You’ll never know where you will next see Will Tiao, both on TV or in person… but don’t be surprised if you do! In recent months Will has not only been seen more frequently in TV roles, but has also been seen jet-setting across the country promoting his next film project, Formosa Betrayed, the first Hollywood movie set among the stories of Taiwan independence activists both in Taiwan and on US college campuses during the 1970s and 80s.
Will Tiao is no stranger to the political world himself, and his experiences have given him insight and access that have proven valuable in script development and treatment. Born and raised in Manhattan, Kansas, Will Tiao worked in international politics for a decade in various places around the world. He is a magna cum laude graduate of international relations from Tufts University and also holds a Masters in International affairs from Columbia University.
Early in his political career he served as an intern for the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) where he lobbied for Taiwan’s entrance into the United Nations. He then went onto work for Senator Nancy Kassebaum on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was a staff member of the Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on International Trade which authored the bill to grant permanent normal trade relations with China, but he is credited with penning the provision which granted permanent normal trade relations to Taiwan. His experiences also include working as a Presidential Management Fellow under President Clinton and as an international economist under the Bush Administration.
In 2002, Will left his position with the U.S. government to pursue a career in the entertainment industry and has worked consistently as an actor, producer, and writer for television, film, and stage.
He is the executive producer, co-writer, and lead actor of the award-winning film, A Starbucks Story, which has been presented at film festivals across the country. Recently, the film won several awards at the 2005 FAIF Film Festival in Los Angeles, including the Audience Award for Best Short Film and Best Film of the Festival. sold out three screenings at the world famous Mann’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood. It has also been an official selection of the Queens International Film Festival, the Kansas City Jubilee Film Festival, the Austin Movie Show, and most recently, the Hollywood Shorts Film Festival.
Will has been seen more frequently on the TV screen. He was a guest star on the hit TLC series, Untold Stories from the ER, and a co-star on the CBS sitcom, Yes, Dear. If you watch FOX’s late night Mad TV, you may have seen him as a Taiwanese mafioso on a recent sketch alongside comedian Bobby Lee. He has also produced a feature film, Stan, a dark comedy which is now in post-production.
Will is currently prepping for his next feature film project, Formosa Betrayed, which he is executive producing.
Find out more about Will at his website: willtiao.com!
Formosa Betrayed – The Movie
Inspired by the murders of Professor Chen Wen-Chen and journalist Henry Liu, as well as countless other Taiwanese democracy and independence activists and their struggles during the “White Terror” period, Will Tiao with his team of Hollywood screenwriters created a fictional story based on the real events.
Synopsis
In 1983, during a routine small-town murder investigation of a Taiwanese professor, a disenfranchised cop – suffering from an identity crisis and a loss of faith in the justice system – slowly unearths a spiderweb of international secrets that has been thriving within college campuses across America for decades. With the help of the outspoken widow and a Taiwanese spy, he finds himself on a head-on collision not only with his own personal demons, but also with the U.S. State Department, the Chinese Mafia, and ultimately to the highest levels of the Nationalist Chinese Government in Taiwan.
Will has hired veteran Hollywood producer David Allen Cluck to produce Formosa Betrayed. Cluck has worked on over 30 major feature films and television shows, including the Academy Award winning movie, Monster, starring Charlize Theron. He has also hired director Dominique Forma, whose previous movie, Scenes of the Crime was released by Sony Pictures and starred Jeff Bridges and Noah Wyle.
Check out the movie website www.formosabetrayed.com!
Support the Project
Will Tiao formed Formosa Films, LLC, a film production company specifically designed to develop and produce Taiwanese stories. Formosa Betrayed – The Movie is his most important project to date, and he hopes that the film will be a gateway for other Taiwanese Americans and their stories in Hollywood.
His goal is to continue raising the financial support for Formosa Betrayed this year, shoot the film in 2007, and release the film in 2008 in time for the Taiwanese Presidential Elections in March 2008, and the Beijing Summer Olympics in August 2008.
Contact Will Tiao and his staff at info@formosabetrayed.com or by phone at (323) 665-0990 if interested in supporting this unique project!
Formosa Films
4647 Kingswell Ave, Suite 140
Los Angeles, CA 90027
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