New York born and raised actor, entrepreneur, and community cultivator, Yin Chang is a curator
engaged in creative, culture-shifting acts, at the nexus is centering and uplifting people and communities that replace intolerance and despair with inclusion and love.
With storytelling as her first and life-long love, Chang began her career in entertainment in 2005 as an actor in popular mainstream media and expanded into producing and directing through a social justice focused short film igniting conversation about bullying and suicide prevention, becoming one of the most-watched short films shining light on the epidemic through a lens of empathy. Conjointly developing digital toolkits distributed through one of America’s leading bullying prevention centers to bolster free resources and access for students, parents, and schools nationwide.
As an actor most recognized for her role in beloved teen drama, Gossip Girl, Chang opened up a long overdue conversation about Asian-American representation in Hollywood. Championing the need for more representation throughout her career in television and film, she parlayed her experiences and frustrations with Hollywood’s lack of inclusivity into an uplifting online platform and podcast empowering and nurturing storytellers to write themselves into the heroes of their own stories by independently launching 88 Cups of Tea in 2015.
As founder and creative director, 88 Cups of Tea’s podcast arm debuted in Top 15 of Literature & Arts podcast charts and landed in Apple’s Top 20 Asian and Pacific American voices.
Dubbed ‘NYC Empathy Broker’, Chang co-founded Heart of Dinner with life partner Moonlynn Tsai at the onset of the pandemic in 2020, a non-profit that supports small businesses while countering the fear, isolation and food insecurity of NYC’s Asian American elderly communities with weekly deliveries of warm messages and culturally thoughtful meals; and doing so in intentional ways that bridge gaps and build community across all cultures and backgrounds. With storytelling at the core of building Heart of Dinner and sparking movement in mobilizing champions worldwide, Heart of Dinner has provided over 100,000 meals and growing.
Chang has been named a Forbes Changemaker and Glamour Woman of the Year, and is a recipient of the Pride & Joy Award of THEM’s inaugural Now Awards and NYC Food Policy Center 40 Under 40. Her efforts have been lauded by Time, Vogue, NBC and ABC News, Ellen, and Oprah Magazine.