#147 | Jesse Appell

Today’s podcast is all about Jesse Appell. He is an independent creative, entrepreneur and intercultural comedian based in Beijing who uses comedy to bridge cultural divides between China and the West. Jesse has performed on television, radio, and live on various platforms in China, his intercultural comedic pieces have collected millions of views across various traditional and new media platforms. Jesse has become a trailblazer in the new and fantastically interesting field of intercultural comedy; this work has been featured on TEDx, PBS, NPR and PRI, as well as Chinese media such as CCTV, BTV, and CRI. Jesse was also listed as one of the “People of the Year” for 2012 by the Global Times for my viral video "Laowai Style,"​ which garnered two million views in China. In the English-speaking world, Jesse’s "Great LOL Of China" tour, has performed Chinese comedy at over 30 schools, such as at Harvard, Yale SOM, University of Washington, Brandeis, Wesleyan, and UH Manoa.

Previously, as a Fulbright Research Fellow, Jesse conducted 14 months of research on Chinese traditional Xiangsheng comedy, studying Chinese humor through performance and became a disciple of master performer Ding Guangquan (丁广泉 ) and also perform bilingual improv comedy, Chinese language standup, and bilingual rap.

Lastly, Jesse is a hobbyist of Chinese tea culture, he enjoys writing sci-fi / fantasy novels, and he has a giant pet stuffed octopus named Copernicus. To learn more about Jesse: https://www.instagram.com/whatxisaid