The 37th Committee of 100 Asian American Career Ceilings Initiative event on the topic of “Asian American Women in Media and Music” featured a panel comprised of Katie Soo, COO of DICE, the leading independent music ticketing platform in the world, and Paravi Das, Pop Star. During the webinar, we explored their careers, with a focus on the obstacles Asian American women face in media and music, as well as the opportunities open to Asian American women.

Asian Americans have faced significant career obstacles and racial inequities. The worlds of media and music are no exceptions, particularly for women.

During this panel, we discussed the panelists’ careers and experiences, the extent to which they feel that Asian Americans face career obstacles in their industries, the extent to which the obstacles are higher or different for women, the advice that they would give to Asian Americans pursuing careers in their respective industries, and how the music and media industries are evolving.

The panel was moderated by Peter Young, Committee of 100 member and Chair of the Committee of 100 Asian American Career Ceiling Initiative. The webinar was one hour long. The audience had the opportunity to ask questions during the last ten minutes of the webinar.

Paravi Das
Recording Artist
RCA Records

Paravi Das is a 23-year-old popstar, songstress & creative hailing from the cornfields of Ohio & Virginia, re-rooting herself in Los Angeles upon realizing she could get paid to be a drama queen instead of yelled at by her immigrant parents. To further legitimize this aspiration, she graduated UCLA’s School of Theater, Film & Television in 2023 on a full-ride scholarship with an emphasis in Musical Theater. Amassing millions of global fans from cover songs during quarantine, signing a major record deal with RCA Records in 2021, featured on the Grammy-nominated soundtrack for the 2022 blockbuster film “Elvis”, originating a leading role in the new musical “WILD: A Musical Becoming”, releasing her 2022 cover EP “Thank You For Being Here” as well as her 2023 self-titled debut original EP “PARAVI”, she still refuses to get her license, because if she has to be bad at something in life, she’d rather it be driving than performing. Paravi and her MetroCard dream of Broadway stages, sold-out world tours, blockbuster roles in Film/TV, and getting a $24 smoothie named after her at Erewhon.

Katie Soo
Chief Operating Officer
DICE

Katie Soo is the Chief Operating Officer of DICE, the leading independent music ticketing platform in the world. An award-winning global media and technology marketer with an undeniable track record in building disruptive brands that transform traditional industries, Katie has helped build some of the most iconic and culturally significant entertainment companies such as HBO Max, Warner Bros Digital Networks, DC Universe, and Hulu. Katie’s gone from turning startup campaigns into the unicorn story of Dollar Shave Club to launching HBO Max, bringing in globally beloved franchise empires like Wonder Woman and Game of Thrones.

In addition to her role at DICE, Katie holds multiple advisory and non-profit board positions. She was elected as the first woman Chairman of Asia Society Southern California’s Board after serving as their Programming Committee Co-Chair, and Co-Founded AWE, Asian Women Empowered, an initiative focused on increasing AAPI women in boardrooms. Katie is also a member of Asia Society’s Global Board of Trustees and serves on their Development Committee. She sits on the Advisory Board for California State University Entertainment Alliance and is a member of Vox Media’s Brand Council. She’s a founding member of Goldhouse’s Gold Women initiative and also serves as a Senior Advisor to Newbury Street.

She began her career at the National Employment Law Project protecting the rights of garment workers. Prior to that she clerked for Judge Edmund Ludwig of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Ms. Yang served a co-chair of the first national board of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. A graduate of Cornell University, she earned a B.A. in Government. She earned a J.D. from NYU School of Law where she was a Root-Tilden Public Interest scholar and served as Notes Editor of the Law Review.

Katie’s work has garnered awards from AdAge, Adweek, Promax, Webbys, Clio, Digiday, and the Shorty Awards for both creative storytelling and digital products. She was also named on Goldhouse’s A100 list, honoring the most impactful Asians in culture.

A West Coast native, Katie resides in Los Angeles. When she isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her family and supporting environmental causes.

Peter Young
CEO and President
Young & Partners  

Peter Young is CEO and President of Young & Partners, a boutique corporate strategy and investment banking firm focused on the life science and chemical industries. He manages the firm and is actively involved in client projects, transactions, and financings. Under his leadership, Young & Partners has established and maintained its position as a highly regarded firm serving the corporate strategy, M&A, restructuring, and financing needs of clients worldwide. He was previously head of industry groups at Salomon Brothers, Schroders, and Lehman Brothers, a senior private equity executive with J.H. Whitney & Co., and a senior member of Bain & Co., a corporate strategy firm.   

Mr. Young received a BA in Economics from Yale, an MS in Accounting from NYU, and an MBA from Harvard Business School where he graduated as a Baker Scholar. He is a CPA and a Chartered Global Management Accountant. He serves on several boards of directors, both corporate and non-profit; and is a board member of Société de Chimie Industrielle, a leading life science and chemical industry non-profit organization; and on the Editorial Advisory Board of Pharmaceutical Executive. He is also the New York Regional Chair for Committee of 100.