Baldwin Chiu

Introduction (2-3 lines)

Baldwin Chiu is a Chinese American award-winning film producer and hip hop artist known by the stage name, “Only Won - The Lyrical Engineer” who transitioned from a professionally licensed engineer to now using entertainment media to educate and inspire positive change.

BALDWIN CHIU teamed up with his wife, Larissa Lam, to produce the documentary, Far East Deep South, and is also one of the film’s subjects along with his family. The film is made its broadcast debut on PBS/World Channel's "America ReFramed" and won a 2022 Telly Award in the TV History category. Chiu is a graduate of the Act One film producing program and his family’s story has been featured in major media outlets such as CBS, USA Today and NBC News. Born in San Francisco and raised in Sacramento, Chiu is a fierce advocate for the increased inclusion of Asian American history in schools and has spoken at numerous Fortune 500 companies, conferences and universities. He has been a speaker on numerous panels addressing race, immigration, and Asian American representation in the media. For his work documenting the Chinese American experience, he received a special award at the Chinese Railroad Workers Descendants Association 150th Anniversary Golden Spike Conference and in 2018, he was named as a Mandarin Leader honoree. Additionally, Chiu is also a rapper known by his MC name, Only Won, who gained recognition for his viral videos, “Cantonese Boy,” and “Asian Americans Make History.”

Prior to his career as a film producer, Chiu was a professionally licensed mechanical engineer. Chiu is also a rapper/beatboxer known by his stage name, Only Won - The Lyrical Engineer who raps about unconventional subjects like dim sum and thermodynamics. His clever and witty videos “I Wanna Be an Engineer”, “Lyrical Engineer”, and “Rocketeer Engineer” have gone viral with millions of online views and quickly gained the attention of a national STEM initiative using his creative and artistic media. He was previously a spokesperson for the Intel/White House campaign, “Stay With It,” promoting careers in science and engineering under the Obama administration. Chiu’s songs were featured in the video game “Sleeping Dogs” and the film “Dead Man Down” starring Colin Farrell. Chiu is also an actor who has appeared in films such as The Pursuit of Happyness, The Hulk and The Matrix. Chiu currently hosts the podcast, “Love, Discovery and Dim Sum” with his wife and creative partner, Larissa Lam.

New Day Films by Baldwin Chiu

Awards & Accolades

2022 Telly Award
2021 Beacon of Light Bridge Building Award
Feature Film Award - Chinese Railroad Workers Descendants Association
CAAM Fest Documentary Audience Award
Cinequest Documentary Audience Award
Seattle Asian American Film Festival - Best Documentary Jury Award
Oxford Film Festival - Best Mississippi Feature Award
Grant Recipient of Mississippi Humanities Council
South Arts - Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers
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