| A | B | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | |
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1 | NAME Last, First | Writing Partner | GENRE | MOST RECENT TITLE/STAFF LEVEL | RELEVANT CREDITS | DEVELOPMENT (PROJECTS SOLD) | BIO/ABOUT ME | ETHNICITY | WRITTEN LANGUAGES (OTHER THAN ENGLISH) | SPOKEN LANGUAGES (OTHER THAN ENGLISH) | CONTACT INFO | SOCIAL MEDIA |
2 | Agrawal, Nayna | dramedy, light drama | G) Executive Story Editor | Encanto, The Baker and The Beauty, upcoming Netflix series, produced playwright | project sold to PBS | Nayna writes about contradictions: as a starving artist, she gained 9 lbs. When she was a PA, a writer yelled at her for not keeping a supply of Seventh Generation tampons on hand. You can bribe her with ice cream to get the full scoop...and that pun is why she should come with a warning label. | Indian, first gen | Hindi | Hindi | Danny Alexander dalexander@apa-agency.com | ||
3 | Alper, Liz Hsiao Lan | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Procedural, 1-hour, Genre, Fantasy, Superhero, high concept | E) Producer | Two Sentence Horror Stories, Day of the Dead (tv series), The Rookie, Hawaii Five-0, Chicago Fire | Liz Hsiao Lan Alper is a Hapa writer, activist and twitter addict originally from Rhode Island, the second-most forgotten state in the US ($%#@ you, Delaware). She is the co-creator of the grassroots movement #PayUpHollywood, which fights to improve working conditions and financial compensation for entertainment support staff. When she is not writing or ranting about Asian-American representation on twitter, Liz can be found six episodes into watching the newest genre/sci-fi/fantasy show or reading the hottest YA novel on kindle. She is also a cooking show fanatic, having gotten her start in entertainment by working on the Top Chef casting team and still carries the extra ten pounds she gained during her TC tenure. Liz most recently served as a producer for the latest season of Two Sentence Horror Stories on the CW and the upcoming zombie series Day of the Dead for SyFy. | Bi-Racial (Half-Taiwanese, half-white) | Manal Hammad, Verve - mhammad@vervetla.com | Twitter - @LizAlps | ||||
4 | Ashworth, Alexandra (Dzana) | drama, sci-fi / fantasy | J) Feature Writer looking for first staff job | Producer (HuffPost, HuffPost Live), Showrunner's Assistant (AOL "Connected"), Post Coordinator (Art21 "Borderlands"), PA ( | If Dzana (she/they) were an X-men, she'd be Rogue, Jubilee, and X-23 combined. She's ventured across the creative multiverse -- spinning out fast paced news clips for HuffPost, producing travel and tourism videos overseas, and deep-diving into documentaries that hit close to home. Dzana now brings her curiosity and creativity to the scripted world, where she hopes to share not only her lived experiences but also the breadth and depth of her generative, speculative, and forward-thinking imagination. (Yes, she's a nerd, can't you tell?) | Filipinx-American | Spanish, Portuguese | 503 860 7884 / dzana.ashworth@gmail.com | www.dzanaashworth.com | |||
5 | Comedy, Drama (genre) | Writers Assistant | ARROW, FREEDOM FIGHTERS: THE RAY | Elizabeth Kim is a genre & comedy writer. Between being raised in Louisiana and having a strict Korean mother, she was socially encouraged to be a demure and polite girl, but instead became a bookish, loud-mouthed smart-aleck. After studying Biochemistry and Cell Biology to become a neurologist, she moved out to Los Angeles to become a television writer. She attended AFI for Screenwriting, where she won an Alfred P. Sloan Award for her feature, THE BRAIN MIRROR. Much of her work features identity issues, underdog stories with heart, and flawed protagonists. | Korean | Korean, Spanish | Email: ElizabethRKim@gmail.com Manager: Natalie Covault, Brillstein Entertainment- N.Covault@bep-la.com WGA Find a Writer Profile: https://directories.wga.org/member/ee6f1873-2f81-4325-a4cb-45bf539239ef | https://twitter.com/lizmkim , https://www.instagram.com/lizmkim/ | ||||
6 | Banson, Jerianne | Banson, Enrico | Drama, comedy, romantic comedy, epic, adventure, action | J) Feature Writer looking for first staff job | Some Night (Writer) , Focus (writer) | Focus | I’m in love with the beauty of life, love and humanity. It is in this that I find stories to write about. I’m passionate about creating narratives of all kinds especially through a BIPOC lens. | Filipino-American | Mobile - 415.279.3344 email: jbanson@gmail.com | @perpetualist - Instagram, @jeriannebanson -Twitter | ||
7 | Banzon, Krystal | Comedy, Dramedy | H) Story Editor | I FEEL BAD (NBC), FIREBUDS (Disney) | KRYSTAL BANZON is a queer, first-generation Filipina raised in the Breaking Bad deserts of California. Born out of a marriage of convenience between a gambler-dreamer father who wanted a family and practical nurse mother who wanted a green card, it makes sense that Krystal writes comedic and heartfelt family dynamics - with a queer twist! Krystal Banzon was most recently the Co-Head Writer/Story Editor on Disney Branded Television's animated series FIREBUDS, where she was promoted from staff writer. Krystal was Manager of Diversity Programming at NBC Entertainment where she supported the network pipeline programs and is an alumnus of the Paramount Writers Mentoring Program. Her staff writing credits include Amy Poehler’s primetime sitcom, I FEEL BAD. Prior to that, Krystal received a Fulbright fellowship to study theater in the Philippines, then worked as an assistant director and dramaturg in the multicultural theater scene in New York City. Krystal received a BA from Smith College in women’s studies, and a Masters in New Media from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her wife and three children. | Filipino | Manager: Dianne Fraser, Industry Entertainment (diannef@industryentertainment.com) | @HandsOnBanzon | ||||
8 | Bao, Lisa | Crime Drama | F) Co-Producer | Nancy Drew | Lisa Bao is a Chinese American writer who was most recently staffed as a co-producer on Nancy Drew (CW). Prior to her writing career, Lisa was a civil litigator for four years dabbling in a mix of sports law, real estate and family law. | Chinese | Mandarin | https://directories.wga.org/member/lisabao/ | https://www.instagram.com/missbrighterside/ | |||
9 | Barangan, Hernán | Dramedy, Comedy, Drama | I) Staff Writer | Life By Ella "Prison Or Palace" -- won WGA Award, Humanitas & EMMY | Hernán Barangan was diagnosed with Leukemia as a teenager, and while undergoing radiation therapy, he fell in love with TV and movies as a way to escape. His post-cancer life would teach him that storytelling is actually about turning and facing your fears — so he directed and stars in CANCER REBELLION (Executive Produced by Roger Daltrey of The Who), for which he traveled to all 50 states to interview 100 young adult cancer patients. He also directed THE 100%, a fully-immersive 360° interactive experience; it won the Tribeca X Award and was nominated for an EMMY. A staff writer on AppleTV+’s LIFE BY ELLA, he won an EMMY, a WGA AWARD and the HUMANITAS PRIZE for the episode he wrote. He’s one of NBC’s 2022 LAUNCH writers; a marathon hand-cycler, has rebuilt a VW from the ground up and makes a mean green smoothie. | Filipino / Salvadoran | https://writers.wga.org/hernanbarangan | https://www.instagram.com/hernanbarangan/ | ||||
10 | Bilal, Iram Parveen | Drama | J) Feature Writer looking for first staff job | I'll Meet You there | Drama writer/director. Pakistani woman, Caltech engineer turned filmmaker, Muslim, third culture kid raised in Pakistan & Nigeria with a closet full of Bollywood VHS tapes. In an inter-racial marriage with a cowboy from Texas. CAPE & Film Independent writing fellow. Headed to Cannes Latelier 2019 as one of fifteen selected filmmakers. Former Co-chair of WGAWest Asian American Writers Committee. | South Asian | Urdu/Hindi | Urdu/Hindi | ipb@iramparveenbilal.com | @irampbilal | ||
11 | Bladt, Heather Jeng | Drama, Dramedy, Period, Family Drama | B) Co-Executive Producer | UNT. ORPHAN PROJECT / Hulu (Co-EP), BLACK CAKE / Hulu (Supervising Producer), THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY / Disney+ (Producer), UNT. MATTHEW WEINER PROJECT / FX (Co-Producer), SOCIAL DISTANCE / Netflix (Executive Story Editor), ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK / Netflix (Staff Writer), MAD MEN / AMC (Writer/Freelance Episode) | Heather is a 3rd generation Chinese-American woman, born and raised in Yorba Linda, CA. That’s in the OC, but not the posh beach cities. It’s a land-locked city with a church on every corner and no bars in sight. Despite growing up in this environment, she is not posh, nor religious (but oddly also doesn’t drink very often), nor part of the ethnic majority. This led her to a lifelong struggle with her identity. Only after she had two kids did she realize life’s too short to dwell on what she’s not, allowing her to focus on what she loves: dessert, traveling, and writing complex characters in complicated relationships with their families and partners. Ever the optimist, she has a penchant for romance and searching for answers to life through story. | Chinese American | Manager: Josh Levy / Industry Entertainment: joshl@industryentertainment.com / Agent: Andrew Mathes / WME - amathes@wmeagency.com | @HJengaB | ||||
12 | Boghani, Ami | Comedy & Drama & Thriller | J) Feature Writer looking for first staff job | The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012) | I'm a young adult writer focused on telling fun & innovative stories about American POC in books, TV, and on film. Before moving to LA, I worked with Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Mira Nair for 9 years, and produced projects in East Africa, India, Turkey, and Pakistan. | South Asian American | Avi Lipski - avi.lipski@authenticm.com | Twitter: @amiboghani, Instagram: bog_face | ||||
13 | Brown, Brusta | Todd, John Mitchell | Sci-fi, fantasy, action, historical fiction, horror, serialized is preferable, but have written/produced procedurals as well. | E) Producer | Black Lightning (CW), Taken (NBC) | We have sold projects to Amazon with Lee Daniels and Freeform. | My writing partner and I love writing genre because you can mask story lines about social issues in a nice candy coating of genre fun to make the discussion more socially palatable. Due to our unique relationship (we are a married writing team: mixed {Asian/Black} cali-girl+White Southerner), and considering what our kids will look like, identity is an important issue for us to explore in our work. We are super nerds: We play Dungeons & Dragons, Magic the Gathering, Star War, Star Trek, Dune, and video games. We also love anything with aliens as aliens brought my family together (weird I know). My mom met my dad because she attended one of his lectures about aliens. My brother is named after an alien and my parents used to take our family out to the desert to see/talk to the beings from other worlds. | I am Mixed race--half Chinese, half Black | Klingon, Bocce, and Na'vi | APA Agency-Malcolm Hamilton or Bwritestv@protonmail.com | ||
14 | Bubriski, Elizabeth Choi | Comedy, Genre, Drama | I) Staff Writer | The Girls on the Bus | Liz grew up on a dirt road with her two brothers, Korean mom, and Polish dad in Western Mass. She credits her comedy skills to being the poor kid at rich East Coast schools coupled with people always telling her just how not Asian she looks to them. She loves to find the weird in comedy and has an affinity for genre and all things murdery. She's worked as an ice-cream scooper, house painter, bankruptcy paralegal, and spent 6 months working in Spain on Vampire Academy. Most recently she was Staff Writer on The Girls on the Bus for HBOMax. | Korean & White | Nora May - 3 Arts, nmay@3arts.com | @Bubriski_Business - instagram, @iatetoomuch.bsky.social | ||||
15 | Carillo, Geri | Drama | G) Executive Story Editor | Walker (CW) | Geri Carillo (she/her) is a first-generation Filipina American writer who was born in Germany and grew up in a dusty little ARMY town in Oklahoma. She gravitates toward stories about damaged (and healing!) family dynamics, as well as stories that resonate with her experience as the daughter of immigrants - some might say the two are synonymous. She has written for the CBS Diversity Showcase and an iO West house sketch team, and after ascending from Writers’ Assistant Season 1, currently writes on CW’s WALKER. Geri spends her spare hours volunteering as a co-leader for grief groups, traveling, and daydreaming about the latest Michelin Guide. | Filipino-American | Echo Lake (Adam Riback) | https://www.instagram.com/gericari/?hl=en | ||||
16 | Chan, May | comedy, dramedy, YA, serialized | A) Executive Producer | Surfside Girls (series, Apple+), American Girl: Corinne Tan (feature, Amazon and Netflix), The Astronauts (series, Nickelodeon), Carmen Sandiego (animated series, Netflix), Voltron: Legendary Defender (animated series, Netflix). | Stand Up, Yumi Chung (feature, HBOMax), Millicent Min (Nickelodeon, multi-cam), Table 58 (Amazon, single-cam), Filthy Rich Pig (Nickelodeon, multi-cam), Champ Academy (Nickelodeon, multi-cam) | My parents swam from China to Hong Kong to escape the Cultural Revolution. They immigrated to the United States as refugees. All so I can write for television. | Chinese-American | Cantonese. Especially when it comes to ordering dim sum. | lhoward@independentartistgroup.com | |||
17 | Chandel, Natasha | Comedy, Animation, YA | I) Staff Writer | Mr. Iglesias (NETFLIX), Press Start! (PEACOCK) | Natasha is an Indian-Canadian-American TV writer, comedian, and host of the dating/sex podcast, KINDA DATING (Top 25 in Apple’s Relationships chart). She staffed on Netflix’s MR. IGLESIAS and Peacock’s PRESS START! A former Supervising Producer (MTV, FOX, Disney, Critical Role); she can hire crew, babysit talent, budget, manage set, and post. As a standup she’s opened for Godfrey, performed at NYCF, and showcased for Netflix’s New Faces. She’s a die-hard wrestling fan, had Lyme Disease for seven years, and was part of a cult but there was no sex involved so, you know, not one of the good ones. | Indian | Hindi | 3 Arts/ Innovative Artists (https://directories.wga.org/member/natashachandel) | ||||
18 | Chang, Leonard | Drama, sci-fi, crime | A) Executive Producer | Snowfall (FX); Justified (FX); Awake (NBC) | https://directories.wga.org/member/leonardchang | https://www.instagram.com/_leonardchang_/ | ||||||
19 | Chang, Michael M. | drama, dramedy, sci-fi, action | G) Executive Story Editor | POWER Book III: RAISING KANAN, Starz (Executive Story Editor - S4, Staff Writer - S3, "Open For Business" - written by) OZARK, Netflix ("Sangre Sobre Todo" - co-written by) | Michael is an Executive Story Editor on Starz's POWER Book III: RAISING KANAN, his second season on the writing staff. Previously, he co-wrote an episode of Netflix’s OZARK and served as the series’ Script Coordinator. He got his start in production, assisting line producers on various series including AMC’s MAD MEN. Before moving back to his native LA to pursue writing, Michael was an engineering major at Stanford and an investment banker in Silicon Valley. Michael’s the proud son of Chinese immigrants and the even prouder dad of a boy named Jack. | Chinese | Mandarin | manager: Brandy Rivers, Industry Entertainment -- brandyr@industryentertainment.com | ||||
20 | Chen, Peter | comedy, dramedy | I) Staff Writer | KINDERGARTEN: THE MUSICAL (Disney Junior / 2023) - Staff Writer, JENTRY CHAU VS. THE UNDERWORLD (Netflix / 2022), GREMLINS (HBO MAX / 2019-20) - Staff Writer, THE RESIDENT (20th Century Fox / 2017-18) - Staff Writer | SUPER BAD ASIANS pilot (CBS Studios / 2023) UNTITLED KARATE PROJECT (Universal Pictures - David O. Russell producing) / CORPORATE SAMURAI - (The Gotham Group) - co-written with David O. Russell | I’m a jolly Taiwanese comedy writer (Fox Writers Lab Alum) who often mixes families and characters in crisis, with heart and humor. Raised by a dynamic mom and five impressive sisters, so strong female characters are often central in my work. Aries. Hypochondriac. Previously worked as a “manny” for a billionaire. Sold the feature script UNTITLED KARATE PROJECT to Universal Pictures with David O. Russell producing. Followed that up with co-writing feature script CORPORATE SAMURAI with David O. Russell. Staffed on The Resident for Fox where I was brought in to bring a comedic voice to the show. | Chinese, Taiwanese | Mandarin, Taiwanese | Jonas Brooks (CAA) jonas.brooks@caa.com, Lauren Fox (CAA) lauren.fox@caa.com, Britton Rizzio (Curate) britton@thisiscurate.com | https://twitter.com/lunchticketfilm | ||
21 | Cheng, DH | Sci-fi; comedy. | J) Feature Writer looking for first staff job - Video game writer in addition to features. | Tron: Evolution; Tron: Evolution - Battle Grids. | Escape from America; The Racket; Myah Moonlight; Demon Knights of Ankhoron (video game). | I’m a friendly, smart, talented, half-Chinese, Canadian dad who busts his ass to tell great stories. My wife and kids graciously let me move here from Vancouver, Canada to work my way into television, after thirteen years of writing sci-fi features and video game stories for companies like Disney and EA. I think I’d be “good in a room” due to my years of successfully working in direct sales, managing recreational soccer teams, and keeping two unruly children and one needy dog alive. And yes, I love hockey and I apologize for absolutely everything. Sorry, eh? | Mixed race (half-Chinese). | dh@dhcheng.com | @dhchengwriter on Twitter; @agnosticbishop on Instagram. | |||
22 | Cheng, Marie | Comedy, Dramedy | E) Producer | Young Sheldon (currently staffed), Just Roll With It | Comedy series in development with Sallie Patrick at CBS-S | MARIE CHENG is a comedy writer staffed on YOUNG SHELDON, with previous credits at Disney Channel and DreamWorks Animation. As the first in her family born in the U.S. to Chinese Southern Baptist immigrants, she grew up torn between her Chinese heritage and her OC hometown, leading her to pursue comedy as a way to connect to both. She graduated from Chapman's Dodge College with a BFA in Animation and won't stop talking about the semester she studied abroad in Florence, Italy. When she's not writing, she's performing improv/sketch and is a grateful five-time recipient of the UCB Diversity Scholarship. She loves fish-out-of-water stories and animals that look like bread. | Chinese (Cantonese), parents from Hong Kong | N/A | N/A | https://directories.wga.org/member/mariecheng | ||
23 | Cheng, Zoe | Drama, Serialized, Procedural | G) Executive Story Editor | HARLAN COBEN'S SHELTER, THE ROOKIE | Zoe Cheng is a queer, Taiwanese American writer born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. After earning her BFA from USC for Writing for Screen & Television, she won the Humanitas Originals Prize for her drama pilot at the 2019 Austin Film Festival, and was subsequently accepted into the 2020 Walt Disney Television Writing Program as one of only seven drama writers. Most recently, she worked on HARLAN COBEN'S SHELTER as an executive story editor, and before that wrote on Seasons 3 and 4 of THE ROOKIE. She is currently in development on multiple television projects. In her writing, Zoe loves to explore the theme of identity: especially through young Asian American characters, working against the world’s ideas of who they are. | Taiwanese / Chinese American | Mandarin | CAA - Rob Kenneally, Albert Lee / Writ Large - Michael Claassen | @zozocheng (Twitter/X) | |||
24 | Ching, Carla | Drama, dramedy | B) Co-Executive Producer | Mr + Mrs. Smith, Home Before Dark, Preacher, The First, I Love Dick, Fear the Walking Dead, Graceland | Beautiful Country (Onyx), Shoplifters (Field Trip and Hive Mind -- Feature), Paranoia Agent (Monkey Paw and Superfrog) | I grew up in the San Fernando Valley (1st born to two Chinese Americans from Honolulu) and fled for New York where I had a whole other life as a playwright, High School English teacher and teaching artist. Because my folks said I should have a backup plan if I wanted to be a writer. Wrote and performed with Peeling, the autobiographical AAPI Theater Company which I still consider my first theater training before getting an MFA at the New School. Former artistic director of 2g. Founding member of The Kilroys (an arts activist group working for gender parity on American stages). Member of New Dramatists. I’ve written on a really motley assortment shows (been in 9 rooms) but gravitate towards character driven work with something to say. | Chinese American | Tim Phillips: PhillipsT@unitedtalent.com, Henry Huang: henry@hvemgmt.com | @carlaching | |||
25 | Chitkara, Rishi | Comedy, Drama, Dramedy | J) Feature Writer looking for first staff job | n/a | codename: SANTA (USA/UCP) | • Born in NYC, 1st generation. Parents immigrated from India. • First member of his family to attend university. • Undergrad from Northwestern. Economics/Business. • Masters from UCLA. Screenwriting. • Licensed EMT-B (only valid in NJ). • Started career in unscripted physical production for All3Media. Credits include Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader. • Turned down a full ride to Rice's MBA program in 2010. • Accepted into the DGA Assistant Director Trainee Program in 2011. • AD’d for New Girl, The Mentalist, Hello Ladies, and Pretty Little Liars. • Has produced two low budget direct to DVD/VOD genre features. Eligible for membership with the PGA. • Worked in the Social Work division of UCLA Hospital to pay for grad school. • Developing an app for selling home cooked meals in California and reduce food waste. • Understands Hindi & Punjabi. Semi-conversational in Spanish. • Selected for the 2019 DreamAgo writing residency in Switzerland. • Is allergic to cats, but my wife still has one. It’s adorable. • Met said future wife while interning for Bryan Singer in 2006. | Indian | Hindi | rishi@rishi.biz | https://twitter.com/rishi_chitkara | ||
26 | Chiu, Benedict | Comedy, Drama, Action, Horror | I) Staff Writer | CALL ME KAT (S3) | Benedict Chiu is a writer/director raised by Taiwanese parents in Saratoga, CA. He desperately wanted to stand out among his tech-driven community, so instead of working toward that sweet six-figure Silicon Valley salary, he opted to embarrass himself on the Internet. Kinda, not really. Benedict started making YouTube videos while studying at USC, and eventually his existential ponderings on the Asian-American experience lead him to explore narrative stories about underdog characters in immersive worlds, with elements of heart, humor, and action - inspired by the anime/manga that stoked his imagination as a kid. Benedict was selected for the Warner Bros. Television Writers' Workshop 2021 – 2022 and was most recently a staff writer on Season 3 of CALL ME KAT (FOX). His most recent short film S.Q.A.G. (SHORT QUIET ASIAN GIRL) starring Tricia Fukuhara (Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies) and Kristian Ventura (School Spirits) premiered at LA Shorts Fest and the New York Asian Film Festival. His upcoming short film, BOY BAND, is a K-Pop horror film starring Jay Lee (CSI: Vegas). | Taiwanese-American | Mandarin Chinese | Mitchell Bendersky, Gramercy Park (mbendersky@gramercyparkentertainment.com) | https://www.benedictfilm.com/ | |||
27 | Cho, Lana | Drama | B) Co-Executive Producer | Co-EP on American Born Chinese. Overall Deal with 20th TV | Korean-American | Elana Barry at Circle of Confusion | ||||||
28 | Chou, Jessica | Drama, specialty in sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural | I) Staff Writer | CW's NO TOMORROW; Netflix's WU ASSASSINS (fall 2019) | I'm a first generation nomad, moving mainly between the Deep South and the Middle East. Every place I've lived has its own voices, culture, community, and that diversity of experiences is why I write slipstream/sci-fi/and supernatural: genre is the perfect platform to explore social issues while also writing fun things about aliens, superheroes, and zombies. Everything I write is female driven, and all my characters live in the grey spaces of right and wrong. | Chinese | Conrad Sun, Meridian Artists 310-479-2777 | @jesschoutime | ||||
29 | Chu, Leo | Garcia, Eric S. | Comedy, Genre, YA, Coming-Of-Age, Family | A) Executive Producer/Showrunner | Afro Samurai (Paramount Network), Supah Ninjas (Nickelodeon), Batman Ninja (WB), Alexa & Katie (Netflix), Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion (Disney) | Amazon, Disney, Fox, NBC/Universal, Sony, Warner Bros | Most recently, Leo Chu developed and showran Disney’s live-action superhero comedy ULTRA VIOLET & BLACK SCORPION, which received two Emmys nominations. Previously, he was nominated for two Emmys and a WGA Award for the Netflix dramedy ALEXA & KATIE. He was the showrunner of AFRO SAMURAI and AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION, which became the first animé to win a Primetime Emmy. He also created and showran the Emmy-winning live-action series SUPAH NINJAS, which won him a WGA Award. On the feature front, he wrote and produced BATMAN NINJA for Warner Bros., which was named one of the best animés of 2018. | Chinese-American/Asian-American (Eric is Filipino/Mixed Race) | Mandarin & German (Eric speaks French & Spanish) | Daniel Vang @ 3 Arts | @leochu88/X || @leo_chu88/Instagram || www.linkedin.com/in/leochu88 | |
30 | Chu, Valerie | Drama | J) Freelance Writer looking to staff | QUEEN SUGAR (Freelance Writer), NASHVILLE (Freelance Writer) | VALERIE CHU was raised in Houston, Texas, as part of a primarily Caucasian, church-going community, where you’d find a perfectly good life if you could stand to be complacent. Born to Taiwanese immigrant parents and caught between her father’s midlife crisis and mother’s born-again experience, she was constantly in the middle of two worlds. Eventually, she forged her own path by moving to Los Angeles to attend USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and pursue television writing. Valerie has written and produced episodes of ABC’s Nashville and OWN’s Queen Sugar. She currently works for Peter Gould on Better Call Saul, and has assisted other prestige showrunners such as Michelle Ashford, Monica Macer, and Dee Johnson. | Taiwanese | Mandarin Chinese | https://directories.wga.org/member/728a83c2-341e-43b9-90c7-5b402130a424 | ||||
31 | Chung, Michael | Diallo, Bronson | Comedy, Dramedy, Drama, Sci-fi, Action, Animation | Staff Writer | Running Point (Netflix) | Down Bad (Sony Pictures Television, Matt Tolmach producing) | Born and raised in Los Angeles, Michael grew up doing every activity under the sun, from classical piano to football, and graduated from the USC Marshall School of Business — only to leave that all behind so that he can stare at a blinking cursor all day. Michael and his writing partner, Bronson Diallo (also an LA native), were most recently staff writers on RUNNING POINT (Netflix). They've previously sold a half-hour pilot to Sony Pictures Television with Matt Tolmach attached to produce and have developed projects with companies like Gran Via Productions, River Road Entertainment, and Conaco. Though most of their work has been in the half-hour comedy space, their projects span all genres and formats — including comedy features, drama features, and drama TV. They are repped by Ben Neumann at Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment and Zac Simmons and Varun Monga at Paradigm. Thanks to his parents, Michael is fluent in Korean, which has helped him become extremely well-versed in Korean media, culture, and history. Other areas of interest include American history, technology, business, and entrepreneurship. | Korean | Korean | Korean | Ben Neumann @ Kaplan/Perrone neumann@kaplanperrone.com | |
32 | Cullen, Lisa Takeuchi | Drama | A) Executive Producer | LOVE AFTER LOVE (Netflix, creator/EP/co-showrunner); LAW & ORDER SVU (NBC, consulting producer); THE ORDAINED (CBS, creator/co-EP) | LOVE AFTER LOVE (Netflix); 'OHANA (ABC); MIRACLE (Warner Bros.); LOVE AFTER LOVE (NBC); AMITY & SORROW (A&E); TWO BADGES (CBS); ILLEGAL (CBS); THE ORDAINED (CBS) | Lisa Takeuchi Cullen is a TV writer, author and journalist. She is currently in an overall deal with Universal Studios, under which she is creating and co-showrunning a drama series for Netflix. Lisa was a consulting producer on “Law & Order: SVU” and has developed drama pilots for ABC, NBC, CBS, A&E and Warner Bros.; her pilot “The Ordained” was produced by CBS. Lisa is an elected Council member of the Writers Guild of America East, where she works to represent marginalized writers as co-chair of the Committee for Inclusion and Equity; for her service to the Guild, she was awarded the 2020 Richard B. Jablow Award. Previously she worked as a staff writer and foreign correspondent for TIME magazine and published two books. Lisa was born and raised in Kobe, Japan, across the street from a yakuza kingpin whose gang war got her house shot — twice. She now lives in peaceful New Jersey with her family. | Japanese | Japanese | abfischer@literateinc.com | @lisacullen | ||
33 | Dai, Lawrence | Comedy | I) Staff Writer | The Late Late Show with James Corden | Lawrence is a writer for The Late Late Show with James Corden, where he specializes in song parodies ("thank u, jeff") and the occasional binge-watch ("James Forces His Writer to Binge All of Game of Thrones"). Born and raised in Kohler, Wisconsin a.k.a. the place where they make all the toilets, Lawrence also wrote a comedic blog in college where he watched the 2009 culinary drama Julie & Julia every day for a year, accumulating over a million page views and press from NPR, Time, The Guardian, MSNBC, HuffPost, Jezebel, Google Blogs of Note, The Village Voice, and The AV Club. He has never watched Julie & Julia since. | Chinese | N/A | Chinese | lawrence.m.dai@gmail.com | |||
34 | Darnall, Ashley | drama, dramedy, comedy | G) Executive Story Editor | Tokyo Vice, Invasion, Whiskey Cavalier | Empress of All Seasons (Apple) | Originally from outside Chicago, Ashley Darnall is the daughter of two Japanese teachers, who taught her the value of embracing other cultures. After graduating from Northwestern University, Ashley moved to France and became a murder mystery writer for the hit social game Criminal Case. She worked her way up to Head Writer, while playing soccer in French leagues and traveling Europe. After three years, Ashley moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Hollywood. On the television side, Ashley is currently staffed on TOKYO VICE (HBOMAX). Other credits include WHISKEY CAVALIER (ABC), INVASION (APPLE TV+), and AZUMI (AMAZON). She is developing a Japanese-inspired YA fantasy pilot with Justin Lin’s Perfect Storm Entertainment for APPLE TV+. On the feature side, she is writing a YA rom-com for Erik Feig’s Picturestart based on the book “I LOVE YOU SO MOCHI.” Ashley loves to write fish-out-of-water tales set in fun and colorful worlds that feature strong female characters. She speaks French and Japanese, and is a die-hard US Women’s Soccer fan. | Japanese American | Japanese, French | CAA - Angela Dallas, Matt Greenberg, Christina Chou; Kaplan Perrone - Hannah Ozer, Sean Perrone | |||
35 | Derwingson-Peacock, Jennifer | Supernatural, Sci-Fi, Genre Comedy, Action | D) Supervising Producer | Black Summer, Z Nation | The Yellow Wood, And Soon the Darkness | Jen Derwingson-Peacock is a Writer/Director with a huge love of Sci-Fi, horror, action, and genre/comedy. Recent credits include Legacies, NCIS: New Orleans, Black Summer, and Z Nation. A child of Chinese, German, and Dutch immigrants, she grew up in the wilds of Northern California at the foot of Mt. Shasta, mythical home of Big Foot, aliens, the descendants of Atlantis and a panther who turns into Jesus Christ -- so it was probably inevitable that she either join a cult or start telling genre stories. Jen is also a student and teacher of Buddhist meditation. A fellow director calls her "A Buddhist who likes to blow shit up." Jen earned a BA in English from Stanford and an MFA in Film Production from USC. She began her career as a theatre director working in Bali, London, and San Francisco. After moving to LA, she made several award winning short films before starting in TV. Jen is known for her inventive world building and for creating grounded, complex characters, sharp dialogue, moody suspense and visceral action and horror. | Mixed race. | Dave Brown, Echo Lake +1 (424) 653-2665 | Insta, Threads @jenlder | |||
36 | Desai, Aadip | Comedy, Dramedy, Animation, Genre | I) Staff Writer | TBA, Nickelodeon/Netflix, Freelance Writer DEW DROP DIARIES, Dreamworks/Netflix, Freelance Writer TBA, Nickelodeon/Netflix, Freelance Writer MIRA, ROYAL DETECTIVE, Disney Junior, Freelance Writer THE GOLDBERGS S7, ABC/Sony, Staff Writer WORST COOKS IN AMERICA, Food Network, Cast Member | Aadip Desai is a writer, Air Force Brat, Worst Cook in America, and BAFTA Breakthrough. He left AFI’s Screenwriting MFA for the Disney TV Fellowship, or whatever it’s called, due to corporate restructuring. Aadip has written for The Goldbergs, Mira Royal Detective, Dew Drop Diaries, and a secret Netflix show. He studied Improv/Sketch at UCB, and drunks heckled him at The Improv, Comedy Store, and a regular gig at a vegan café with one bathroom. Before writing, Aadip worked as a professional drummer/trumpeter, action sports music supervisor, and exec who oversaw Starbucks’ global background music when it was still good. | Indian | Matt Rosen, Manager, Mazo Partners - mrosen@mazopartners.com, Varun Monga, Lit Agent, KSA - vmonga@kaplanstahler.com | https://twitter.com/aadip, https://facebook.com/aadip, https://instagram.com/aadip, https://linkedin.com/in/aadip | ||||
37 | Desai, Raj | Comedy | I) Staff Writer | Emmy Nominee, Writers Guild Award-Winner, currently on "Good Talk w/ Anthony Jeselnik" for Comedy Central; also on: "I Love You, America w/ Sarah Silverman" for Hulu, 2017 White House Correspondents Dinner, Triumph The Insult Comic Dog Election Series for Hulu. | Been doing stand-up for years (including a few TV credits), grew up one of the few Indian-Americans in Arlington, TX making for a unique experience, have a Biochemistry undergrad degree and a law degree, love all kinds of music with my favorite being Bruce Springsteen, probably would be a jazz musician if I had the ability. | Indian-American | Gujarati | Anne Hong, Mosaic, ahong@mosaicla.com, 310-786-4961 | @_rajdesai | |||
38 | Dhaliwal, Mallika | drama, horror, YA, serialized | H) Story Editor | THE HENNA ARTIST (Netflix), ECHOES (Netflix), 13 REASONS WHY (Netflix) | Mallika Dhaliwal is a writer from the Bay Area who felt like she belonged anywhere but tech-obsessed Silicon Valley for most of her life. She preferred Joan Didion to Elon Musk and skipped programming class more than once to go to San Francisco -- often on the back of her boyfriend's motorcycle, much to her mother's chagrin -- so she could listen to Joyce Carol Oates or Lawrence Ferlenghetti read at City Lights bookstore. Luckily for her, she moved to LA to attend USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and now puts her wild teen years to good use as fodder for her writing. After USC, she assisted Brian Yorkey on THIRTEEN REASONS WHY (Netflix) until she was promoted to Staff Writer on ECHOES (Netflix), his psychological thriller limited series starring Michelle Monaghan and Matt Bomer. More recently, Mallika staffed on THE HENNA ARTIST starring Freida Pinto (Netflix/Miramax, based on the novel by Alka Joshi) as a Story Editor, and is currently developing a female-led thriller series set in Silicon Valley (based on a novel by AR Torre) with Intrigue Entertainment. | Indian | Hindi, Punjabi, French | mallika.dhaliwal@gmail.com | Instagram - @mallikadhaliwal | |||
39 | Ding, Grace | Genre Drama | I) Staff Writer | WALKER: INDEPENDENCE (The CW) | N/A | Grace Ding was born in Boston, whisked away to the Australian outback, and raised in the highrises of Hong Kong on kung fu novels and Chinese period dramas before moving to Los Angeles on her own at 18. As a bilingual Chinese American, she writes grounded genre dramas about women overcoming trauma and self-loathing to find belonging in unlikely places. A tech nerd and amateur cook who loves all things dark and hopeful, she makes a mean scallion pancake and obsessively reads about unsolved missing persons cases. Grace was most recently Staff Writer on The CW’s Western drama WALKER: INDEPENDENCE. | Chinese | Mandarin | Mandarin | Managers: Abigail Palmer (apalmer@navigationmg.com) and Kegan Schell (kschell@navigationmg.com) at Navigation Media Group | https://twitter.com/gracetding | |
40 | Donohue, Eirene | Comedy, family, teen | J) Feature Writer looking for first staff job | DRINK, SLAY, LOVE (TV movie for Lifetime) LADIES MAN (TV movie for MTV) | BORINGTON (TV pilot to ABC Studios) ADULTISH (TV pilot to Freeform) ROCK THE KITCHEN (TV movie for Disney Channel) | I'm half Vietnamese/half Boston Irish. I grew up in RI. I'm the youngest of 6 and have a five year old daughter. I graduated from Brown and have lived in Japan (teaching English), Indonesia (surfing) and S. Africa (sailing). I also spent a year living in my VW with my Canadian husband while traveling the US. My husband is a Neuro/Trauma ICU nurse at UCLA. | Hapa (half Vietnamese/half Irish) | John Tantillo (manager) 3107131833 | ||||
41 | Estrin-Barks, Bradley | Drama, Sci-Fi, Horror, Fantasy, Action, Serialized and Procedural | I) Staff Writer | 4400 (The CW) | Bradley Estrin-Barks is a queer, biracial Filipino American TV writer from San Francisco, CA who writes character driven dramas that thrust world-straddlers and outliers into the spotlight as they grapple with their identities. He often draws creative influence from an eclectic well of lives he’s lived prior to TV writing – he's been an internationally ranked martial arts champion, a porn camera operator, held a long-standing social work career in public health, and once upon a time he was American Idol’s first AAPI Top 30 finalist. Bradley’s first pilot earned him a coveted spot in the Paramount (formerly Viacom/CBS) Writers Mentoring Program before he went on to staff as a writer on The CW’s reboot of the 4400. In 2022, Bradley was named by The Tracking Board’s annual Next List as one of thirty strongest up-and-coming writers emerging across TV and film. He served as a WGAW Strike Captain during the summer of 2023, and was recently selected to join the inaugural Circle Cohort for Rideback Rise. Bradley is repped by The Gersh Agency and The Gotham Group. | Mixed race: Filipinx-American | Reps: Adam Van Dusen | avandusen@gersh.com (Gersh) : Lyra Tan | ltan@gersh.com : Ross Siegel (Gotham Group) | ross@gotham-group.com : Personal | bradleyestrin@gmail.com : WGA Directory | https://directories.wga.org/member/bradleyestrinbarks | Insta: @bradleyestrin, Twitter: @bradleyestrin | ||||
42 | Everett, Austin Osanai | Sci-Fi, Thriller, Horror, Action | I) Staff Writer (Screenwriter) | 2023 Sundance film Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out | Japanese/American | Japanese | WME - Perry Weitzner, Max West, Bash Naran; Writ Large - Matthew Dartnell Michael Claassen | @foreverett | ||||
43 | Finney, Richard S | sci-fi, fantasy, drama, action | E) Producer | “ALIEN ZOO - The VR Experience" - Based on "Alien Zoo" (Dreamworks) | "Alien Zoo" / "Fire on the Mountain" / "The Wind Raider" | Richard Finney is a WGA screenwriter who has worked at all the major production companies, studios, and TV Networks, including: Walt Disney Pictures, Sony Pictures, Warner Brothers, Fox, ABC, CBS, and Lion’s Gate. ALIEN ZOO - The VR Experience, the groundbreaking VR hit attraction is opening nationwide in 2019, is based on the movie project Finney created and developed with Steven Spielberg and Walter Parkes. Finney is also the Producer of 12 movies (Feature and MOWs) including the award winning, 100 Girls and Carver. He is also an amazon.com Best Selling Fiction and Non-Fiction Writer. His books on screenwriting can be found on his amazon author page. | Pacific Islander / Hawaiian / Chinese | Only English | Only English | https://directories.wga.org/member/0ad7d4b2-1ba9-477d-834a-54eb1aba8db8 | http://richardfinney.blogspot.com/ | |
44 | Freese, Zen | Lyerly, Benjamin Ross | Comedy, Adult Animation | I) Staff Writer | How We Roll @ CBS | The Drama King @ HBO, Adult animation @ Boat Rockers, 30 minute Sitcom @ Broken Road | Zen was born on the Stephen Gaskin Farm, a hippy cult-mummunity famous for sex, drugs, and soybeans. The son of an immigrant Filipino mom and a white Flint-Michigan factory worker dad, Zen was born into a collision of culture. He's an HBO Access Fellow and an Orchard Episodic Lab Fellow, and recently staffed on Pete Holmes multicam HOW WE ROLL, on CBS. | Filipino / Mixed Race | Eye contact | geoffs@cartelent.com | @zentakespictures | |
45 | Furey, Cynthia | Comedy, Family, Animation, YA | F) Co-Producer | Hello Jack! The Kindness Show 2021-2023 Co-Producer | Cynthia Furey spent the early years of her professional life working as a food writer, restaurant critic and recipe developer for The Orange County Register, the ZAGAT Restaurant Guides and Google. Since switching to screenwriting, Cynthia has earned fellowships in the 2018 Sesame Street Writers Room and the 2016 CBS Diversity Writers Program. Her writing credits include Amazon's reboot of CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG, THE GHOST AND MOLLY MCGEE, Apple TV's HELLO JACK: THE KINDNESS SHOW with Jack McBrayer (where she served as a co-producer) and UNLIMITED SQUIRRELS and MY ADVENTURES WITH SUPERMAN for HBOMax. Cynthia is currently staffed on Nickelodeon's TINY CHEF. Cynthia is a fan of dumplings, underdogs, and the NES Classic. She is a culinary school survivor. | Vietnamese, Italian, Irish | Spanish | https://directories.wga.org/member/cynthiafurey | Instagram: @mortalcyn99 | |||
46 | Gabel, Aja | drama, horror, scifi | G) Executive Story Editor | THE STAIRCASE for Annapurna/HBO MAx, SUNNY (FKA Dark Manual) for A24/Apple, SKELETON CREW for Lucasfilm/Disney | THE DEVIL'S MOUTH | I'm a novelist and trained classical musician who made the switch to screenwriting about five years ago. Once when I was a teenager I played Yo Yo Ma's cello, and that only made me sure I would never be worthy of a cello that expensive, and so I decided to pursue writing. My first book was a love story about a string quartet called THE ENSEMBLE, and my upcoming novel is about time travel and marriage. I'm into lots of things—grounded scifi, horror about grief, Japanese American coming of age, WWII incarceration camps, romance, space drama, isolated antiheroes—but mostly I'm into really good characters. Sometimes I think that by writing a really excellent character study I can understand humanity, but I have yet to get there. | Japanese American | Alyssa Lanz at UTA, Faisal Kanaan and Merideth Bajana at Grandview | @ajagabel on Instagram | |||
47 | Ge, Linda | One-hour drama | I) Staff Writer | Kung Fu | Linda Ge is a screenwriter and journalist based in Los Angeles. She is currently a staff writer on The CW's KUNG FU. She is an alum of Imagine Impact and her bylines have appeared in publications including TheWrap, The Hollywood Reporter, Tracking Board and TheMarySue. | Chinese | Mandarin | lindage427@gmail.com | twitter.com/lindazge | |||
48 | Gemballa, Michael | Drama | B) Co-Executive Producer | S.W.A.T. | Elah, The Commute | A native Angeleno, Michael's the product of a German father and Filipino mother who desperately wanted him to be a doctor. Still true. He wrote and directed the feature film This Is Encino before working on CW's "Beauty & the Beast" and "NCIS: New Orleans." A member of the 2016-2017 Paramount Writers Program, he is now a Co-Executive Producer on "S.W.A.T." When he's not immersed in the creative process, he's likely trying to find the best non-dairy macchiato. | Asian | German | https://directories.wga.org/member/michaelgemballa/ | https://twitter.com/MichaelGemballa | ||
49 | Goss, Shannon | Drama | B) Co-Executive Producer | The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Shōgun | Hapa (half-Japanese, half-Irish-Scottish-English-Welsh) | https://directories.wga.org/member/5cc2a953-2e13-47d9-99c5-d5f0fde9282a | ||||||
50 | Gu, Tian Jun | Drama | E) Producer | Monarch, House of Cards, Y: The Last Man | A first-generation Chinese-American screenwriter and producer. An alum of the WGAE Showrunner’s Training program, the Almanack Screenwriters Episodic Drama residency, and the University of Michigan. Currently a WGAE Councilmember. | Chinese-American | Harry Lengsfield (Manager - Grandview; Harry@grandviewla.com) | IG: notteeonjune | ||||
51 | Halberg, Anna | Cohen, Spenser | Horror, Sci-Fi, Action | A) Executive Producer | Tarot (Sony), Distant (Amblin / Universal), House/Wife (Netflix), Moonfall (Lionsgate) | Raindrop (Amazon), Rat Queens (Tomorrow Studios), Classified (UCP) | Anna Halberg is a Japanese American who has worked with many of the industry’s leading film and television studios including Walt Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Brothers, Amblin and Lionsgate. This year, Anna was an executive producer on the feature film, “EXPEND4BLES” (Lionsgate). She has 3 feature films being released in 2024 – “DISTANT” (Amblin / Universal), a sci-fi thriller starring Anthony Ramos and Naomi Scott, which she produced. “HOUSE/WIFE” (Netflix), a suspense thriller starring Alice Braga, which she co-wrote and executive produced, and “TAROT” (Sony), a horror comedy starring Jacob Batalon (“SPIDER-MAN”), which she co-directed, co-wrote, and executive produced. Most recently, she wrapped production on an original television series, “BALLISTIC” (New Regency), starring Jennifer Carpenter, which she wrote, created and served as co-showrunner. Last year, Anna’s narrative podcast, “CLASSIFIED” (QCode, starring Wyatt Russell), which she created, wrote, produced and directed, was released. She is currently adapting the show into a television series with UCP and showrunner Patrick MacManus (“DR. DEATH” / “HOMECOMING”). And her short format project “BLINK” (Sony) premiered at the SXSW film festival. Additionally, she recently finished writing feature project “THE WAND” for Amblin based on an original idea by Steven Spielberg, and is attached to write and produce feature project “TUF VOYAGING”, based on a novel by George RR Martin. Anna is currently writing original feature “RAINDROP” for Amazon and the TV series “RAT QUEENS” for Tomorrow Studios, which is based on the #1 NYT bestselling series. Previous television projects include “STAY” (FreeForm / WBTV, with director Jon Turteltaub, starring Skeet Ulrich and Sosie Bacon), “THE DARK SIDE” (ABC Signature / Black Label), “FABLED” (Legendary Pictures, with actor Tom Hardy), “EPIPHANY” (CW / WBTV), “MYTHOS” (USA / UCP and Charlize Theron’s Denver & Delilah) and unscripted series “MACKLEMORE’S BIG SURPRISE” and “NICK CANNON’S BIG SURPRISE” (E! / eOne). Previous feature projects include “THE GATEWAY” (Lionsgate), starring Olivia Munn, Frank Grillo and Bruce Dern, which Anna executive produced, and Netflix feature film, “EXTINCTION” (Netflix), starring Michael Pena and Lizzy Caplan, which she co-produced. Additionally, after graduating from the University of Southern California’s prestigious Film and Television Production program Anna produced over 100 commercial campaigns for brands including Facebook (directed by Michel Gondry), Gap, Marvel, Visa, McDonalds, Smirnoff, American Express and Chevy. She is repped by CAA, and lives and works in Los Angeles. | Japanese | N/A | N/A | Scott Henderson (CAA) | @annahalberg |
52 | Halim, Skander | comedy, drama, youth | D) Supervising Producer | Ghosts (CBS), The Unicorn (CBS), Murphy Brown revival (CBS), Bunk'd (Disney Channel), Pretty Persuasion (feature, Samuel Goldwyn) | Domestic Surveillance (feature, Carsey-Werner); 40 Watts From Nowhere (feature, Focus Features) | Skander Halim hails from balmy Ottawa, Canada. His stateside writing career launched with the cult comedy feature PRETTY PERSUASION, starring Evan Rachel Wood and Ron Livingston, which was in Dramatic Competition at Sundance. He was a 2022 WGA Writer Access Project fellow with his one-hour pilot NATHAN X. He’s been called upon to be both the funny guy in the drama room and the dark guy in the comedy room. To keep the comedy muscles sharp, Skander writes and performs live sketch at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater with his all-South Asian team The Get Brown. | Bangladeshi | Sheree Guitar, manager / 310-286-1900 / sheree@shereeguitarent.com | @SkanderHalim (Twitter) | |||
53 | Hamamura, Dan | Drama/Dramedy | E) Producer | Kung Fu (CW), The Ghost Bride (Netflix), Rizzoli & Isles (TNT) | Dan was born and raised in Hawaii, and has been interested in television ever since he discovered (at the age of seven) that he could negotiate a later bedtime by promising to go to sleep as soon as the “Cheers” rerun was over. Eventually, this translated into an actual desire to work in television itself, and led him to Los Angeles, where he has worked on numerous shows and pilots, most recently as a Producer on the CW series “Kung Fu”. Dan has also written, directed, and performed with various sketch and improvisational comedy groups throughout Los Angeles and around the country, most notably at the Upright Citizens Brigade and iO West. He swears he is not an actor. | Japanese | Gordon MacDonald/Matt Nordsten - Buchwald (Agents), Jeff Portnoy - Bellevue Productions (Manager) | |||||
54 | Han, Karen | Gilbert, Brian David | drama, horror, sci-fi, dark comedy | I) Staff Writer | Untitled Animated Series (Netflix) Upcoming Video Game (Annapurna Interactive) | One hour-long live-action series currently optioned by a production company. | Karen Han is a screenwriter and culture writer whose criticism has appeared in outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, and New York Magazine, and has appeared on TV and radio as a critic on Good Morning America, Amanpour, NPR, and WNYC. She is the author of the book Bong Joon Ho: Dissident Cinema. As a screenwriter, she has previously staffed on a Netflix animated show, as well as working with her writing partner on the scripts for an upcoming independent video game to be released by Annapurna, and a tabletop adventure for the game Quest. | Korean-American | Korean | Manager: Kendrick Tan @ Lit Entertainment, Agent: Scott Perraud @ UTA. | karenyhan @twitter, thekarenhan @instagram. | |
55 | Hara, Liz | Comedy, YA, children's | J) Assistant Story Editor (Animation) looking to staff | Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Sesame Street, Life in Pieces (CBS), Helpsters (Apple+), LEGO Ninjago (Netflix), Donkey Hodie (PBS), Odd Squad (PBS) | Dreamworks, Disney, Sesame Workshop | Liz Hara is a writer and puppeteer, and has an encyclopedic knowledge of candy. Liz writes for MARVEL'S MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR and SESAME STREET, where she started as a puppet builder when she was 19 (then never left.) She has won Emmys for her work on Sesame Street– (Costume Design and Outstanding Writing). She also created the first AAPI Muppet, Ji-Young, in her special See Us Coming Together. She's written for CBS’ Life in Pieces, and has several other bonkers projects in development. She has built puppets for Broadway, including Avenue Q, Spider-Man, and The Lion King. | Hapa, Japanese American | Just in English, to the great shame of my family. | Email me at ekhara@gmail.com, or contact my agent Nick Harsh at Rothman Brecher Erich Livingston-- nharsh@rbelagency.com | |||
56 | Held, Tracy | comedy, drama, musicals | J) Feature Writer looking for first staff job | Conservation Starters: Reduce, Reuse, Refute; Merritt Squad (web series); Election Day The Musical | A mixed Chinese/Eastern European American writer from the SF Bay Area, I’m known as “a powerhouse, no bullshit writer who gets the job done before the deadline.” Originally a playwright, my superpower is writing nuanced characters who drive their own narratives, especially well-meaning characters who struggle to save the world because the human-interaction part is really hard. Founder of Erosion, a film production company telling climate stories through comedy narrative, I love writing stories for broad audiences that have an underlying conservation theme. Vice-Chair of the WGA Asian American Writers Committee, winner of Alfred P. Sloan screenwriting award, finalist for Writing Climate PitchFest. | Multi-racial Chinese/Eastern European | https://directories.wga.org/member/tracyheld/ | @tracyheldwriter | ||||
57 | Hizon, Gil | Drama, Comedy | I) Staff Writer | Insatiable Season 2 | Gil Hizon is currently staffed on Netflix’s INSATIABLE. Born and raised in the Philippines, Gil grew up watching variety shows, satiric comedies and melodramatic soaps. A serial monogamist and a child of divorce, Gil is drawn to narratives about the screwed-up ways people cope with relationship issues. The stories Gil writes are sarcastic and edgy, yet grounded and emotional. Gil has BA degrees in Psychology, Theater and TV Writing/Producing. He’s also a self-proclaimed astrology expert. He’s a graduate of Fairfield University and Columbia College Chicago, and is thrilled to be an alumnus of the CBS Writers Mentoring Program. | Asian American | Tagalog, Filipino | gil.hizon@gmail.com | @gilhizon on Instagram | |||
58 | Ho, Aaron | Comedy | E) Producer | Fresh Off The Boat (ABC), Cougar Town (ABC), Austin & Ally (Disney Channel), Trolls: The Beat Goes On (Netflix) | Get Wild (Nickelodeon - 2016), Untitled Aaron Ho Project (Nickelodeon - 2019) | After paying my way through film school with poker winnings, I got my start on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” where I was often featured in sketches as the “token Asian guy” and submitted jokes for Jay’s monologue. The defining moment of my life came at age 25 when I unexpectedly inherited my father’s engineering firm and became the patriarch of my family. Wanting to both honor them and continue my path toward writing, I took on the task of working as a writer’s PA by day and CEO by night. That whirlwind experience forced me to grow up quickly, leading to new writing samples that landed me into the Disney ABC Television Writing Program and thereby launching my writing career. I am passionate about writing diverse leads facing times of uncertainty and realizing their full potential -- infusing both heart and humor in all my scripts. | Chinese-American | https://directories.wga.org/member/078e2550-fcd2-4b3f-a10e-58777d55a27b | aaronjho.com, facebook.com/aaronjho, twitter.com/aaron_ho | |||
59 | Ho, Felicia | Comedy, horror, drama, hourlong, television, features, animation | F) Co-Producer | Riverdale (co-producer), Paper Girls (story editor), Girl in the Woods (staff writer), Gremlins (staff writer), Kung Fu Panda, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | SNOTGIRL (Amazon, half-hour live action), THE HIT (Iconoclast, horror-comedy feature) | I'm a genre-bending horror-comedy TV/feature writer exploring characters with a subversive, dry, left-of-center voice. | Taiwanese | Michael Wilson/Dana Cox @ Kaplan/Perrone, Daniela Federman @ WME | ||||
60 | Ho, Isaac | Hoo, Judy Soo | Drama | I) Feature Writer looking for first staff job | Winner BlueCat Screenplay Competition w/Judy Soo Hoo co-writer | Feature screenplay THE DELIVERY MAN was on the inaugural CAPE List in association with The Black List of most promising unmade film scripts centering on Asian Pacific characters and experiences. Playwright and former sketch comedy writer and performer. | Asian American | iho@isaachowriter.com | @isaachowriter | |||
61 | Ho, Tiffany Shaw | Drama, serialized, genre, action, thriller | F) Co-Producer | THE NIGHT AGENT, SILK, DEBRIS | TIFFANY SHAW HO is a Taiwanese-American writer originally from the DC metro area. She is a visual storyteller who writes female-driven stories about family and identity. Tiffany has won recognition from Slamdance, the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE), and NBC. She has lived on three continents, and has helped to develop international series for Netflix in seven countries around the globe. When not writing, Tiffany works on improving her foreign language skills (Mandarin, Italian, French), paints, and takes her corgi on worldwide adventures. | Chinese-Taiwanese | Scott Halle / Gramercy Park Entertainment - shalle@gramercyparkentertainment.com | |||||
62 | Hoang, Brandon | comedy, dramedy | I) Staff Writer | THE GHOST & MOLLY MCGEE (Disney), AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER (live action adaptation - Netflix), Freelance on UNANNOUNCED NETFLIX ANIMATED show | Jelly Bound - Netflix | For ten years, I was an executive in animation (at Nickelodeon and Netflix), who worked on kidlit manuscripts after working hours. I recently made the decision to trade in my network suit for an orthopedic wrist brace. Here goes nothing! I'm a half-Vietnamese writer who has been fortunate enough to have a pair of showrunners take a chance on him, but I want to get my name out there in the world of comedy writing. My focus is on kids' content. | Mixed - Half Vietnamese | N/A | N/A | https://directories.wga.org/member/141b88ec-e8d4-4868-a7b7-e91c136470c0/ | @BrandonHoang_ | |
63 | Hoh, Daniel K. | drama, family, supernatural, crime, medical, procedural | I) Staff Writer | PURE GENIUS | Raised in Washington, DC surrounded by civil service. Worked for the FBI profiling unit in Quantico. Transitioned to print journalism in Nashville. Got tired of city life and worked as a reporter in semi-rural Kentucky. Missed diverse cultures and cuisines so then became a reporter for ABC News in Boston. Extensive international humanitarian experience. Activist in the fight against human trafficking in Thailand and Mexico. CBS diversity writing program. I spend my "free time" working as an ER physician at Cedars-Sinai. I’m also a proud cancer survivor. I've seen the underbelly of the human condition and write about the strength of the human spirit. Seen a lot of life, but I'm only as serious as the situation needs me to be... | Chinese | Basic Spanish | https://directories.wga.org/member/e817dcee-446f-4de6-9c24-8376c25dcf4f | https://twitter.com/danielhoh | |||
64 | Houang, Maegan | drama, sci-fi, fantasy, horror | F) Co-Producer | TV: Counterpart (Starz), Shogun (FX), The Sympathizer (HBO) Features: Jamojaya (88 Rising) | Feature Film - Nekrokosm (A24) | Maegan Houang is a writer/director based in Los Angeles. Her work primarily focuses on the complexity of the Asian-American experience, intergenerational trauma and her own experience living as a mixed-race American. She is currently a co-producer on The Sympathizer (HBO) and previously served as a story editor on Shōgun (FX) and a staff writer on Season 2 of Counterpart (Starz/MRC). She also co-wrote Jamojaya directed by Justin Chon (Blue Bayou, Gook) and is currently writing Nekrokosm (A24) for director Panos Cosmatos (Mandy). In 2018, she received a VSCO Voices Creator Grant to direct In Full Bloom starring Kieu Chinh (The Joy Luck Club), which premiered on Short of the Week. She recently directed two episodes of Three Busy Debras (Adult Swim/HBO Max) Season 2. Her new short film Astonishing Little Feet starring Celia Au and Perry Yung is currently in post. Maegan has also directed music videos for artists such as Mitski, Vagabon, Charly Bliss and Hana Vu. | Chinese-Vietnamese American | chrisd@mediatalent.com | ||||
65 | Hsia, Daniel | comedy, dramedy | E) Producer | Andy Barker, PI, Psych, Shanghai Calling | Pilot scripts to Sony, UCP, ABC; Feature to AwesomenessTV | I went to private investigator school, I am a trained bartender, my mother suffers from undiagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder which is fun for all of us, and on our honeymoon my wife and I somehow sneaked into the Vatican without a ticket or going through security. | Chinese / Taiwanese | Chinese, Spanish | Mandarin, Spanish | Rachel Miller, Haven Entertainment 323-272-3433 | ||
66 | Hsu, Michelle | sci-fi, horror, lgbtq+, drama | I) Staff Writer | THE POWER (staff writer) | Michelle Hsu is currently staffed on THE POWER (Amazon Studios), and writing for SANGUINE, a scripted horror podcast with QCode Media. As a second generation Asian American, Michelle is passionate about diversity in entertainment and media. In her writing, she focuses on stories about women, people of color, and LGBTQIA+. She infuses her sci-fi/horror scripts with authenticity and specificity. With a background in environmental science, Michelle spent time cave diving and conducting water research before starting her career in the entertainment industry. | Chinese, Taiwanese | Mandarin Chinese | https://directories.wga.org/member/michellehsu | @_michellehsu on twitter and insta | |||
67 | Hsueh, Brenda | Comedy, drama | B) Co-Executive Producer | Elemental, After Party | Verve | |||||||
68 | Hu, Francisca | Drama, soap, genre, sci-fi, horror, serialized, YA | F) Co-Producer | Dynasty, Sleepy Hollow | Hailing from Shanghai, Francisca moved to America at the age of seven knowing only two words of English. But she learned the language quickly, and a few years later, she was award for her writing at the Illinois Young Authors Conference and was published in a national anthology of children's poetry. After receiving a scholarship from Carl Icahn, Francisca attended east coast boarding school, Choate, and then graduated from Columbia University. On the professional front, Francisca’s background has ranged from development and financing features at Goldcrest Films, marketing for broadcast creative services agency, CA Square, and Warner Bros., to working in the hedge fund industry – all the while pursuing creative writing. Her credits include FOX’s "Sleepy Hollow" and CW's "Dynasty." | Chinese | Mandarin | https://directories.wga.org/member/9d0d77cb-8dae-401e-b259-6fce6afb41ab | Twitter @FranciscaXHu | |||
69 | Huang, Teresa (she/her) | Drama - genre action, procedural, soapy romance | E) Producer | AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER (Producer), TOM SWIFT (Co-Producer, Producer), SEAL TEAM (Executive Story Editor) | Teresa Huang was raised to be a doctor but born to be an artist. A genuine MIT graduate, she gave up problem sets and thermodynamics to become a writer, actor, and producer. Her parents are still scratching their heads. She is a graduate of the CBS Writers Mentoring Program, the CAPE New Writers Fellowship, and was named a WGA TV Writer Access Project honoree. Her television credits include MACGYVER (CBS), SEAL TEAM (CBS), and TOM SWIFT (The CW). She is currently a Producer on the AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER live-action series for Netflix. Her superpowers include power napping, parallel parking, and spending too much money at farmer’s markets. | Taiwanese | AGENT: Dino Carlaftes, Kaplan Stahler Agency ~ MANAGERS: Julie Bloom, Cindy Ambers, Art/Work Entertainment | @teresapalooza | ||||
70 | Huang, Terry | Comedy, Drama | H) Story Editor | TBA Showtime Series | Terry is a writer originally from Pasadena, home of the Rose Bowl and its many associated concussions. His feature script A SINGLE POINT OF FAILURE was featured on the 2020 Black List, and he was most recently a Story Editor on a yet-to-be-announced Showtime series. He graduated with a degree in Economics from Georgetown University and loves to write about all things late-stage capitalism. Though the world seems dismal at times, he is ever hopeful that we'll pull through. But in case things go south, he wants people to know that he won't put up a fight. | Taiwanese | terrykhuang@gmail.com | |||||
71 | Huang, Tom | dramedy, comedy, drama, fantasy/sci-fi | I) Staff Writer | Find Me (Feature Film), Sons & Daughters (ABC), Still Standing (CBS) | Tom Huang is an award-winning Writer/Director. FIND ME, which he wrote and directed, won multiple festival awards, as well as becoming a critical and streaming hit on Amazon Prime. Outside Magazine named it “the Indie Adventure Film we all need,” while Reel Honest Reviews called the film “a funny, uniquely charming, and gorgeous film.” Tom, a Warner Brothers Workshop graduate, has also been a network TV staff writer, including ABC's SONS & DAUGHTERS, and CBS's STILL STANDING. He is also Film Independent Screenwriting Lab and Fast Track Fellow, where he developed his next feature project, DEALING WITH DAD. | Asian American | Mandarin | seetomgo@gmail.com | ||||
72 | Huang, Vivian | comedy | I) Staff Writer | BOO, BITCH (Staff Writer, co-wrote Ep#105), ON MY BLOCK (wrote Ep#407), BRAVE NEW WORLD (co-wrote Ep#108) | Vivian Huang is a Chinese American comedy writer. She grew up as a child of immigrants in Houston, Texas, which meant that she learned about living life in the US alongside her parents instead of from them. She used to be a software engineer in Silicon Valley before moving to LA to be a writer with no connections, no apartment, and no car, so she knows what it’s like to take a leap of faith and do the scary thing. As a writer, she tells stories about finding one’s voice and characters who want to be better than they are. | Chinese | N/A | conversational Mandarin | https://directories.wga.org/member/vivianhuang | |||
73 | Hung, Chloé | Drama, sci-fi | H) Story Editor | Queen Sugar, Signal (short film I wrote and directed), Issei, He Say (playwright) | Banana Kids (TV pilot) | I was born in the cold north of Toronto, Canada. Prior to my MFA at NYU Tisch for dramatic writing, I studied Philosophy and English because I was a really good Asian kid and didn’t want my parents to worry about me. Between my two degrees, I taught English in South Korea and worked in theatre in Canada. I just wrapped out the room on QUEEN SUGAR season 4 where I’ve been a writer for two seasons (most recently a story editor) and wrote five episodes over that time (3 solo, 2 co-written). In addition to developing my TV pilot, BANANA KIDS, with Insurrection Media, I also wrote and directed a short film, SIGNAL, produced by Women In Film’s production program. My plays have been workshopped and staged in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Washington D.C. Banff, and Philadelphia. When I’m not writing, I’m baking pies or cookies. | Chinese | N/A | Cantonese | Manager: Jen Au, Untitled Entertainment | @thisthatchloe | |
74 | Iwamoto, Naomi | Half hour, comedy, dramedy | H) Story Editor | Story Editor - Twenties (BET) Staff Writer - Happy Together (CBS) | Naomi is a Japanese American writer based in Los Angeles. She is currently a story editor on Lena Waithe’s half hour dramedy, Twenties. Prior to writing for Twenties she worked as a staff writer on Damon Wayans Jr.’s CBS show Happy Together. Naomi holds an MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and has written for LA Weekly and Los Angeles Magazine. Her short film, Lost & Found, was included in the inaugural Women Behind the Lens showcase at Paramount Studios and Ryan Murphy’s Director showcase. Her pilot script Rice, Fish, and La Croix was named the Cinestory TV Fellowship Winner, a WAN Writer’s workshop winner, and was the first pilot to go through the Outfest Screenwriting Lab in 21 years. She is an alumni of the CBS Writer's Program and Ryan Murphy's HALF Director's Program. Her Japanese sushi chef father is slowly coming to terms with the fact that she will never be a straight doctor-lawyer-engineer but instead will always be a very queer dramedy writer. Just kidding. Her parents think she’s in her 10th year of med school. | Japanese American | Japanese | Japanese | naomi.w.iwamoto@gmail.com | https://www.instagram.com/immanaomi | ||
75 | Iwata, Evan | drama, dramedy, genre, YA, procedural | I) Staff Writer | SUBJECT TO CHANGE (HBO Max/Bad Robot; staff writer) | ON THE CLOCK (Lionsgate/eOne; genre procedural), Untitled Fantasy Novel Adaptation (DreamWorks Animation; YA action-adventure series) | An alum of the WBTV Writers’ Workshop, Evan Iwata grew up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where his Japanese American father and extremely Midwestern mother provided him with a nurturing yet confusing East-meets-Midwest upbringing. Inspired by his father’s photography career, Evan took an early interest in filmmaking, and at age 16 he was hired to create a documentary about Oshkosh’s little-known hip-hop scene. He went on to attend the USC School of Cinematic Arts, then quickly found his way into the writers room, working in various support staff roles before staffing on the upcoming sci-fi thriller SUBJECT TO CHANGE from Bad Robot. | Japanese American, mixed race | evaniwata@gmail.com // A3 Artists Agency (Katt Riley, Martin To, Antoni Kaczmarek) // Sundust Management (Conrad Sun) | IG/Twitter: @iwhata | |||
76 | Iyer, Vidhya | Comedy | H) Story Editor | Solar Opposites ( Hulu ) | Wedlocked, Untitled animation project | Third culture, latchkey kid, Computer Engineer & restaurateur turned tv writer | Indian | Hindi | CAA Ilana Goren & Jacob Schiff | @heyiyer Instagram | @heyiy3r on Twitter | ||
77 | Jackson, Lydelle | Reed, Cezil | Comedy, Genre, Drama | J) Feature Writer looking for first staff job | Not Alone (2020) | I’m a military brat of mixed ethnicity (Black + Filipino). I was born in The Philippines and spent my childhood in Japan. At the age of seven my parents divorced. I've only seen my mother four times since. When I was 12 my father retired from the Air Force which led to us settling in Northern Virginia. In 8th grade, I met my future creative partner, Cezil Reed. My childhood dream was to write and illustrate comic books . My personal interests generally lean towards art, philosophy, anime, animation, comic books, graphic novels, video games, culture, music, and MMA. | Mixed Race (Filipino + African-American) | https://directories.wga.org/member/72356459-8c1a-4671-a1b8-854f147a7f4d | https://www.instagram.com/lydelle_j/ | |||
78 | Jahagirdar, Mitali | Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller | H) Story Editor | THE HENNA ARTIST (Story Editor); JUST BEYOND (Staff Writer) | Netflix Blind Deal (Created By Initiative); TIGER'S CURSE (Netflix OWA) | Mitali Jahagirdar is a WGA Award nominee for her episode on Disney+’s JUST BEYOND based on R.L. Stine’s graphic novel series. She was previously Story Editor for Netflix’s THE HENNA ARTIST and is once more developing with Netflix on an original series in a blind script deal. The proud daughter of Indian immigrants, Mitali spent her early years in central Florida before venturing to New York City, where she studied Economics and Journalism at NYU. Mitali went on to serve as a litigation paralegal at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP before deciding to pursue her love of TV and film. Mitali received an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA. | Indian | dvang@3arts.com | ||||
79 | Jameel, Sabeeh | comedy | I) Staff Writer | A Little Late with Lilly Singh | Sabeeh is a writer based in Los Angeles. He holds masters degrees in international affairs and public policy. In college, he studied Jewish history and learned Hebrew, German, and Yiddish. Prior to that, he grew up on a small goat farm in Virginia. Prior to his television career, he was a member of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York as well as a member of the sketch team Kids These Days, which performed at comedy festivals across the country. | Pakistani (Kashmiri / Punjabi) | German, Yiddish | Hindi-Urdu, German, Hebrew, Yiddish | sabeeh.jameel@gmail.com | @sabeehjameel | ||
80 | Javier, Krystal | Drama, Drama-dy, | I) Staff Writer | Bunk'd Season 4 | I am a Filipino/Japanese-American writer born and raised in O'ahu, Hawaii. I lived in paradise but grew up paradise adjacent as a child of a single immigrant mom. My colorful childhood and growing up on a multi-faceted and diverse island has been a huge inspiration for me in my writing. I really enjoy exploring authenticity and boundary pushing in storytelling and themes of family, destiny, and the constant struggle of being trapped in an existential crisis. When not drowning in anxiety, I like to spend time with my obnoxiously large family or enjoy the beach. | Filipino, Japanese | Manager: Tom Drumm Think Tank Management | |||||
81 | Jayaram, Nikhil S. | Live action and animation: Drama, Dramedy, Procedural, Thriller, Action/Adventure | E) Producer | HENNA ARTIST (Netflix); BANANA KIDS (Netflix); STAR TREK: PRODIGY (Paramount+/Nick); DIABLO (Netflix); SHADES OF BLUE (NBC); MYSTERIES OF LAURA (NBC) | THE HOTEL MOTEL PATELS (Amazon); THE RADICAL (Sony). // Feature sales: MATCH ME PLEASE (Hallmark - their first South Asian romcom ever) | Standup comic. | Proficient in martial arts. | Tutors autistic children in creative writing. | Works with a non-profit boarding school for children in the slums of India. | Urban farmer. | The first member of immigrant family born in the US. | Started a game show in college, getting it televised. | Volunteered for Obama, was on the list to attend the election night party, then had to sneak in anyway by pretending to be a bouncer. | Rescues pit bulls. | Former LAPD volunteer. | Alum of the NBC, CBS, and CAPE programs, and was selected for the Disney-ABC Fellowship. | South Asian Indian (Hindu) | Spanish | Spanish; Tamil | Trevor Engelson and Diego Reyes @ Underground (trevor or diego @undergroundfilms.net / 323.930.2588) | @nikhilsjayaram; https://linktr.ee/nikhilsjayaram | |
82 | Jeng, Brittney | Drama, dramedy, family drama, crime, genre, sci-fi/supernatural/fantasy, YA, rom-com | I) Staff Writer | BIG SHOT (Disney+); GUARDIAN OF THE RABBIT (Little Stories Everywhere for Wondry Podcast) | Brittney’s a 3rd-generation Chinese American and although she spent most of her time with the few Asian Baby Girls in her school, she still grew up loving cheeseburgers and french fries more than rice like most of the other kids in her super white town of Orange County, California. Taking on the fashion and lifestyle of the Asian Baby Girls didn’t make her Asian enough. But making the team for the popular sport at her school, volleyball, didn’t make her white either. Unable to find her place at school, Brittney escaped to the fantasy and supernatural worlds she found in television shows such as “Star Trek” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” where she related to the characters’ struggles of balancing life in two worlds. It wasn’t until Brittney attended NYU that she would discover her love of writing stories revolving around the theme of identity in supernatural/sci-fi/or fantasy settings along with heartfelt family squabbles. Most recently, Brittney wrote the first-ever Chinese New Year episode for the podcast LITTLE STORIES EVERYWHERE by Wondery. A daring adventure story that was narrated by Oscar nominated actress, Stephanie Hsu. She was a Staff Writer on the Disney+ series: BIG SHOT. In 2021, Brittney was selected to take part in the prestigious Walt Disney Television’s Writer Program. Prior, she was the Script Coordinator on KUNG FU (CW) and the Writers’ Assistant/Script Coordinator for an Untitled Asian American Drama for NETFLIX. Brittney is a PRICE IS RIGHT winner, spreads her love of Polynesian culture across the city with her Tahitian Dance sisters, is a low-key nerd who loves to cosplay and watch LORD OF THE RINGS and STAR WARS, and is a self-proclaimed Star Baker. | Chinese American | brittney.jeng@gmail.com ; https://directories.wga.org/member/brittneyjeng | Instagram: purplebjenga; Facebook: Brittney Jeng; Twitter: purplebjenga | ||||
83 | Jensen, Luke Fujimoto | Comedy, Action Adventure, Drama | I) Staff Writer | Dinner with the Parents (CBS Studios / Amazon Freevee) | Luke was most recently a staff writer for the upcoming series DINNER WITH THE PARENTS for Amazon Freevee and CBS Studios. A mixed-race Japanese American writer, born and raised in Fargo, N.D, he graduated from Drake University with a degree in biochemistry, so naturally he went on to pursue a career in entertainment. He is an alum of the Paramount Writers Mentoring Program. He is also a graduate of the sketch and improv programs at UCB and has had his work featured on Comedy Central, Funny or Die, and at The Alamo Drafthouse. | Mixed race (half Japanese) | https://directories.wga.org/member/lukefujimotojensen/ | |||||
84 | Jo, Hyunjin | Thrillers, Horror, Sci-Fi, Procedurals, Adaptations | J) Feature Writer looking for first staff job | n/a | An only child of an US Army vet, and a woman who was on her way to become a nun, who adapted a feature screenplay in grade school, and received the wrath of the popular girls when she did not cast them in the lead role for the film. A fine art photographer who was based in NYC, lived in places as varied as Hawaii, Kansas, and got fat while living in Italy. An obscene amount of production experience beginning under the mentorship of DP John Alonzo. Super at ease with logistics. She is a fixer. To quote Netflix exec: “Hyunjin knows production!” Has been hit by a car 3x while walking her dog in LA and is still on this side of the grass. Specializing in adaptations (thus excellent for existing TV series). She serves story. | Korean-American | Korean, Italian | hyunjin@jojoroadproductions.com | ||||
85 | Johnston, George Toshio | Kubasaki, Duke | Action, Comedy, Historical Drama, Animation | I) Staff writer - assistant story editor | https://muckrack.com/george-johnston-4/portfolio/list | Professionally, my background is primarily journalism. But I'm also a founding member of the WGA's Asian American Writers Committee and am also a member of the WGA's Animation Writers Caucus and a graduate of the Professional Program in Screenwriting through UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television. Personally, I live in Culver City and am a former military brat, born in Japan to a White American father and native Japanese mother, who grew up on Okinawa. | (See above.) | There are other languages for screenwriting?! | Japanese | 424-229-1664 | https://www.linkedin.com/in/gtjohnston | |
86 | Kao, Cynthia | comedy | I) Staff Writer | Adam Ruins Everything, Ground Floor | Cynthia Kao has written for TBS's Ground Floor and TruTV's Adam Ruins Everything and was a writer and cast member on CollegeHumor. She has a feature rom-com in development and is in the 2018-2020 Disney ABC Directing Program. She's written and directed short that have been featured in Vulture, Upworthy, Huffington Post, Refinery29, Telegraph UK and Cosmopolitan just to name a few and have garnered millions of views. Her latest short, “Groundhog Day For A Black Man”, won both the Outstanding Comedy and the Critics’ Choice Awards at the 12th annual NBC Short Film Festival in October 2017. She was accepted into TIFF's 2018 Filmmaker Lab, where she was awarded a 2019 Filmmaker Residency with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. | Asian American | cynthiawkao@gmail.com | Twitter @cynthkao | ||||
87 | Kao, Jenn | drama, sci-fi, fantasy, horror | B) Co-Executive Producer | The Brothers Sun, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Daybreak, Lucifer | Diary of a Murderer/Netflix, The Third Woman/Peacock | Born in Northern California, raised in Naperville, IL, Jenn got a degree in English lit from Stanford University. She started writing and directing in the San Francisco indie film scene. Her parents still haven't recovered from her short doc about Bay Area porn. Jenn attended film school at UCLA. | Chinese | Greg Shephard, Writ Large (323) 553-4300 | ||||
88 | Kapil, Aditi Brennan | Drama, Dramedy, Sci-Fi, Action | E) Producer | American Gods, Away, Jack Ryan | Projects sold to AMC, Apple+ | ADITI BRENNAN KAPIL is a television and theater writer, of Bulgarian and Indian descent, raised in Sweden, prior to moving to Minneapolis, and more recently Los Angeles. She's a Cold War baby, when her Indian father married her Bulgarian mother, they emigrated to Stockholm, Sweden. Consequently, Aditi is fluent in Bulgarian and Swedish, which is super useful for a brown writer in the US. She lives with her spouse, 3 kids, a cat, and a dog. | Mixed Race (Indian, Slavic) | Swedish. I guess if I could figure out a Cyrillic keyboard, I could write them in Bulgarian too. | Bulgarian, Swedish | Writ Large (Britton Rizzio & Michael Claassen) | ||
89 | Kashyap, Keshni | Comedy, dramedy | I) Staff Writer | TINA'S MOUTH (Sonar) LOVE AND ROSES | TINA'S MOUTH (Sonar) | Food nerd, Sartre-quoting, former awkward teenager Keshni Kashyap is also a screenwriter and award-winning author most recently the creator of the graphic novel Tina's Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary that was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The book was placed on Entertainment Weekly’s Must List, won the APALA Best Young Adult Book of the Year (2013) Keshni went to Berkeley and also to UCLA for film school where she wrote and directed several short films that have screened all over the world. She recently adapted TINA’S MOUTH for Sonar Entertainment and has several projects and books in development. | Indian American | Hindi | Jesse Hara and Rachel Miller at Haven Entertainment jh@haven.la, rm@haven.la | @keshnikashyap (twitter and IG) | ||
90 | Katow, Sierra | Comedy, Dramedy, Adult Animation | F) Co-Producer | UNANNOUNCED ADULT ANIMATED SERIES (Comedy Central), EXPLODING KITTENS (Netflix), CLOSE ENOUGH (Max), EUREKA! (Disney+), EARTH TO NED (Disney+), EPIC NIGHT (Eko) | LITTLE ASIAN ANNIE (Half-hour comedy pilot, SK Global), I AM FRENCHIE (short-form adult animated series, FXX) | Sierra began performing standup at 16 after the crushing discovery that 5'1" wasn't going to cut it in basketball. In college, she served as Editor-In-Chief of the Harvard Lampoon and got her break competing in Season 9 of NBC's LAST COMIC STANDING, leading her to make the fiscally responsible decision to set aside her Computer Science degree and work her way up from writer's assistant. She loves the magic of a comedy writer's room and gravitates toward stories with messy families, plot twists, and rivalries perhaps inspired by her fourth-generation Chinese-and-Japanese-American family. She keeps her writing skills sharp by continuing with standup, most recently taping her first 1-hour special with Comedy Dynamics (to be released in 2024), and acting in THE SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS (Max). | Asian American, Chinese American, Japanese American | Agent: The Gersh Agency - David Rubin; Management: Make Good Content - Paul Young, Michael Griffin | IG/TikTok - @sierrakatow | |||
91 | Khoo, Aurorae (Rory) | Gold, Gina | Comedy, dramedy , drama, procedural. Also consulting on Chinese film and TV. | E) Producer | Nurse Jackie, Unforgettable ( CBS), In Plain Sight , Running Wilde, Young & Hungry, Chesapeake Shores, various animated children’s programming, etc. | Coast Guard project (action drama), adaptation of the novel Noteworthy (teen, musical, dramedy) | We are the only (female) writing team that has written for both Elmo and Chuck Norris. We have been consultants for film and television shows in China under surveillance. | Chinese (Hong Kong and Indonesia) | Mandarin | Akhoo@aol.com. Or Rothman, Brecher, Ehrich, Livingston Agency | Facebook. Aurorae Khoo | |
92 | Kim, Albert | drama | A) Executive Producer / Showrunner | Sleepy Hollow (FBC), Nikita (CW), Leverage (TNT), Dirt (FX) | Kung Fu (FBC/Warner Bros), Newton (Warner Bros), Untitled Korean Family Drama (NBC/Warner Bros), Untitled Legal Thriller (CW/Warner Bros), The A-Team (20th), and others | Albert Kim is a television writer and producer who was most recently Executive Producer and Showrunner of the hit Fox drama SLEEPY HOLLOW. Previously he spent four seasons as a writer and producer on the CW drama NIKITA, for which he wrote several of the show’s most popular episodes, including the series finale. Kim has also written for LEVERAGE (TNT) and DIRT (FX). Kim has also written several pilots, working with Warner Bros. Television, Twentieth Century Fox Television, AMC, and many others. | Korean-American | https://directories.wga.org/member/e58fab49-8073-45c4-8d7e-ef29147a72ce | Twitter: @magicbranch | |||
93 | Kim, Chuck | sci-fi, drama | G) Executive Story Editor | Heroes seasons one-three, Ben 10 animated series | I'm a gay Korean-American whose parents burned my comic books and forbade me from watching TV. So, naturally, I tossed my law school acceptance to edit and write comic books, then plunged into the very stable and secure world of television writing. I worked for both Marvel and DC Comics and when I've written for "kids" comics like Dexter's Laboratory or Rugrats, I've tried to make them as subversive as possible. I'm a sci-fi geek through and through, still play Dungeons and Dragons, but also really enjoy Korean dramas and baking. | Korean American | Klingon | old Valaryian | chuckkim00@gmail.com | |||
94 | Kim, Elizabeth | comedy, genre | J) Writers Assistant looking to Staff | ARROW (4 episodes), FREEDOM FIGHTERS: THE RAY (6 episodes) | Elizabeth Kim is a genre & comedy writer. Between being raised in Louisiana and having a strict Korean mother, she was socially encouraged to be a demure and polite girl, but instead became a bookish, loud-mouthed smart-aleck. After studying Biochemistry and Cell Biology to become a neurologist, she moved out to Los Angeles to become a television writer. She attended AFI for Screenwriting, where she won an Alfred P. Sloan Award for her feature, THE BRAIN MIRROR. Much of her work features identity issues, underdog stories with heart, and flawed protagonists. | Koraen | Korean, Spanish, | Email: ElizabethRKim@gmail.com Manager: Natalie Covault, Brillstein Entertainment: N.Covault@bep-la.com Find a Writer Profile: https://directories.wga.org/member/ee6f1873-2f81-4325-a4cb-45bf539239ef | https://twitter.com/lizmkim , https://www.instagram.com/lizmkim/ | |||
95 | Kim, Jennifer | comedy, drama | H) Story Editor | The Chair, Fairfax Season 2 | nothing yet! | Hi! I'm Jen and I'm a native to Los Angeles. I have two older sisters, one of which has the name Jenny, and I only realized it was the same name in college after everyone told me it was the same name. I like to learn guitar in my spare time and I used to think my dad was in the mafia growing up! | Korean-American | sadly, only English | elementary Korean | https://directories.wga.org/member/4f984c77-28c8-42f1-9e02-5eaa2f565b56 | @jennnnnnnnnnnnn2 (Instagram) I'm not a very avid user of SM in general | |
96 | King, Gary | Drama, Comedy, Dramedy, Action/Comedy, Sci-Fi | J) Feature Writer looking for first staff job | ENCOUNTERS (2018 Nicholl Semifinalist; 2018 Script Pipeline Top 10 Finalist; 2019 Screencraft Fellowship Semifinalist - still in competition) // FRANKIE DAY (2018 WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Finalist; 2017 Nicholl Quarterfinalist) // Writer/Director: AMONG US (2017 feature film) // Writer/Director: HOW DO YOU WRITE A JOE SCHERMANN SONG (2013 feature film; UK Raindance Film of the Festival) | I'm an Asian-American screenwriter, filmmaker and 2018 Nicholl semifinalist with over 12 years of experience creating scripts and films, including an award-winning feature film musical (HOW DO YOU WRITE A JOE SCHERMANN SONG). In 2006, I quit my HR job, cashed out my 401k, and used that $20k to start doing what I love -- telling stories on the screen. I write drama/comedy wrapped in genre and excel with character-driven stories + banter + female leads. A team player and creative thinker ready to bring my indie experience and enthusiasm to your projects. | Asian-American (Chinese) | https://directories.wga.org/member/cea3707f-fb75-4394-aa11-6f981e596960 | @grking | ||||
97 | Kiu, Nancy | Drama/Dramedy, Serialized, Procedural, Genre | E) Producer | MacGyver (ESE through Producer); Castle (SE); Revenge (SW) | I'm a first gen Asian American, born and raised in Boston to immigrant parents. When I came out, I didn't know the Cantonese word for "gay," and the only gay reference my parents knew was Elton John. Suffice it to say, "Mom, I'm like Elton John" resulted in her asking "Wait, you want to take piano lessons again?" I love writing shows that are soapy or otherworldly but grounded in human emotion. I'm also interested in understanding why people keep the secrets they do. Oh, and I finally learned how to say I'm gay in Cantonese. | Chinese | Cantonese | https://directories.wga.org/member/f226cc15-8836-4fc9-8c5f-f3f1d5ef0edc | @nancy_kiu | |||
98 | Kiyomura, Phinneas | Drama, Gritty Drama, Sci-Fi, Fantasy | I) Staff Writer | Staff Writer, TWISTED (FREEFORM), EP 8, Docu-Trauma | GRACE (ABC Studios/Erica Messer Productions 2019); CRACKPOTS (ABC Studios 2018); NEVER NORMAL (ABC Studios/Mark Gordon Company 2016) | I’m a half-Japanese/half-Irish drama writer, playwright, and ABC Disney Writers Program Alum. I love it when it's three AM and things get weird and the real truth finally comes out. I believe tragedy and dirty jokes taste better together than apart. Some days I write about the Internment Camp my dad went to. Others, I write about wealthy cannibals. I've written 3 pilots for ABC Studios, and developed projects with Mark Gordon Company, New Regency, and Erica Messer Productions, among others. LA Weekly has called my work, “tough, and cruelly funny… with an honesty that might be called full frontal“ and VARIETY called me “an impressively original voice“. I love The Sopranos, Soloway, Pinter, Lynch, PT Anderson, Kurosawa, Seinfeld, GOT, Blade Runner, and the ghosts of Ghostbusters (I'd give anything to work with Bill Murray). I live in L.A. with my actor/chef wife and our future president daughter. | Japanese and Irish | English only :) | Manager: Markus Goerg, Heroes And Villains Entertainment (323) 850-2990 / Direct: phinnykiyomura@gmail.com, 323.428.9119 | https://twitter.com/PKiyomura | ||
99 | Klemm, Amitabh | 1-hour TV drama, Feature genre | F) Co-Producer | Co-Producer, "Au Pair Nightmare", Director "All The Way Black" | 1-hour dramas Swing State, Young Money, Harlem | To begin, I am a male, biracial – 1st generation South Asian/ Mayflower generation WASP – writer/ director from a John Hughes Chicago suburb. I’ve managed to turn a unique life experience of identity inflection points into a fledgling Hollywood career of my own design, writing and directing for TV and film. I’ve had a wide range of life experiences like illegally building props in Australia and or consulting for US Senators and Representatives after the 2016 election. Whoopie Goldberg hand-picked me to develop her original idea into the drama Harlem for BET. | Mixed Race | N/A | N/A | mrark7694@gmail.com | IG @amitabhklemm | |
100 | Kobayashi, Ken | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Action | B) Co-Executive Producer | SUNNY (Apple), Hit Monkey (Hulu) | Move On, Kuromaku, Seitansai, others | Ken is a writer/director based in Tokyo. He started his career in finance before the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, tsunami, and radiation scare prompted him to ditch the trading floor and pursue his dream of working in Film and TV. He also had stints as a creative director at an ad agency and as a commercial director before staffing in TV. Since then, he has worked on shows for Apple, Amazon, and Hulu. In film, he has sold projects to Sony and Universal. He’s currently developing his feature directorial debut. | Japanese | Japanese | Japanese | https://directories.wga.org/member/kenkobayashi/ |