Latest news with #TerryChen
Pink Villa
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Avatar The Last Airbender Cast: Madison Hu, Dichen Lachman and More Join Season 2 of Netflix's Action Fantasy
Following the massively successful run of the highly acclaimed and age-old story of Avatar: The Last Airbender's first season, season two is looking bright. Moreover, the next season will surely be heavier as new characters are being welcomed, who will be played by some big names from the film industry. The cast of the next season will introduce Jeong Jeong, who will be played by Terry Chen, alongside Dolly de Leon as Lo and Li, and Lily Gao as Ursa. Meanwhile, get ready for great action as Madison Hu will also join the outing, playing the role of Fei. Dichen Lachman will be seen as Yangchen, Miya Cech as Toph, and Chin Han as Long Feng. Other grand entires will be seen from Hoa Xuande who will play the character of Professor Zei, Justin Chien set to be seen as King Kuei, and Amanda Zhou as Joo Dee. Further, the series will also have Crystal Yu as Lady Beifong, Kelemete Misipeka as The Boulder, and Lourdes Faberes as General Sung. An indian origin actress, Rekha Sharma, will be seen playing the character of Amita in Avatar: The Last Airbender. Meanwhile, it is crucial to know that even the cast of the series's third season has also been announced, with Jon Jon Briones set to play the character of Piandao and Tantoo Cardinal as Hama. The second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender will be helmed by Christine Boylan and Jabbar Raisani, who will be its executive producers. Recently, they shared that 'We're looking forward to working with all of our actors again and digging into the deeper, more complicated relationships that develop as their journey continues.' While talking to Netflix, the two had further added that they plan to show the real-world versions of iconic scenes, coming right out of the original story. The series has wrapped its production and will be released soon.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Avatar: The Last Airbender' Set To Begin Production On Season 3; Unveils New Cast
Season 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender is in the can and production is set to begin on the third and final season of Netflix's live-action adaptation. You can see an on-set cast video announcement below. The streamer also revealed new cast members who round out the Season 2 line-up. Terry Chen (Lucky Star) portrays Jeong Jeong; Dolly de Leon (Triangle of Sadness) plays Lo and Li; Lily Gau (Blue Sun Palace), is Ursa; Madison Hu (The Brothers Sun) plays Fei; and Dichen Lachman (Severance) portrays Yangchen. More from Deadline Comedian Earthquake Prepping Second Special For Netflix Streaming Ad Tiers Catch Fire, Make Up Nearly Half Of U.S. Subscriptions For SVODs That Offer Them, Study Says It Starts On The Page (Limited): Read 'Adolescence' Episode 3 Script With Foreword By Stephen Graham & Jack Thorne They join previously announced new S2 cast members including Miya Cech, Chin Han, Hoa Xuande, Justin Chien, Amanda Zhou, Crystal Yu, Kelemete Misipeka, Lourdes Faberes, Rekha Sharma, alongside returning cast Gordan Cormier, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley, Dallas Liu, Elizabeth Yu, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Daniel Dae Kim, Momona Tamada, and Thalia Tran. New cast members for Season 3 include Jon Jon Briones (Ratched) as Piandao and Tantoo Cardinal (Dances with Wolves) as Hama. Avatar: The Last Airbender is a live-action reimagining of the beloved Nickelodeon animated series following Aang, the young Avatar, as he learns to master the four elements (Water, Earth, Fire and Air) to restore balance to a world threatened by the terrifying Fire Nation. Christine Boylan, Jabbar Raisani, Dan Lin, Ryan Halprin, Brendan Ferguson, Albert Kim executive produce. Best of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds All The 'Mission: Impossible' Movies In Order - See Tom Cruise's 30-Year Journey As Ethan Hunt Denzel Washington's Career In Pictures: From 'Carbon Copy' To 'The Equalizer 3'
The Province
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Province
Viral TikTok clip of Vancouver actor Terry Chen gives Lucky Star movie an unplanned push
Tax scams, gambling addiction addressed in new film starring veteran Vancouver actor Terry Chen. In the new film Lucky Star the main character Lucky, played by Terry Chen, finds himself in deep financial trouble after falling prey to a tax scam. Photo by ? Sarah Koury Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Vancouver-based actor Terry Chen, whose resume is long and loaded, can now add viral sensation to his list of accomplishments. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors A TikTok clip from the Vancouver-shot CBC series Wild Cards where Chen, in character as the no-nonsense Police Chief Li, shrugs a blanket from his shoulders and walks away from an ambulance in a tight white tank top, exposing numerous tattoos across a very fit frame, has gone very viral. The surprised reaction on the faces of other characters in the scene says it all. 'I didn't even hear about that until weeks after when one of the producer's assistants had texted me asking if I knew I went viral online,' said a laughing Chen during a recent Zoom interview. 'Who wants to see a 50-year-old tattooed Asian guy?' Turns out plenty of people do. And while Chen is still in a bit of disbelief about his new-found online popularity, he is quick to point out that the publicity is OK with him — if it can help get more people to see his new film Lucky Star. Vancouver-based actor Terry Chen stars in the new dramatic film Lucky Star. Set in suburban Calgary, Lucky Star is the story of a family desperately trying to make ends meet in a world that is increasingly unaffordable. Photo by Kino Sum Productions / Kino Sum Productions Out on VOD on May 13, the film is screening in theatres across the country, including Vancouver's Rio Theatre on May 28 at the tail end of Asian Heritage Month. The Rio screening will be followed by a Q&A with director/writer Gillian McKercher along with Chen and co-star Olivia Cheng. 'If I can draw more attention to the film, then great. You know, I don't want to dismiss it or put it down. It's just different,' said Chen whose credits along with Wild Cards include the films Almost Famous and Sight, the TV series House of Cards, The Lake, The Last of Us, A Million Little Things, The Good Doctor and Van Helsing. 'I'm Gen X. I come from a time where I thought anonymity (served) actors the best … I never wanted to go into a film looking at a celebrity. I want to be able to suspend my disbelief of the character that these artists are playing and now, it's so different. And as all things change, it's really interesting.' Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Chen first heard about the film Lucky Star when he was asked to take part in a read-through of the script for the Canadian Film Centre a handful of years ago. After that, he forgot about it. Flash-forward 18 months and Chen got the call that the film was getting made. And they wanted Chen to play the lead, Lucky, a former gambler who falls victim to a tax scam. 'I love how broken the characters were, how secrets were kept throughout the family, and it really resonated with my own personal growing up and family experiences as well,' said Chen, who grew up in Edmonton. 'I actually just became a father at that point. So, a lot of the themes of the film resonated personally on a lot of levels. 'I think that it was an opportunity to tell a story about the Asian diaspora that hasn't been told before.' Lucky and his wife, played by Vancouver's Cheng, are a suburban Calgary couple who are struggling financially while raising a school-aged daughter with another daughter who is just wrapping up university. Things go from bad to really worse when Lucky falls prey to a five-figure tax scam. The financial strain within the family leads to tension and high-stakes secrets. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In the new film Lucky Star the main character Lucky, played by Terry Chen, finds himself in deep financial trouble after falling prey to a tax scam. Photo by Courtesy of Kino Sum Productions 'It's so embarrassing. No one wants to admit it,' said Calgary's McKercher about being a scam victim. 'One of the things I read about was, in Canada, there's a number where it says this much money has been lost to tax scams. But that's maybe only 20 per cent of how much they actually estimate to be lost to scams because people are just so ashamed they will never talk about it.' Chen agrees with McKercher that speaking up after being scammed isn't a popular impulse, but people need to be encouraged to do so in order to help authorities combat increasingly sophisticated scams. 'It makes them look foolish, brings into question so many other aspects of their lives,' said Chen, who is also an executive producer on Lucky Star. 'Targeting specific demographics and age groups is malicious. It's evil. But it's also something that I think needs to be exposed. We need to talk more, because then you just sort of normalize it.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Lucky Star is the story of a family trying to make ends meet in a world that is increasingly unaffordable. It shows people pushed to the brink and faced with only desperate options. One of those options is gambling, something that is unavoidable these days in our world of endless online betting ads and promotions. 'Gambling inspires judgment because it's like, 'Well, you should know better,' because at least when we think about alcohol addiction or drug addiction, it's like, 'It's sort of out of your control,' ' said McKercher. 'But with gambling, there is a perceived agency which is there. And that was something I was really interested in. Lucky has agency. How far does his gambling go with his choice versus not his choice? And how far does the family allow him to go with that before they have to make changes?' McKercher's view of gambling is a long way from the usual shiny scenes set under the bright lights of big, corporate casinos. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I was really interested in showing the unsexy side of gambling,' said McKercher. 'I think we're all used to films that go to the casino in Las Vegas … There is sort of this sexy quality to them. In my experience, I did a lot of research for this film, a lot of the gambling happens in suburban homes … It's not sexy. And that's what I wanted to share, the reality of that.' Dgee@ Read More Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks Crime BC Lions Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Sun
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
Viral TikTok clip of Vancouver actor Terry Chen gives Lucky Star movie an unplanned push
Vancouver-based actor Terry Chen, whose resume is long and loaded, can now add viral sensation to his list of accomplishments. A TikTok clip from the Vancouver-shot CBC series Wild Cards where Chen, in character as the no-nonsense Police Chief Li , shrugs a blanket from his shoulders and walks away from an ambulance in a tight white tank top, exposing numerous tattoos across a very fit frame, has gone very viral. The surprised reaction on the faces of other characters in the scene says it all. 'I didn't even hear about that until weeks after when one of the producer's assistants had texted me asking if I knew I went viral online,' said a laughing Chen during a recent Zoom interview. 'Who wants to see a 50-year-old tattooed Asian guy ?' Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Turns out plenty of people do. And while Chen is still in a bit of disbelief about his new-found online popularity, he is quick to point out that the publicity is OK with him — if it can help get more people to see his new film Lucky Star. Out on VOD on May 13, the film is screening in theatres across the country, including Vancouver's Rio Theatre on May 28 at the tail end of Asian Heritage Month. The Rio screening will be followed by a Q&A with director/writer Gillian McKercher along with Chen and co-star Olivia Cheng. 'If I can draw more attention to the film, then great. You know, I don't want to dismiss it or put it down. It's just different,' said Chen whose credits along with Wild Cards include the films Almost Famous and Sight, the TV series House of Cards, The Lake, The Last of Us , A Million Little Things, The Good Doctor and Van Helsing. 'I'm Gen X. I come from a time where I thought anonymity (served) actors the best … I never wanted to go into a film looking at a celebrity. I want to be able to suspend my disbelief of the character that these artists are playing and now, it's so different. And as all things change, it's really interesting.' Chen first heard about the film Lucky Star when he was asked to take part in a read-through of the script for the Canadian Film Centre a handful of years ago. After that, he forgot about it. Flash-forward 18 months and Chen got the call that the film was getting made. And they wanted Chen to play the lead, Lucky, a former gambler who falls victim to a tax scam. 'I love how broken the characters were, how secrets were kept throughout the family, and it really resonated with my own personal growing up and family experiences as well,' said Chen, who grew up in Edmonton. 'I actually just became a father at that point. So, a lot of the themes of the film resonated personally on a lot of levels. 'I think that it was an opportunity to tell a story about the Asian diaspora that hasn't been told before.' Lucky and his wife, played by Vancouver's Cheng, are a suburban Calgary couple who are struggling financially while raising a school-aged daughter with another daughter who is just wrapping up university. Things go from bad to really worse when Lucky falls prey to a five-figure tax scam. The financial strain within the family leads to tension and high-stakes secrets. 'It's so embarrassing. No one wants to admit it,' said Calgary's McKercher about being a scam victim. 'One of the things I read about was, in Canada, there's a number where it says this much money has been lost to tax scams. But that's maybe only 20 per cent of how much they actually estimate to be lost to scams because people are just so ashamed they will never talk about it.' Chen agrees with McKercher that speaking up after being scammed isn't a popular impulse, but people need to be encouraged to do so in order to help authorities combat increasingly sophisticated scams. 'It makes them look foolish, brings into question so many other aspects of their lives,' said Chen, who is also an executive producer on Lucky Star. 'Targeting specific demographics and age groups is malicious. It's evil. But it's also something that I think needs to be exposed. We need to talk more, because then you just sort of normalize it.' Lucky Star is the story of a family trying to make ends meet in a world that is increasingly unaffordable. It shows people pushed to the brink and faced with only desperate options. One of those options is gambling, something that is unavoidable these days in our world of endless online betting ads and promotions. 'Gambling inspires judgment because it's like, 'Well, you should know better,' because at least when we think about alcohol addiction or drug addiction, it's like, 'It's sort of out of your control,' ' said McKercher. 'But with gambling, there is a perceived agency which is there. And that was something I was really interested in. Lucky has agency. How far does his gambling go with his choice versus not his choice? And how far does the family allow him to go with that before they have to make changes?' McKercher's view of gambling is a long way from the usual shiny scenes set under the bright lights of big, corporate casinos. 'I was really interested in showing the unsexy side of gambling,' said McKercher. 'I think we're all used to films that go to the casino in Las Vegas … There is sort of this sexy quality to them. In my experience, I did a lot of research for this film, a lot of the gambling happens in suburban homes … It's not sexy. And that's what I wanted to share, the reality of that.' Dgee@
Forbes
12-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Boosting ARR In B2B SaaS: A Founder's Journey To Sustainable Growth
Terry Chen, CIO / COO / VP, Global Relations at Modulate. getty I still remember the evening I stared at our startup's dashboard, heart sinking as our growth plateaued. As a software as a service (SaaS) founder, I had poured every ounce of energy into acquiring new customers, yet our annual recurring revenue (ARR) was stubbornly flat. It felt like trying to fill a leaky bucket—new deals came in, but revenue leaked out through downgrades and churn. One night, after losing a hard-won client due to avoidable issues, I realized growth isn't just about getting more customers; it is about delivering more value to the ones you already have. Thus began my journey to rethink everything: pricing, customer success, upsells, retention and how we acquired users. What follows are the hard-won strategies that transformed our ARR trajectory. These are not silver bullets or flashy hacks but proven tactics any SaaS founder or revenue leader can execute to steadily and sustainably boost ARR. Pricing is one of the most powerful—and underutilized—levers in SaaS. A 1% improvement in price can improve operating profit by up to 11%. And yet, many startups set their pricing by gut instinct instead of strategy. Adopt value-based pricing: We moved from cost-plus to value-based pricing, aligning prices with customer outcomes, not just features. This helped us avoid underpricing while better reflecting the return on investment (ROI) we delivered. Optimize packaging and tiers: We restructured our plans to match customer segments. Tiered pricing created natural upgrade paths and allowed us to better serve both startups and enterprises. Experiment and iterate: We ran controlled A/B tests and periodic price reviews. Even minor tweaks—bundling, discount ladders, trial durations—had a significant impact on conversion and average contract value. Takeaway: Treat pricing like a product: Test, evolve and ensure it reflects the value you're delivering. Retention is the bedrock of ARR growth. A 5% increase in retention can boost profits by 25% to 95%. For us, the shift came when we built out customer success (CS) not as a support function but as a strategic pillar. Build a proactive CS team: Instead of waiting for issues, our CS managers anticipated needs, trained customers and aligned on their success metrics. This shifted the conversation from troubleshooting to value delivery. Strengthen onboarding: We invested in user onboarding and guided setup, one of the biggest indicators of long-term retention. Users who saw success early rarely churned. Drive continuous value: With usage-based health scores and feature engagement tracking, we could detect when accounts were slipping and intervene. This not only reduced churn but surfaced upsell opportunities. Takeaway: Don't just solve problems. Enable success. Happy customers don't just stay—they grow. Once retention stabilized, expansion revenue became the next growth frontier. In my experience in tech and corporate strategy, I've noted that many top SaaS firms earn the majority of new ARR from existing customers. We aimed to follow that path. Identify upgrade candidates: By analyzing product usage, we found customers approaching tier limits and proactively proposed higher plans, often with tailored offers. Introduce add-ons: We built modular features (analytics, integrations, compliance tools) that could be added à la carte. This provided upsell paths without forcing users to jump tiers. Make it easy to upgrade: In-app upgrade flows, trials of premium features and CS-led quarterly business reviews (QBRs) created a frictionless path to increased spend. Takeaway: Upsells work best when tied to real value. If your customer is growing, your relationship should too. No SaaS grows on retention alone. We needed to feed the top of the funnel—but with limited budget, we focused on scalable, repeatable acquisition tactics. Product-Led Growth: We leaned into a freemium model that let users self-educate. Our best leads often came from free users who converted after real engagement. Referral Programs: Inspired by viral loops like Dropbox's, we rewarded customers for inviting others. Referral-origin customers were often the stickiest. Content-Driven Inbound: We built a content engine—guides, benchmarks, case studies—designed to rank and attract our ideal customer profile (ICP). Over time, it became our top source of qualified leads. Takeaway: Acquisition doesn't have to be expensive—if your product, content and customers do the talking for you. ARR doesn't grow linearly—it accelerates when the right systems reinforce each other. • Strategic pricing makes every deal worth more. • Customer success protects that revenue and deepens relationships. • Expansion strategies grow the lifetime value (LTV) of your existing base. • Scalable acquisition fills the funnel with high-quality leads. The turning point for us wasn't any single tactic. It was realizing that ARR is the output of an engine, and that engine needs to be optimized at every stage. Once we did, revenue climbed faster, churn fell, and the business felt infinitely more resilient. If you're a B2B SaaS founder wondering where to focus next, start with value—price for it, deliver it, protect it, and let your best customers carry the story forward. Here's to building something worth staying for—and paying for. The information provided here is not investment, tax or financial advice. You should consult with a licensed professional for advice concerning your specific situation. Forbes Finance Council is an invitation-only organization for executives in successful accounting, financial planning and wealth management firms. Do I qualify?
