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To the 35-year-old Jason Li, leading one of Asia’s most prominent film and entertainment companies can be stressful. The pressure, however, comes not just from building a bigger business, but also keeping his father’s legacy alive.

“My father founded the company when he was only 24,” Li says, referring to Li Kuo-hsing, the founder and chairman of Mei Ah Entertainment Group. “It was an amazing achievement. That’s why we are under a lot of pressure and we have to work harder.”

Thirty-five years since Li Kuo-hsing founded Mei Ah, the Hong Kong-based company has grown from video rental and distribution to a full-fledged, well-rounded entertainment company. The company’s leadership has also been taken up by the second generation — Jason Li, the eldest son, is at the helm as Mei Ah’s executive director, and his younger brother James, 29, is the company’s business development manager.

“Father still...

As the old saying goes, timing is everything. Such could be true for Hong Kong’s Mei Ah Entertainment Group. Founded in 1984, the company went from distributing video tapes and laser discs during the golden era of Hong Kong’s film industry to operating an ecosystem of the entertainment industry riding on China’s rise to the world’s second-largest economy. And as the world becomes a global village during the digital age, this 35-year-old company has even bigger plans.

“It is true that in the long run we hope to establish a global presence,” says Jason Li, executive director of Mei Ah Entertainment.

One of the latest Mei Ah projects has given the company’s ambition away. Joining Chinese star Ma Li, China’s newest box office darling, in upcoming action comedy “Twinblades” is Beth Behrs (“2 Broke Girls”). Lauren Shuler Donner will come on board as producer, making...