Ep28 Ali Afshar
About this episode
Ali Afshar blends racing, filmmaking, and immigrant hustle into one story: from street-racing and building Subaru performance cars to producing Netflix/HBO Max action and holiday hits. He and Amelia connect through his films, including the California Christmas franchise, and he explains how his ESX Subaru program and race-team logistics taught him producing. The conversation also covers diversity at Warner Bros (including his board role), why he avoids “checklist” casting, and how hardship shaped his drive. Along the way: Born to Race origins, practical action vs VFX, and lessons on finding believable talent.
Sung and Emelia sit down with actor turned race driver turned movie producer, Ali Afshar. Ali shares how struggles in his younger years as an immigrant family laid the foundation for his drive, focus, and ultimately his incredible success. They also talk about representation and diversity in films, finding passion, and Subarus.
This episode was recorded in February 2023.
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Chevrolet Camaro
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Buick Grand National
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Chevrolet Cobalt
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Ford Mustang
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Toyota Corolla
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Jaguar XJR
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