveyed a distinct tone. I could almost see the film unfolding through the pages.” Only the Good Survive is a convoluted and bizarre thriller/horror with prominent dark comedy elements and moments, presented in a genre-blending punk-rock approach. To echo Mia’s statement, who wouldn’t’t be excited to see this manifested through the camera?

  It’s immediately apparent that the editing has a strong presence in this film. The first few seconds are a mix of surreal animation with action scenes and a police interrogation, sewn together as a means of transference of the emotional state of the main character. Brea Dunlee (Sidney Flanigan of Berlin International Film Festival Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize Winner Never Rarely Sometimes Always) takes us along her journey during her “interview” by sheriff Cole Mack (Fred Weller of Oscar Award Winning Spike Lee film BlacKkKlansman). It’s one that involves romance, robbery, and an self-defined air of moral highground from many different characters. That’s true whether in regards to Brea, a local cult leader (Jon Gries of Primetime Emmy Award Winning Series The White Lotus and cult classic Napoleon Dynamite), or Faye Dunlee (Lachlan Watson known for her work on the Primetime Emmy Nominated Series Nashville). When sheriff Cole asks Brea “Have you ever heard of Faye Dunlee?”, Mia makes a masterful edit with a subtle pause which delicately hints that something is amiss without drawing too much attention or suspicion on Cole’s part. The moment is delicate while marking a pivotal moment for astute audience members. Even greater evidence of Mia’s gentle yet commanding presence is felt in the final scene of this film. She describes, “I believe that the ending of a film is just as important as the opening, as it is what the audience will be left with. The ending scene of this film is morally contradictory. On one hand, Brea loves the baby and her late sister wholeheartedly. We root for her successful revenge and trust that she and Ry will be good parents to the baby but at the same time, to achieve this she chooses to sacrifice two innocent people who have no idea about her plan. This seemingly twisted moral standard harkens back to the film’s title ‘Only The Good Survive’. What is goodness? Are they the good ones? I wanted to bring out their human and vulnerable sides the most so that the audience could temporarily set aside moral judgments about her entire course of action and focus on this small family, feeling joy in their reunion and a sense of triumph in ridding themselves of the cult monsters.” Audiences at this film’s SXSW Film Festival premier concurred that this is extraordinary filmmaking. Full of real world danger but careful not to be preachy, Only the Good Survive makes you feel and think.

  Mia’s contributions to another morally nebulous story can be seen in filmmaker Michael Sarrow’s Smile As You Kill, winner of Best Feature Film at the Iowa Independent Film Festival. This crime thriller stars Rey Goyos (of Apple + Primetime Emmy Nominated Series Shrinking) as Rico Allende, a man willing to go to extremes to obtain proper medical treatment. A criticism of the present day healthcare system, Smile As You Kill combines realistic scenarios with a dark humor which seems to say, “This is what happens when business usurps medical treatment.” Mia communicates, In this film, one of the primary goals was to evoke empathy for Rico, allowing the audience to understand his motivations behind the kidnapping and to root for him in achieving his objectives. Simultaneously, it was important to make the audience like Terry’s character (Michael Teh of Primetime Emmy Nominated Series Criminal Minds), even though he displays some selfish and egotistical traits. I like the challenge of my work when it requires me to try and convince the audience to like a character when it would be so easy not to.”

Music director-composer Ian Yan is a rapidly emerging force in New York’s highly competitive theater and music scenes. Yan’s dynamic mix of originality, raw talent and extensive formal training have allowed him to gain significant traction amongst his colleagues, and his impressive roster of credits was recently enhanced by serving as Music Associate for the White House State Dinner hosting the President of the South Korean Republic Yoon Suk Yeol.

“The Music Associate’s role is to assist the Music Supervisor and Music Director with any and all tasks that could arise,” Yan said. “This includes transcription, copy work, arranging, orchestrating, playing piano in rehearsals and conducting. Even though my work was remote, it was a once in a lifetime thrill, absolutely.”

It was a glamorous, black-tie affair celebrating the two nations’ 70-year alliance. Attendees included Angelina Jolie and her son Maddox, Home Design stars Chip and Joanna Gaines, Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim, cabinet members Antony Blinken, General Mark Milley and leading political figures such as Chuck Schumer, Mitt Romney and, of course, the President and First Lady.

The White House state dinner is a distinguished addition to his professional quiver of exceptional achievements—a resume which the Hong Kong-born Yan has dedicated virtually his entire life to. A child prodigy with perfect pitch, Yan’s prodigious skills quickly gained international attention, leading Britain’s prestigious Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music to rank the 11-year-old at an impressive Grade 8. 

At age 13, Yan was attending boarding school in England, where he added jazz and pop to his classical repertoire and began composing some strikingly original pieces. Moving on to New York’s venerable Columbia University, studying music theory, conducting, ear training, jazz orchestration and instrumentation while concurrently serving as Music Director for the Columbia Musical Theater Society, the annual Varsity Show and the Columbia Pops Orchestra.

His career plays out on multiple artistic fronts. Yan’s remarkable versatility allows him to serve as music director in theatrical, concert and studio settings as well as composer for film and musical shows including—thanks to the honor of being selected for the inaugural cohort of non-profit musical organization Musicians United for Social Equity (MUSE)—composing music, lyrics and libretto for his groundbreaking socio-cultural themed musical Re-Orient. The spectacularly original show was created during a one-on-one mentorship with Tony-Pulitzer winning Broadway powerhouse Tom Kitt (Flying Over Sunset, Next to Normal), and caught the attention of influential Broadway lyricist-librettist Sam Carner, who invited Yan to join his new Musical Theater Writer’s Collective.

Yan’s expressive melodics and deep technical prowess unfailingly garner professional attention, and the White House state dinner gig is a classic example: he was working as music assistant for the annual, high-profile Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Easter Bonnet Competition show—the celebratory conclusion of six weeks of competitive, in-theater fundraising by 42 Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring companies—where he quickly impressed renown music director Ted Arthur (Diana, Cyrano, Mean Girls).

“I was in the middle of rehearsals for the annual BC/EFA Easter Bonnet Competition, which was being Music Supervised by Ted Arthur, who was also the Music Director for the White House State Dinner,” Yan said. “I had proved my skills useful at Easter Bonnet, and so Ted brought me on to the White House State Dinner, as well.”

Arthur’s confidence in Yan constituted a sterling professional endorsement, and he eagerly rose to the occasion.

“I was brought in around a week before the dinner, and there was a rehearsal process that happened in the lead-up towards the event,” Yan said. “The music was performed by the United States Marine Band—’The President’s Own’—directed by Colonel Jason K. Fettig, who is also the music adviser to the President of the United States.” 

Already notable as the Biden administration’s second state dinner and President Yoon Suk Yeol’s first official visit to the US, it was a major affair. With some 200 VIP guests being served in the East Room (largest in the Executive Mansion), everything, from the Korean-American fusion menu to the cherry blossom floral arrangements, had to perfect.

“I was in charge of creating the piano transcriptions that were used to do the full orchestrations,” Yan said. “The program featured Broadway stars Lea Salonga, Norm Lewis and Jessica Vosk and included hit showtunes such as ‘On My Own’ from Les Miserables, ‘Somewhere (There’s a Place for Us)’ from West Side Story, ‘This is the Moment’ from Jekyll and Hyde, ‘If I Loved You’ from Carousel and ‘American Pie’ by Don McLean.”

That last title was a special entry, one which made a minor bit of history—President Yoon Suk Yeol had indicated that he, himself, would like to perform the song (a personal favorite), and President Biden was also prepared—with a guitar autographed by composer McLean.

“We had been informed that Yoon wanted to sing the song but were unsure whether it would actually happen or not,” Yan said. “We prepared the arrangement in case he decided to—which he eventually did at the end of the night, singing a surprise encore of ‘American Pie,’ for which I prepared the piano arrangement.”

Yoon’s climactic performance made headlines around the world and Yan, despite his physical absence, had a direct hand in an extraordinary musical moment on the world stage, a clear signal that the talented, fast-rising young artist is capable of just about anything.

“It was surreal to see the videos of the President singing my piano transcription online and, in real time, getting hundreds of thousands of views,” Yan said. “I felt very honored to have been a part of this experience and for Ted and the White House music team to have trusted me with this huge responsibility.”

A sit-down editorial profile of Australian actor Grant Lyndon reveals many things for our readers. In this story, sit back, relax and get an insight into the core of what motivates an acclaimed artist and family man. 

Being able to effortlessly move between accents – American & British being his most called upon – award-winning Australian actor Grant Lyndon finds this opens up a wide range of opportunities to be the voice of many iconic brands, in addition to the father’s glittering on-screen career. 

With a newly achieved award under his belt, Grant is quickly standing out more and more by the minute. The Aussie favourite was recently awarded a ‘Best Actor’ prize by the Grand Jury at the New York International Film Awards.

While this may have been for his on-screen work, Grant’s equally known as being the voice of a number of high-rating TV series, ensuring Australians viewers are very familiar with Lyndon’s talents.

It’s apparent to anyone watching the series Aussie Lobster Men that the whole tone and feel of the show would be far less ‘Aussie’ without Lyndon’s distinct narration.

With M&C Saatchi, Grant voiced a whole summer of fresh alcohol offers in their national radio campaign. The iconic and international advertising agency network, founded back in 1995, boasts a $200 million valuation and its success is something for which Lyndon continues to benefit. Once he was in with the fold of their ad execs, the work hasn’t stopped. 

Suffice to say, he’s left an indelible mark on the portfolio of campaigns produced at M&C Saatchi and undoubtedly played an incredibly important role at the renowned company.

Ultimately, it’s clear that Lyndon has the power to make simple words sound much more meaningful than what’s on the page. There’s a belief & confidence in the messages he voices. This is a very strong card for a brand to play, when both building and maintaining a deep relationship with their audience. 

As Lyndon’s colleagues reiterate, the ABC network wouldn’t be what it is, were it not for Lyndon’s contributions over the years – starting all the way back with Rogue Nation. Grant’s role in that series quintessentially encapsulated the great and formative time in Australian history portrayed by the show, and Grant’s role reinforced his reputation as one of the few go-to actors to accurately be able to portray historical figures on screen for iconic Australian historical chapters. 

Indeed, Lyndon was irreplaceable in the highly-rating drama, ‘House of Bond’, which aired on Channel Nine. 

Grant’s deep connection to the role of Warren Jones (after much personal research) and his ability to display the truth of the way that he sees the world thoroughly upheld the artistic quality of Channel Nine’s acclaimed mini series. 

This approach to work allows Grant to connect his acting to his real-life as well. He devotedly helps train beginner actors to reach their career potential. 

When Grant is not playing roles on screen, his belonging to the top-tier of the industry is reflected in regular invitations to run voice-over masterclass final year actors at NIDA, one of the world’s leading drama schools (and where Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett also attended). 

Lyndon’s also a VIP guest speaker at the International Screen Academy for graduates in getting industry ready, and a guest teacher at Toni Higginbothom casting.

Although Grant is inspired by many different facets in his life, the main motivator, as he says are his children. Such is reflected in how he dives deeper into fatherhood with his podcast ‘BusyDads’, where he explains how being a parent wholeheartedly is the center of his life.  

“I’m super excited about what’s ahead for me. I’m at a stage of my life where I’m more comfortable in my skin than I’ve ever  been, and most importantly, my family backs me 100%.”

Lyndon elaborates on the current industry landscape, as it recovers from COVID-19.

“There are so many great opportunities to play roles that are outside of the safe casting choices of the traditional media platforms. The diversity in storytelling that the streaming services allow for, really lights me up inside. Actors now have the opportunity to play characters outside of the known, and are collaborating to create and tell stories that are literally changing the world.”