PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 33 NO 5
JANUARY 25 – JANUARY 31, 2014
FREE
32 YEARS YOUR VOICE
Life’s a game
‘Bachelor’ couple headed for altar
Leap of faith turns comic strip into successful gaming company
Photo by Sue Misao/NWAW
“Working with Robert Khoo is almost entirely painless.” — Mike ‘Tycho’ Holkins
Robert Khoo, president of Penny Arcade, shares an office with Yoshi, a character from Mario Brothers.
By Sue Misao Northwest Asian Weekly When he was 23, Robert Khoo took a giant leap of faith. A University of Washington Foster School of Business graduate on a career track, he quit his
THOSE SEAHAWKS! Photos of players and fans » P. 11
consultancy job to work for free for two guys from Spokane who drew an obscure comic strip called Penny Arcade, which they’d been posting on the Internet since 1998. The comic, by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, depicted the musings of their video game-playing alter egos, Gabe and Tycho. Khoo was a fan. In 2002, when a client of Khoo’s wanted to partner with game media, he contacted Krahulik and Holkins. The partnership idea fizzled, but three months later, Khoo called them again. He had a new idea. “I wanted to make a big move,” Khoo said. “I loved games and wanted to be in the industry.” By then, Penny Arcade had accumulated about one million readers worldwide, but with little financial reward. “These two guys didn’t know business, or what they had,” Khoo said. What they had, Khoo thought, was the power of a brand. And what Khoo had was a way to monetize it. He wrote a business plan that included a strategy for advertising, merchandising, and licensing. “I said, ‘You can have this, and I would love to be the guy that executes it. I will quit my job and work free for two months, then you can fire me.’” Eleven years later, he is the president of Penny Arcade, which expanded its content
She threw her hat in the ring, got picked, and fell in love. ‘The Bachelor’ star Sean Lowe chose Seattle’s Catherine Guidici, and now they’re getting married. Here, Catherine’s mom, Cynthia MejiaGiudici, beams with pride at the happy couple. Read all about it in the Publisher’s Blog, page 13.
{see KHOO cont’d on page 15}
Post Office reveals new Year of the Horse stamp
Vera Ing leaves lasting legacy “For many of us, Vera was like a mother…she had a great heart and always saw kindness in people. Our community lost a great friend and a beautiful person.” — Jerry Lee, Mulvanny/ G2 By Sue Misao Northwest Asian Weekly
The U.S. Post Office on Jan. 15 issued the “Celebrating Lunar New Year: Year of the Horse” Forever stamp. It is available in sheets of 12 stamps. “The start of the Lunar New Year is the biggest holiday of the year for much of the world’s population,” said U.S. Postal Service San Francisco District Manager David Stowe, in dedicating the stamp at the Chinese Culture Center in the Hilton Hotel. Although a horse appears in the upper left hand corner of the stamp image, the Postal Service chose to tell “a more enriching story” by including essential elements in celebrating New Year, such as the drum in this case.
Vera Ing
Long time community activist Vera Faye Ing died on Jan. 18, 2014. She was 73. Vera was born in Seattle on Sept. 28, 1940, to D. Kan Chan and Ho Tim Chan. She spent her first years living in Chinatown, where her parents owned Don Ting Restaurant. She graduated from Garfield High School in 1958, and received a B.A. in urban planning from the University of Washington in 1973. In 1960, Vera married Joey Ing, an architect. They had three children, JaDeane, Joel, and Jeffrey. She is also survived by her four grandchildren. Vera worked for the Seattle Housing Authority in the mid-1970s. Later, she was a legislative assistant to Seattle City Councilman Tim Hill, and then worked for the Department of Social and Health Services. She was an urban planner with Ing & Associates, where she developed 10-year master plans for both Everett
and South Seattle community colleges, as well as plans for an expanded International District. As a member of Washington state trade missions, she traveled with Gov. Gary Locke to China, with Secretary of State Ralph Munro to Taiwan, and with Washington state representative Velma Veloria to the Philippines. From 1999 to 2007, she served as the commissioner of the Washington State Liquor Control Board. “Vera was always so caring and supportive of others, from working on community causes like the Kin On Nursing Home to helping political candidates,” said U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke. “She was always hosting fundraisers at her house because she wanted candidates she supported to learn the issues of the Asian American community and not to take our community for granted. “Ver loved bringing people together at her beautiful home to have a good time,” Ambassador Locke added, “especially during Seafair to watch the Blue Angels fly over or to watch the hydroplane races.” Vera was involved in ensuring the International District would maintain its historic identity, while expanding its reach to new groups, including South and Southeast Asians. “Vera was very supportive of the International District, and I enjoyed working with her all these years,” said Tomio Moriguchi, CEO of Uwajimaya. “She has a wonderful family. She had a vision for the International District. I wish we had more people with {see ING cont’d on page 15}
The Inside Story SPORTS The Layup Drill » P. 10
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COMMUNITY UW student teaches in North Korea » P. 12
LUNAR NEW YEAR So much to do! » P. 14
BOOK REPORT The Art of Being a Novelist » P. 14
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