Pay Chen: Why Gen X Friendships Last | TV Careers, AI & Growing Up Analog

In this episode, I'm hanging out with broadcaster and longtime friend Pay Chen for a wide-ranging conversation about what it means to grow up Gen X - and stay friends for decades.

We talk about Pay's life in Canadian television and the changing landscape of media and freelancing. Pay shares what it was like building a TV career in the early 2000s, how the industry has shifted, and what it means to navigate work now in an AI-driven creative world.

We reflect on more than 30 years of friendship, what keeps people connected through different cities, careers, and life stages, and why Gen X friendships hit differently. From university days in residence, to basement apartments, fax machines, and early careers in media, this episode is a nostalgic look at a generation that grew up just before the internet changed everything.

We also get honest about:

• Redefining success in your 40s and beyond
• The reality of freelance creative work
• What AI is already changing in media and content creation
• Why working with good people matters more than titles or money
• And yes… a very memorable basement apartment story

This is a conversation about friendship, aging, work, and what actually matters when you’ve been in the industry long enough to see everything change.

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Chapters: 

| 1 | Meet Pay Chen | 0:22 |

| 2 | Growing Up Gen X | 2:01 |

| 3 | The Collapse of Traditional Media | 4:58 |

| 4 | AI and Creative Careers | 7:51 |

| 5 | Redefining Success | 10:04 |

| 6 | Lifelong Friendships | 12:18 |

| 7 | Rapid Fire | 16:22 |

| 8 | The Toilet Story | 20:13 |

| 9 | Being Recognized From TV | 24:25 |

| 10 | Black Mirror Giveaway | 28:36 |

More About Pay:

https://www.instagram.com/paychen

https://cookwithzing.com/collections/bestsellers/products/sacha-ish-chili-miso-condiment?selling_plan=1995636787

Thank you to Expériences Infinity for Black Mirror tickets!

https://www.youtube.com/@experiencesinfinity

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576589571775

 keywords

Pay Chen, Gen X friendship, Gen X podcast, lifelong friendship, friendship after 30 years, Canadian TV host, Breakfast Television Canada, Treehouse TV, media industry change, freelance creative work, TV industry then and now, analog childhood, life before internet, Gen X nostalgia, redefining success, midlife friendship, aging and friendship, AI and creative jobs, future of media, life after 40, embarrassing stories