In this article, Seung Yong Chung, a South Korean-American entrepreneur who has earned an esteemed place for himself in the entertainment industry. As co-founder and CEO of Cashmere Agency – an innovative marketing and creative agency dedicated to connecting brands with multicultural audiences – as well as his former spouse Diane Farr (an actress, writer, and producer), Seung’s journey was not an easy one, as he faced several cultural barriers along his journey to success.
Growing Up in America as an Immigrant
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Seung Yong Chung was born in South Korea but relocated with his parents as a two-year-old to Rockville, Maryland where he attended Gaithersburg High School before studying finance at Virginia Tech and information technology at George Washington University. From an early age he demonstrated an aptitude for business and technology; later going on to major in both at Virginia Tech.
Seung was an immigrant to America who encountered discrimination and racism throughout his childhood and adolescence, and struggled to reconcile his Korean culture and identity with American environments and aspirations. During an interview, he once stated: “Because I was different than everyone else, I always felt I needed to work twice as hard in order to gain acceptance”.
Breaking Into the Entertainment Industry
After graduating college, Seung started work at NextLinx Corporation – a software provider of solutions for global trade and logistics – before joining Ernst & Young LLP, one of the Big Four accounting firms, as a consultant. Although these roles gave him valuable experience and skillsets, Seung felt they weren’t fulfilling his true passion and potential.
Seung decided to pursue his dream of working in the entertainment industry by moving to Los Angeles, California in 2003. There he established Chung & Associates – an entertainment marketing company focused on connecting Hollywood and Asia markets – before teaming up with Ted Chung (music executive/entrepreneur) to found Cashmere Agency – an all-in-one full service agency offering creative, digital, social media influencer marketing services to clients from entertainment, technology lifestyle consumer sectors.
Seung’s vision and leadership enabled Cashmere Agency to become one of the industry’s most acclaimed and innovative agencies, working with clients such as Netflix, Google, Adidas, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, HBO and more. He also assisted in producing original content such as documentary series G Funk on YouTube Premium in 2018 or comedy show Comedians Solve World Problems airing on Comedy Central 34 years later.
Facing Cultural Challenges in His Personal Life
Seung’s professional success came with personal challenges, most notably in his relationship with Diane Farr whom he met in 2002. Diane is an esteemed actress, writer and producer who has appeared on well-known TV shows such as Numb3rs, Rescue Me and Californication as an actress or producer – she is also author of two books and co-founder of her own production company.
Seung and Diane fell deeply in love, yet encountered opposition from their families over their interracial and intercultural relationship. Seung’s Buddhist parents disapproved of him marrying a white woman not of their faith; they worried he’d lose his Korean identity by marrying someone outside his tradition. Diane’s Catholic parents expressed concerns that her marrying an Asian would bring social stigmatisation.
Seung and Diane faced cultural barriers when trying to convince their parents of their marriage. They had to respect and appreciate each other’s cultures and traditions before finding ways to blend them within their family unit. Eventually they got married in 2006 in a ceremony that featured both Christian ministers and Buddhist monks; their three children received both Korean and American names: Beckett Mancuso Chung, Coco Trinity Chung and Sawyer Lucia Chung were given Korean as well as American names respectively.
Moving On After Divorce
Unfortunately, Seung and Diane’s marriage did not survive and they parted ways in 2019 after 13 years together due to irreconcilable differences; they agreed to share joint custody of their children while remaining friends and co-parents; both supported each other’s careers and ventures.
Seung continued to expand the scope and reach of Cashmere Agency to new markets and audiences. He became more actively engaged in charitable and social causes like supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, fighting racism and hate crimes, and encouraging diversity and inclusion within entertainment industries.
Seung Yong Chung stands as an inspiring example of someone who managed to break through cultural boundaries and become a successful entertainment executive. His journey is an inspiration to immigrants, entrepreneurs, and creative professionals wishing to achieve their dreams while making a positive change on society.
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