Thomas Percy Kim is a 25-year-old filmmaker who's already won critical acclaim at Sundance, been selected for the Oscars, and raised $1.6 million from retail investors to fund his feature film. But here's what makes him different: he didn't wait for permission. When he wanted to make a stop-motion film in high school, he taught himself. When he wanted a name actor, he cold-emailed agents. When studios wouldn't fund his vision, he went straight to his community.

What emerges is a conversation about the immigrant experience, the difference between chasing badges and doing the work, and what it actually means to be obsessed with something. Thomas grew up as the only Korean-American kid in a predominantly white Massachusetts town, arrived at USC film school with a clear mission to become a director (and then skipped most of his required classes to do exactly that), and has spent the last decade proving a simple thesis: you don't have to wait for the gatekeepers to let you in.

Join us for a wide-ranging conversation about being named after Thomas the Tank Engine, what changed when he first saw a room full of successful Korean-Americans his age, why film school actively discourages you from becoming a director, how to raise money by proving competence in small steps, the difference between wanting badges and doing the work, what makes a film actually move people, and what he hopes someone will feel when they watch a film made about his life.

Warm Intro
A conversation, not an interview. Warm, sometimes weird, conversations with interesting people doing big things.

Warm Intro is a video podcast. We're available on every major podcast app and YouTube.

YouTube: @warmintro
Instagram: @warm.intro

Hosted by Chai Mishra
Chai is the Founder of The Essential, an ethical commerce company funded by the leading lights of Silicon Valley.

Chai served on the board of UNICEF, and has advised cities, universities, national sports teams and Fortune 500 corporations. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Chai’s work has also been covered in publications ranging from the SF Chronicle to Business Insider.

Presented by Wefunder
Wefunder created The Community Round.
— allowing founders to raise funds directly from their communities
— allowing anyone to support their favorite founders and join their success.

Raise on Wefunder

Views here are those of the host and the guest. Wefunder makes the show possible but doesn't control who we have on or what we say.

Isabella Sun gave up a job on Wall street to solve fashion’s fit problem — one hiding in plain sight — nearly half of American women are 5'4" or under, yet almost nothing is made to fit them.

With no fashion background whatsoever, Isabella founded Short Story — a personal styling service for petite women — out of her apartment in 2019. She packed boxes until 3 AM, ran to the post office so often her doorman thought she was losing it, and got into Y Combinator that first summer. Today, Short Story has dressed hundreds of thousands of women.

In this cathartic conversation, we talk about growing up in a family of founders, the many horrors of running an ecommerce company, why the fashion industry ignored petite women for so long, and what it actually means when a piece of clothing fits you for the first time.

Warm Intro
A conversation, not an interview. Warm, sometimes weird, conversations with interesting people doing big things.

Warm Intro is a video podcast. We're available on every major podcast app and YouTube.

YouTube: @warmintro
Instagram: @warm.intro

Hosted by Chai Mishra
Chai is the Founder of The Essential, an ethical commerce company funded by the leading lights of Silicon Valley.

Chai served on the board of UNICEF, and has advised cities, universities, national sports teams and Fortune 500 corporations. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Chai’s work has also been covered in publications ranging from the SF Chronicle to Business Insider.

Presented by Wefunder
Wefunder created The Community Round.
— allowing founders to raise funds directly from their communities
— allowing anyone to support their favorite founders and join their success.

Raise on Wefunder

Views here are those of the host and the guest. Wefunder makes the show possible but doesn't control who we have on or what we say.

Windy Chien is one of San Francisco's greatest living artists. But that's just her most recent life.

In a previous life, Windy owned San Francisco's coolest record store, Aquarius Records. In yet another, she was on the original iTunes team, building the way we all now experience music.

Today, as the undisputed queen of knots, her work proudly hangs everywhere from the MoMa to Google's HQ. Her path here took her through every possible complication in the line.

Join us for a rich conversation about what it feels like to call yourself an artist, Steve Jobs' motorcycle, the zen of art and the best Cambodian Beatles cover bands.

Warm Intro
A conversation, not an interview. Warm, sometimes weird, conversations with interesting people doing big things.

Warm Intro is a video podcast. We're available on every major podcast app and YouTube.

YouTube: @warmintro
Instagram: @warm.intro

Hosted by Chai Mishra
Chai is the Founder of The Essential, an ethical commerce company funded by the leading lights of Silicon Valley.

Chai served on the board of UNICEF, and has advised cities, universities, national sports teams and Fortune 500 corporations. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Chai’s work has also been covered in publications ranging from the SF Chronicle to Business Insider.

Presented by Wefunder
Wefunder created The Community Round.
— allowing founders to raise funds directly from their communities
— allowing anyone to support their favorite founders and join their success.

Raise on Wefunder

Views here are those of the host and the guest. Wefunder makes the show possible but doesn't control who we have on or what we say.