Jen Su has built a career that runs from Bangkok newsrooms to Philadelphia ballrooms, and she’s bringing all of it to PIMCON this October. An international TV host, style expert, and media personality, Su moderates the Brand and Agency Panel at the Philly Influencer Mixer Conference on October 10, alongside panelists Jabari Cherry of Visit Philly, Kate Marlys Rodgers of Philly PR Girl, and Kevin Parker of Philly Fashion Week.

Jen Su’s Career Spans Continents

Su was born in Jenkintown and raised in Philadelphia, now living in Wayne, but her career has taken her through Bangkok, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Shanghai. She currently serves as an international entertainment correspondent for The Sunday Times Style and TimesLIVE, with additional contributions to Forbes Africa, SABC, and Fox 29.

Her reporting credits include the Oscars, the Grammys, Cannes, the Vogue Global Summit, Forbes 30 Under 30, and Paris Fashion Week. Back home, she’s spent eight years on the Philadelphia Film Society’s Board of Directors and holds a Professional Membership with The Recording Academy.

Her career has spanned more than journalism along the way. Earlier chapters included releasing four albums, acting roles on South African drama series Isibaya and Jacob’s Cross, and red carpet reporting at Cannes, the MTV Video Music Awards, and New York Fashion Week.

She’s also emceed corporate events for brands including HSBC, Mercedes-Benz, and Coca-Cola, fluent in English, Mandarin Chinese, and Thai along the way. Few local media personalities carry that kind of dual résumé, equally at home on a global red carpet and a Philadelphia nonprofit board.

This year’s Philadelphia Film Festival marks its 35th edition, running October 15 through 25, and Su is treating it as a proper milestone. “Badge sales are at an all time record high,” she said, pointing to the growth she’s watched firsthand across nearly a decade on the board.

Favs Around Philly

For dinner, Su points to Kalaya, a connection that runs deeper than the menu. She and Chef Nok have been friends since Su’s own years living in Bangkok, long before Nok’s Michelin recognition and Time100 honor.

For shopping, she names Neiman Marcus at King of Prussia her one-stop destination for makeup, accessories, and event dressing. Philadelphia’s best-kept secret, in her view, is the luggage storage at 30th Street Station, a small convenience she’s relied on more than once rushing to the airport after an event.

Jen Su Wants Philadelphia’s Creative Talent Seen

“I wish people would really sink into just how vibrant Philadelphia’s creative community is,” Su said, naming independent designers, filmmakers, playwrights, artists, and musicians doing work she believes deserves more national recognition than it currently gets.

Philadelphia is known for its history, food, and sports, she said, but its contemporary creative scene is the part she most wants people outside the city to discover. It’s a notably specific ask from someone whose own career has taken her through some of the biggest media capitals in the world.

Someone who’s covered the Oscars and Cannes for a living, then comes home and has spent eight years pushing a local film festival’s badge sales to a record high, isn’t just passing through Philadelphia’s creative scene. She’s actively building it into something the rest of the world has to notice.

Images: Courtesy of Jen Su, Christopher Descano, and Realm Fine Jewelry

About Post Author

Allan Lane

Philadelphia born and bred, Allan Lane is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of digital magazines. He launched his first publication, SportBikes Inc Magazine in 2010, followed by dosage MAGAZINE in 2019. Recently, Allan launched his third online publication, Club For Man. As a journalist, Allan covers fashion, lifestyle, culture, art, and motorcycles.

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