Eugene Kan's guest appearances

Eugene Kan

Water & Music

All About Digital Marketing Podcast

JOYCE: Live Curiously 

Playing The Inner Game

Splice Pink

Pankaj Mishra

Joseph Altuzarra

Dan Englander

David Turner

Jeff White

Matt Johnson

Michaela Alexis

Emily Soccorsy

Justin Foster

Larry Ludwig

John Rogers

Madame Gandhi

Garrison Snell

Becky Robinson

Lee Caraher

OwlTail

Eugene Kan co-founded MAEKAN in 2016 in Hong Kong after leaving Hypebeast where he was the editorial director. MAEKAN's goal is to celebrate creative culture, and it does that through articles, podcasts, and more recently, an e-commerce store. We talked with Eugene about the changing subculture lifestyle market, and the media and fans who support it.Check out MAEKAN here:https://maekan.com/Follow Eugene Kan on Twitter:https://twitter.com/eugenekan

Eugene Kan co-founded MAEKAN in 2016 in Hong Kong after leaving Hypebeast where he was the editorial director. MAEKAN's goal is to celebrate creative culture, and it does that through articles, podcasts, and more recently, an e-commerce store. We talked with Eugene about the changing subculture lifestyle market, and the media and fans who support it.Check out MAEKAN here: <a href="https://maekan.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://maekan.com/ </a> Follow Eugene Kan on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/eugenekan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/eugenekan</a>

MAEKAN's Eugene Kan on building media products for subcultures and fans

"I've never considered myself so talented that I could just coast. But I'll outwork you, I'll go into a depth that you aren't willing to go to, and that's just what I know best"Eugene was the first ever Editorial Director at HYPEBEAST where over the course of 8 years, he helped transform a niche blog for sneaker fans, into the global driving force of men's streetwear and fashion that it is today. He is now the co-founder of MAEKAN, a story-driven audiovisual publication devoted to the sights and sounds of creative culture, and is also the Co-Founder of Adam Studios, a creative agency that has shot campaigns with the likes of Chris Pratt for TUMI, and David Beckham for Adidas Originals.We talk about: Lessons from our (short-lived) careers in professional footballThe nuance of ‘following your passion' Good advice for creators and startupsThe difficulty of monetising creative workWhy he refuses to fly business class Decoupling self-worth from net-worthHow never feeling good enough can actually work in our favourand much more. IG: Follow the man: @eugenekanIG: Follow the work: @maekan @adamstudios_ www.maekan.comOther mentions:@thatfoodcray@fourfoxsakeofficialHome of the podcast: www.michaelxcampion.comIG: @michaelxcampionJoin the weekly newsletter www.michaelxcampion.com/subscribe

"I've never considered myself so talented that I could just coast. But I'll outwork you, I'll go into a depth that you aren't willing to go to, and that's just what I know best" Eugene was the first ever Editorial Director at <a href="https://hypebeast.com/zh" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HYPEBEAST</a> where over the course of 8 years, he helped transform a niche blog for sneaker fans, into the global driving force of men's streetwear and fashion that it is today. He is now the co-founder of <a href="http://maekan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MAEKAN</a>, a story-driven audiovisual publication devoted to the sights and sounds of creative culture, and is also the Co-Founder of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/adamstudios_/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Adam Studios</a>, a creative agency that has shot campaigns with the likes of Chris Pratt for TUMI, and David Beckham for Adidas Originals. We talk about: <ul><li>Lessons from our (short-lived) careers in professional football</li><li>The nuance of ‘following your passion' </li><li>Good advice for creators and startups</li><li>The difficulty of monetising creative work</li><li>Why he refuses to fly business class </li><li>Decoupling self-worth from net-worth</li><li>How never feeling good enough can actually work in our favour</li><li>and much more. </li></ul>IG: Follow the man: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/eugenekan/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@eugenekan</a> IG: Follow the work: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/maekan/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@maekan</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/adamstudios_/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@adamstudios_</a> <a href="http://maekan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.maekan.com</a> Other mentions: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thatfoodcray/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@thatfoodcray</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/fourfoxsakeofficial/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@fourfoxsakeofficial</a> Home of the podcast: <a href="http://michaelxcampion.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.michaelxcampion.com</a> IG: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/michaelxcampion/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@michaelxcampion</a> Join the weekly newsletter <a href="https://www.michaelxcampion.com/subscribe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.michaelxcampion.com/subscribe</a>

#01 Eugene Kan - Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Using Imposter Syndrome as Fuel

Tedman Lee

Arthur Bray

Made in Hong Kong. Longtime friends and compatriots Arthur Bray (Editor and Creative Producer, DJ and founder of Yeti Out) and Tedman Lee (Multimedia Creative, DJ and Founder of The Private Label and Triple Happiness Club) host an episode that celebrates homegrown talent. Both Hong Kong born and bred, the pair sit down with friend Eugene Kan, (former Editorial Director at Hypebeast and Founder of Maekan) to talk about creating in the small but connected city we call home. “A good idea is only as good as it’s expressed.” But when language and cultural barriers throw up all manner of obstacles, how do you navigate the nuances of working in an Asian market? The answer is to think bigger. Think global. So what’s this common language that brings us together? It’s the appetite for something new. Curiosity. And of course finding the right platform to stay connected. Listen and learn from the experiences of leaders of a micro-generation of Hong Kongers who from the comfort of noisy cha chaan tengs paved the way for a new wave of entrepreneurial creatives.

Made in Hong Kong. Longtime friends and compatriots Arthur Bray (Editor and Creative Producer, DJ and founder of Yeti Out) and Tedman Lee (Multimedia Creative, DJ and Founder of The Private Label and Triple Happiness Club) host an episode that celebrates homegrown talent. Both Hong Kong born and bred, the pair sit down with friend Eugene Kan, (former Editorial Director at Hypebeast and Founder of Maekan) to talk about creating in the small but connected city we call home. “A good idea is only as good as it’s expressed.” But when language and cultural barriers throw up all manner of obstacles, how do you navigate the nuances of working in an Asian market? The answer is to think bigger. Think global. So what’s this common language that brings us together? It’s the appetite for something new. Curiosity. And of course finding the right platform to stay connected. Listen and learn from the experiences of leaders of a micro-generation of Hong Kongers who from the comfort of noisy cha chaan tengs paved the way for a new wave of entrepreneurial creatives.

Live Connected: Eugene Kan in conversation with Arthur Bray and Tedman Lee

We’re talking all about storytelling and creativity with Eugene Kan, co-founder of MAEKAN and ex-editor of HYPEBEAST. Storytelling has been around since the beginning of time. We’ve used this as a means to pass on information to educate and warn each other as well as to entertain.When it comes to your digital marketing, storytelling plays a massive role in the development of your brand online. Going even deeper, it plays a role in how you see your business as the owner, too.Hope you enjoy the episode and got some value from the conversation with Eugene. Testing, trying, and actually doing are some of the most important factors when it comes to your digital marketing. Remember to subscribe and leave us a review to let us know what you think of the podcast.If you’re looking for more help with your digital marketing, I’m excited to tell you that the team at Social INK Digital Marketing Is launching a brand new education platform focussed on helping all brands and businesses with their social media marketing. You can sign up today on www.PostLikeShare.com to make sure you are amongst the first to know as soon as it goes live and to receive a very special welcome gift too.Music by Hani Koi from Fugue

We’re talking all about storytelling and creativity with Eugene Kan, co-founder of MAEKAN and ex-editor of HYPEBEAST. Storytelling has been around since the beginning of time. We’ve used this as a means to pass on information to educate and warn each other as well as to entertain.When it comes to your digital marketing, storytelling plays a massive role in the development of your brand online. Going even deeper, it plays a role in how you see your business as the owner, too.Hope you enjoy the episode and got some value from the conversation with Eugene. Testing, trying, and actually doing are some of the most important factors when it comes to your digital marketing. Remember to subscribe and leave us a review to let us know what you think of the podcast.If you’re looking for more help with your digital marketing, I’m excited to tell you that the team at <a href="https://www.socialink.co/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Social INK Digital Marketing</a> Is launching a brand new education platform focussed on helping all brands and businesses with their social media marketing. You can sign up today on <a href="https://www.postlikeshare.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.PostLikeShare.com</a> to make sure you are amongst the first to know as soon as it goes live and to receive a very special welcome gift too. Music by <a href="https://icons8.com/music/author/hani-koi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hani Koi</a> from Fugue

Episode 10 - Storytelling and Creativity for Brands with Eugene Kan

Charis Poon

INTRO/OUTRO MUSIC:Yung Skrrt &amp; Jonah Baseball - "The Man" (feat. Houdinne &amp; Lunarboy) (Instrumental)Spotify | SoundCloud | BandcampYung Skrrt: Twitter | InstagramCOVER ART:Arielle TrenkFEATURED GUESTS:Eugene Kan — co-founder, MAEKANCharis Poon — writer, editor and producer, MAEKANBoth Eugene and Charis co-host the weekly podcast Making It Up, and were two of five co-writers of the essay "The Modern Creator's Paradigm: Reasons for More Critique and Accountability."SHOW TIMESTAMPS:[2:50] Interview begins.[4:00] Are we as consumers sufficiently challenging the creative work that's out there? Is it our role to challenge it? Should the consumer always "win"?[9:12] Music and video platforms are increasingly embracing their roles as gatekeepers, and taking on the burden of responsibility and scrutiny in their curation.Liz Pelly's "Discover Weakly," a study of gender representation on Spotify playlists.[15:45] A significant component of creative and algorithmic accountability just comes down to answering the question of why. Why is a platform recommending this song or movie to me? Why am I listening to this song, and does the platform know that reason? This is a question that word-of-mouth addresses better than any other tactic, and that algorithmic channels like Spotify's Discover Weekly still struggle to navigate.[20:36] Thinking more critically about a piece of creative work arguably drives up the value of that work. "Without creative accountability, the new work that’s generated rarely gets the critique necessary for it to develop into something refined and of higher value."[25:26] Regardless of whether the song "Old Town Road" is actually "good," Lil Nas X benefited from fast-moving forms of cultural response — including memes, which arguably comprise a form of cultural criticism.[28:42] Despite whatever creative democratization has taken place thanks to technology, our silos of communal critique may be deepening.[29:39] As a whole, if we're advocating for smaller, tight-knit communities of critique to help push culture forward, how many of those communities will we be able to see in the open? Who will even get to see it in the first place? (Hint: platforms.)[30:57] From a cultural consumer's perspective, higher barriers to consumption arguably lead to more impactful and emotional investment in creators.[33:41] Music distribution and tech companies are increasingly catering to the "middle tier" of independent artists and their teams.I wrote a recent newsletter about how music distributor Stem made precisely this pivot to "middle-tier" services.[39:01] A somewhat radical idea: What if creator-focused companies taxed hobbyists higher than professional artists for their services? Or, put another way, what if artists were rewarded with more equity, not less, for contributing positively to their culture and community — essentially the opposite of how traditional record-label deals are structured?[42:44] Discussion of the key building blocks for the future of media, speaking from our experiences building MAEKAN (Eugene/Charis) and a Patreon membership (Cherie). Key trends: Moving beyond news cycles, accelerated timelines and output quotas. "Finishable content" — i.e. moving past the psychological feeling of never getting caught up. Infinite cultural mindset — i.e. fostering culture with infinite longevity and cross-generational relevance, instead of focusing only on content that drives short-term engagement. [54:39] Overrated/Underrated segment begins. (this lasted more than 10 minutes, lol)[54:57] Charis: The conversation and controversy around Taylor Swift's new single and music video "You Need to Calm Down."[58:32] Eugene: The role of merch bundling not only in Billboard chart placement, but also in artists' cultural influence on- and offline.See the multiple articles online on DJ Khaled vs. Tyler, The Creator for more context on the merch bundle wars.[1:04:46] Cherie: YG Entertainment founder Yang Hyun-Suk stepping down, amidst a string of sex-related scandals in the K-pop world.Subscribe to my newsletter for more conversations on big ideas and trends in music and tech:bit.ly/waterandmusic  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ 

INTRO/OUTRO MUSIC: Yung Skrrt &amp; Jonah Baseball - "The Man" (feat. Houdinne &amp; Lunarboy) (Instrumental) <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/5n9vw8IVX4fETYIyylspPZ?autoplay=true&amp;v=T" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a> | <a href="https://soundcloud.com/yungskrrt/theman" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SoundCloud</a> | <a href="https://yungskrrt.bandcamp.com/track/the-man-feat-houdinne-lunarboy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> Yung Skrrt: <a href="https://twitter.com/yungskrrt" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yungskrrt.exe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>COVER ART: <a href="http://www.arielletrenk.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Arielle Trenk</a>FEATURED GUESTS: Eugene Kan — co-founder, <a href="https://maekan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MAEKAN</a> Charis Poon — writer, editor and producer, MAEKAN Both Eugene and Charis co-host the weekly podcast <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-it-up/id1320391981" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Making It Up</a>, and were two of five co-writers of the essay "<a href="https://maekan.com/article/the-modern-creators-paradigm/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Modern Creator's Paradigm: Reasons for More Critique and Accountability</a>."SHOW TIMESTAMPS:[2:50] Interview begins. [4:00] Are we as consumers sufficiently challenging the creative work that's out there? Is it our role to challenge it? Should the consumer always "win"?[9:12] Music and video platforms are increasingly embracing their roles as gatekeepers, and taking on the burden of responsibility and scrutiny in their curation.<ul><li>Liz Pelly's "<a href="https://thebaffler.com/latest/discover-weakly-pelly" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Discover Weakly</a>," a study of gender representation on Spotify playlists.</li></ul>[15:45] A significant component of creative and algorithmic accountability just comes down to answering the question of why. Why is a platform recommending this song or movie to me? Why am I listening to this song, and does the platform know that reason? This is a question that word-of-mouth addresses better than any other tactic, and that algorithmic channels like Spotify's Discover Weekly still struggle to navigate.[20:36] Thinking more critically about a piece of creative work arguably drives up the value of that work. "Without creative accountability, the new work that’s generated rarely gets the critique necessary for it to develop into something refined and of higher value."[25:26] Regardless of whether the song "Old Town Road" is actually "good," Lil Nas X benefited from fast-moving forms of cultural response — including memes, which arguably comprise a form of cultural criticism.[28:42] Despite whatever creative democratization has taken place thanks to technology, our silos of communal critique may be deepening.[29:39] As a whole, if we're advocating for smaller, tight-knit communities of critique to help push culture forward, how many of those communities will we be able to see in the open? Who will even get to see it in the first place? (Hint: platforms.)[30:57] From a cultural consumer's perspective, higher barriers to consumption arguably lead to more impactful and emotional investment in creators.[33:41] Music distribution and tech companies are increasingly catering to the "middle tier" of independent artists and their teams.<ul><li>I wrote a <a href="https://us20.campaign-archive.com/?e=c0818c8d88&amp;u=3d1b6946215346237ceeb999b&amp;id=81f07b66df" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">recent newsletter</a> about how music distributor Stem made precisely this pivot to "middle-tier" services.</li></ul>[39:01] A somewhat radical idea: What if creator-focused companies taxed hobbyists higher than professional artists for their services? Or, put another way, what if artists were rewarded with more equity, not less, for contributing positively to their culture and community — essentially the opposite of how traditional record-label deals are structured?[42:44] Discussion of the key building blocks for the future of media, speaking from our experiences building MAEKAN (Eugene/Charis) and a Patreon membership (Cherie). Key trends:<ol> <li>Moving beyond news cycles, accelerated timelines and output quotas.</li> <li>"Finishable content" — i.e. moving past the psychological feeling of never getting caught up.</li> <li>Infinite cultural mindset — i.e. fostering culture with infinite longevity and cross-generational relevance, instead of focusing only on content that drives short-term engagement.</li> </ol>[54:39] Overrated/Underrated segment begins. (this lasted more than 10 minutes, lol) [54:57] Charis: The conversation and controversy around Taylor Swift's new single and music video "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkk9gvTmCXY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">You Need to Calm Down</a>."[58:32] Eugene: The role of merch bundling not only in Billboard chart placement, but also in artists' cultural influence on- and offline.<ul><li>See the multiple articles online on <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2019/06/dj-khaled-vs-billboard-explained.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DJ Khaled vs. Tyler, The Creator</a> for more context on the merch bundle wars.</li></ul>[1:04:46] Cherie: YG Entertainment founder Yang Hyun-Suk <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8515957/yg-entertainment-yang-resigns-ceo-drug-accusations" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">stepping down</a>, amidst a string of sex-related scandals in the K-pop world. Subscribe to my newsletter for more conversations on big ideas and trends in music and tech: <a href="https://bit.ly/waterandmusic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/waterandmusic</a> <a href="https://patreon.com/cheriehu" rel="payment nofollow" target="_blank">★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★</a>