Panney Wei is an award-winning motivational speaker, producer, and restaurateur whose work spans entertainment, wellness, and hospitality. Passionate about cultural transformation and social impact, she has helped bridge East and West through ventures like Momofuku with Chef David Chang, Boba Ice Cream, her East-West philosophy and healing background as a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, and Niku X.  Previously, Panney served in business development roles at leading arts organizations including The Producers Guild of America, Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts, and the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, where she served as a Special Events Director at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival which she co-chaired and served on their Honorary Board, and a finalist in the CBS Diversity Writers program. She had equity in a production company responsible for more than 30 films and 11 Broadway productions, including Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Looper, I’m Not There (Academy Award nominee), Linsanity, Year of the Yao, Every Little Step, Legally Blonde, Hairspray, and Matilda. On Broadway and in theater, she is currently co-producing the Broadway bound musical, Working Girl, based on the Academy award nominated film, with music by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee and Tony award winning composer, Cyndi Lauper and written by Theresa Rebeck (creator of Smash), directed by Tony award winner Christopher Ashley, which had its World Premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse on November 9, 2025 and opened to stellar reviews, nominated by the Theater Critics Association for Best Performance by a Supporting Actress and Best Set Design, and now headed to Broadway. She is also producing an inspiring documentary on the life and story of Chef Christine Ha, MasterChef ‘s first blind winner, and is a founding partner of Lumira Entertainment, a global film fund that champions bold, diverse voices and globally resonant storytelling, focused on building high quality, culturally resonant entertainment, elevating powerful stories that influence culture and connect our humanity,  and endure across generations.

With a family legacy steeped in public service and cultural influence, Panney is related to distinguished figures who helped shape the cultural landscape of China and Taiwan. Her ancestry includes General Tso Tsung-tang, the Qing dynasty hero and statesman who was the Marquis Kejing of Tranquility and Respect and whose legacy inspired the iconic dish, General Tso’s Chicken. Her maternal grandfather, Senator Liu Chen, served as a senator in both China and Taiwan and established the government in Taiwan with Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek. Continuing this lineage, Panney is guided by a commitment to creating an inspiring, equitable, and interconnected world through culture and storytelling.

A dedicated champion and community leader of the API community, Panney is a national senior advisor to the National Association of Asian American Professionals of which she founded the national women’s leadership program, Women in NAAAP, recognized in Forbes Women, the National Asian Artist Project, and has served  on several nonprofit and cultural and business leadership boards including the Asian Business Association, the Asian Youth Center, the Vincent Price Museum, and as a Trustee for the Global Councils for Women in Tech, Sports, and Entertainment, Trauma Advocacy, and Legacy Preservation for the Asian Hall of Fame . She has received honors from the LA Business Journal,  most recently the LA Business Journal’s Disruptors Awards for Social Responsibility (recognizing the top companies in LA that are making innovative and positive social impact), Forbes Women, Top 100 Taiwanese Americans, and recognized by the Asian American Business Development Center’s as one of the Outstanding  50 Asian Americans in Business.

Through Harpe Ventures, Panney continues to champion storytelling and partnerships that bridge culture, community, and legacy across art, food and beverage, wellness, and entertainment—creating work designed to inspire and leave a lasting legacy for generations to come. Ms. Wei is  honored to continue her family legacy’s mission of bridging East and West and unifying cultures, changing the narrative, and creating positive, social and cultural impact through art, food, wellness, and entertainment. She resides in Los Angeles with her daughter, Talia.