Character Honors Co-Presented by Toyota, Los Angeles, California, USA - 1 May 2026

John Salangsang / Shutterstock for Character Honors

On Friday, May 1, GoldenTV and Character kicked off AAPI Heritage Month with their inaugural Character Honors, an intimate ceremony celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander creatives and leaders shaping the future of business, culture, and innovation, at The London West Hollywood.

Hosted by comedian and actor Helen Hong and Emmy Award-winning journalist Gene Kang, the event honored eight individuals who have excelled in their fields and worked tirelessly to advocate for diversity and representation in their communities. Honorees included Jiro Egawa, Senior VP of Platform Growth and Monetization at Xumo, who received the Innovation Leadership Award; Bobby Hundreds, Global Creative Director of Disney Consumer Products and Co-Founder of The Hundreds, who received the Global Trailblazer Award; Lisa Ling, Journalist and Media Personality, who received the Global Impact Award; Nanxi Liu, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Blaze.tech, who received the Emerging Visionary Award; Ally Maki, Founder and CEO of Asian American Girl Club, who received the Community Builder Award; Thai Nguyen, Fashion Designer, who received the Design and Culture Award; Vicky Tsai, Founder of Tatcha, who received the Toyota Call Your Shot Award; and Albert Yang, CEO of Din Tai Fung North America, who received the Cultural Game Changer Award. The event featured a special performance by singer Katherine Ho, who performed her Mandarin rendition of “Yellow,” as featured on the soundtrack to the 2018 feature film, Crazy Rich Asians.

GoldenTV CEO Takashi Cheng welcomed guests to the inaugural event, emphasizing the significance of telling AAPI stories, especially those of the recipients being honored. He said during his opening speech, “Representation is not only about being seen — it's about being understood.”

Community Builder Award honoree Ally Maki, who celebrates eight years of the Asian American Girl Club, understands more than anyone the importance of community and visibility. It’s why she created her brand and the culture around it, because “Sometimes all we need is a bridge to find each other.”

Albert Yang, CEO of Din Tai Fung North America, agrees that bridging cultures is key to shaping culture – even a dumpling. As the Cultural Game Changer Awardee, Yang recalls how much more accepted Chinese food has become in school, especially given how popular DTF is today. He joked with Hong that the slang meaning of “DTF” has now shifted to refer to the family-owned chain, noting that his “greatest achievement” is now owning DTF.com.

Global Trailblazer Awardee Bobby Hundreds reflected on his two decades in the fashion industry, during which he built his streetwear brand, The Hundreds, into what it is today. Through his designs and creative direction, he’s turned fashion into a culture, with the community telling stories through the apparel. He says, “The brand that you build, the platform you build, is not for you — it's there to elevate other voices and to bring other people up on stage.”

Nanxi Liu, who received the Emerging Visionary Award, noted the impact of her fellow honorees, who have become part of her everyday life, highlighting each of them during her speech. Her work has changed the healthcare industry, impacting those who need reliable infrastructure through her company’s application efforts.

Innovation Leadership Award honoree Jiro Egawa, Senior Vice President of Platform Growth and Monetization at Xumo, emphasized authenticity in his work and the importance of consistently “being hands-on” in every decision, which has led him to where he is today. Fashion designer and Design and Culture Awardee Thai Nguyen can relate to authenticity and to working tirelessly on his designs, which reflect his journey from Vietnam to America and have shaped his career.

Nguyen says during his speech, “From learning to sew at my parents’ sewing school in Vietnam at nine years old to building a life as a designer here in America, every step has been guided by purpose, culture, and community.”

Tacha founder Vicky Tsai, who received the Toyota Call Your Shot Award, revealed that when she was told she was receiving the award from the car company, she jumped at the chance to accept it, as it was the vehicle she was driving when she was involved in a major accident at 19. She credits Toyota's reliability for her receiving the award. It’s this resilience that has helped her launch her own company, despite the many challenges she faces as an Asian woman in power. Through her tenacity and hard work, she can open doors for others, revealing that her company has funded over 15 million school days for girls around the world.

Lisa Ling, who received the Global Impact Award, reflected on the 250th anniversary of the United States and on how history often overlooks and ignores the contributions of Asian Americans, particularly Asian American women. She highlights societal changes and how Asian American women are dominating every field. She relays, “We are no longer asking for permission to exist… And we are not going anywhere. And the next 250 years of American history will not be written without us."

The event ended with an afterparty, with a silent auction held to raise funds for Make Noise Today, a nonprofit initiative dedicated to empowering AAPI youth through storytelling as a catalyst for equity and cultural change. The event was co-presented by Toyota and executive-produced by Kelly Mi Li and Kimmie Kim.

For more information on Character Honors, click here.