Specially Processed American Me by Jaime Sunwoo is a surreal autobiographical performance film that explores Spam, the canned meat, as a portal into her Asian American upbringing and her family’s experiences of the Korean War. This filmed stage production investigates Spam’s legacy in the US military and its significance in the Asia-Pacific– Korea, the Philippines, Okinawa, Hawaii, and Guam– through puppetry, masks, and original music played with kitchen instruments. Oscillating wildly between absurd humor and sober tragedy, Specially Processed American Me explores one of America’s most misunderstood foods. Learn more below.Past presenters include Museum of Food and Drink, Flushing Town Hall, Asian American Arts Alliance, The Wang Center at Stony Brook University, and Queens Council on the Arts, and Korean Cultural Center New York. Upcoming events will be at University of Maryland, Yale University, and Cornell University.To book screenings and engagements, contact sunwooprojects@gmail.com

Free Rein Projects, founded by Jaime Sunwoo in 2014, produces multidisciplinary performance projects in film and visual art. Animated short documentary Equality Tea was featured in Vogue and Whetstone Magazine and was awarded Best Short Documentary at DisOrient Film Festival and Indy Film Festival. Paper puppetry animated film Handwritten premiered at Lincoln Center for New York Asian Film Festival. Handwritten won Best Short Documentary at American Pavilion at Cannes Film Festival, Indy Film Festival, and nominated Best Short Documentary at Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival. The film is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video in "Fantastic New Worlds: A Handmade Puppet Dreams Collection".Free Rein Projects developed Specially Processed American Me through BRIClab, HB Studio Rehearsal Space Residency, BAX Upstart Program, Barn Arts Residency, Leviathan Lab, and FailSafe with support from the Queens Council on the Arts' Artist Commissioning Program, Ms. Foundation for Women in association with Asian Women Giving Circle, the NYC Women's Fund for Media, Music and Theatre by the City of New York Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment in association with The New York Foundation for the Arts, Brooklyn Arts Fund, MVRP Foundation, The Laundromat Project, and The Jim Henson Foundation. Dixon Place, Ping Chong and Company, and Free Rein Projects presented the world premiere of Specially Processed American Me at Dixon Place in New York City in 2022, and screenings and engagements are currently available for booking.

As a Creative Fellow, I developed projects inspired by my archival research of the artist Ping Chong's body of work. My film "Color Theory" is currently in post-production. My project "You Are The News Now" can be found in the link below. During the fellowship, I also participated in staff meetings and contributed to other projects outside my fellowship such as teaching New York City elementary school students for their education program and animating part of Ping Chong's new film "Chinoiserie". I engaged with the Ping Chong and Company artist network by meeting with past collaborators and had a weekly live discussion with Johnnie Cruise Mercer, who was also a Creative Fellow.

• Secured transitional and permanent housing for chronic street homeless clients as their primary contact throughout the process.• Gathered all materials for the HRA 2010e application to secure permanent housing.• Helped clients obtain proof of identification and apply for benefits through Social Security or Human Resources Administration.• Built trusting relationships with vulnerable populations dealing with issues including severe mental illness, medical disability, substance use, sexual abuse, and domestic violence.• Conducted in-depth psychosocial evaluations to match clients with appropriate housing and medical services.• Mediated between clients and service providers at hospitals, substance abuse treatment programs, nursing homes, safe havens, and shelters.• Assessed individuals for risk of medical emergency and suicide, cooperating with 911 and 311 responders.• Assisted undocumented immigrants to obtain citizenship, reconnect with family, or connect with social services in their country of origin.• Maintained detailed reports in internal databases and for the Department of Homeless Services.• Worked in an unpredictable, high-paced environment requiring careful and quick problem-solving skills.• Operated within a team and independently both in the field and the office.

• Developed and designed e-commerce site.• Optimized Google Adwords marketing and SEO methods.• Implemented Amazon and Google Shopping sales.• Designed company catalogues and promotional materials for online/print campaigns.

• Painted textures for 3D animated models and highly technical, detailed works. • Drafted and edited grant proposals and documents. • Researched and assisted in the creative development and design of a production.

• Developed animation lesson plans, focusing on stop-motion animation through hand-drawn 2D work and claymation.• Incorporated the science and history of animation in class assignments.• Taught students grades 6-8 at a charter school in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

• Wrote social media content including the company’s highest-performing post. • Developed marketing strategies for New York Times best selling authors under the supervision of the Publishing Director. • Designed layout for the Lucy The Dinosaur omnibus, a children's book collection by Joey Ahlbum.• Created digital media content in the form of illustrations, animations, and videos.• Produced, shot, and edited promotional videos. • Proofread texts prior to publishing. • Assisted with event organization.

• Researched new show concepts to pitch to networks.• Assisted producers and crew on set. • Transcribed audio.• Compiled press contacts for The Secret Life of Scientists, a PBS web series.• Front office reception and administration duties. • Wrote blog posts for The Secret Life of Scientists (January-April 2014).

• Led the Marketing Department to create videos, merchandise, websites, posters, and otherpromotional materials for WYBC Yale Radio shows and events. • Wrote and hosted a weekly talk radio show.• Conducted, shot, and edited video interviews for featured bands. • Assisted in event organization.

• Crafted puppets for theater, film, and tv productions. • Organized and assisted in educational puppetry workshops.• Designed company business cards.

Designed and conducted an assay testing fungal extracts for inhibition of aflatoxin B1 production byAspergillus parasiticus. Collected plant specimens in the Amazon to culture endophytic fungi.

Published blog posts for Yale ARTbooks. Designed newsletters featuring book releases.