
Steven Tonthat
Steven Tonthat is a researcher and writer for arts and culture at Oregon Public Broadcasting, where he helps produce OPB’s flagship arts programs “Oregon Art Beat,” “Oregon Experience” and “State of Wonder.”
Before moving to Oregon, he was an online producer at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Hawaii’s biggest daily newspaper. He covered breaking news, worked as a videographer and managed the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s social media platforms.
He was also an associate producer at KITV Island News.
Steven graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2009 with a bachelors degree in English and Broadcast Journalism and again in 2012 with a masters degree in Composition and Rhetoric.
He hopes to sample many of Oregon’s most popular breweries and attend as many Blazers games as he can.
Latest Stories

Oregon’s Vietnamese families reflect on how and why they celebrate Tết
Over the weekend, Vietnamese communities around the world celebrated Tết, more commonly known as the Lunar New Year. For many, it’s the time of year to honor ancestors and pray for good luck in year ahead. OPB reached out to Vietnamese American Portlanders to reflect on the holiday, its meaning and their traditions.

Newport symphony debuts orchestral ode to nature and history
This weekend’s world premiere uses music to explore the painful past treatment of Indigenous peoples who once made Oregon’s Yakona Nature Preserve their homeland.

Inaugural census will track Oregon music industry’s economic impact
Through Jan. 15, commercial music workers including musicians, producers and venue owners, can make some noise in the first Oregon Commercial Music Census. The goal is to present policymakers with hard data on how well the music economy is doing across the state.

A Portland affordable housing project spotlights BIPOC lives in art
Las Adelitas is an affordable housing project in Portland's Cully neighborhood. Artist Michelle Angela Ortiz painted the centerpiece; a giant mural that depicts some of Cully's Latino residents. The mural is the final piece of a project meant to give low-income families a chance to find a place to call home.

‘Nutcracker’ performance in Vancouver challenges original’s cultural stereotypes
"The Nutcracker" is a classic ballet performed every year around Christmas. But this year, Columbia Dance in Vancouver, Washington, will reinterpret the ballet with a Pacific Northwest flair.

Artists Rep welcomes Portland theater company’s first BIPOC female leader
Artists Repertory Theatre, Portland’s oldest-running theater company, has a new artistic director who’s not only the company’s first female leader, but also its first artistic director who identifies as Native American.

Crews start demolishing Portland’s historic Roseway Theater
For nearly a century, Portland movie lovers filled the Roseway Theater in Northeast Portland, But in August, an electrical fire destroyed the building. Last week, crews began tearing down the iconic movie palace.
Oregon and national arts leaders push for more local access
National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson and Oregon Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici toured the state this week, chatting with local arts organizations about how to improve arts education access for the state.

Award-winning family documentary ‘Sam Now’ by Oregon filmmaker screens at Bend festival
Filmmaker Reed Harkness's "Sam Now" chronicle's his and younger brother Sam's quest to find a missing parent. What follows is an intimate portrait of a family confronting the questions and difficult conversations that arise from a traumatic event. It recently took the top prize for documentary filmmaking at the Zurich Film Festival. He will next feature the movie at the BendFilm Festival.

Lan Su’s Moonlight Market celebrates Mid-Autumn Moon Festival
Many Asian communities around the world will celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival on September 10, but Lan Su Chinese Garden is starting a little early. Lan Su kicks off the festival with the Mid-Autumn Moonlight Market.