The CAPE New Writers Fellowship (CNWF) discovers and nurtures emerging Asian and Pacific Islander writers launching their careers in television and other entertainment mediums.

Having one of the highest track records of success in the industry, the CAPE New Writers Fellowship boasts graduates who have been staffed on over 70 shows across all major network, cable, and streaming platforms in addition to those who have signed overall deals.

Founded and co-chaired by Emmy Award-winning Writer, Creator and Showrunner Leo Chu  (Disney’s Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion) and veteran film and TV executive and producer Steve Tao (Previously at The CW, ABC, & Bad Robot), the CAPE New Writers Fellowship is one of few writing programs in Hollywood created by a creative and an executive. This immersive program equips each writer with the practical and business knowledge they need to succeed as a professional in the entertainment industry.

The Fellowship, led by CAPE Head of Programs Rhian Moore, includes a series of intimate panels, workshops, and discussions with top television and film writers, producers, agents, managers, and executives. The Fellowship also features a Writing Lab where each Fellow is matched with a high-level industry mentor to help them revise their original script into professional level writing samples. 

As thought leaders at the forefront of the evolving entertainment landscape, CAPE is expanding this year’s program to address the current challenges in the industry and include a wider variety of pathways to becoming a professional writer in Hollywood.

For it’s enhanced curriculum for 2025 and onward, the program features in-person and virtual panels and masterclasses exploring potential writing pathways into animation, features, video games, narrative audio, podcasts, verticals, and more. The program also provided education about new technological advancements and considerations impacting the industry. Additionally, in an effort to support previously staffed writers who are facing challenges in the lower level ranks, CAPE—for the first time ever—opened applications for the Fellowship to the staff writer level.

The Fellowship typically runs each year in the spring. Sessions take place on weekday evenings Pacific time for approximately 3 hours, twice a week.

AJ Currie (Mentored by Monica Macer; Showrunner & Executive Producer, MacGyver)| In conservative ‘90s Pakistan, gay and genderqueer AJ Currie was born “othered” by default, and started world-building as escapism. An immigrant who adores a good fashion moment, AJ writes about outsiders looking for home, balancing humanist contemplation with a sprinkle of theatrical flair. AJ is a Humanitas New Voices Fellow 2024-25, and a MFA graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Callie Chiang (Mentored by Charles Yu; Showrunner & Executive Producer, Interior Chinatown) | Callie Chiang is a third generation Chinese-Texan screenwriter who is still in recovery from her public school miseducation. Her stories serve a dual purpose: to entertain while offering profound insights into our society and the complexities of the human experience. Her writing has landed her on Coverfly’s Pitch Week and the 2024 Next List. Callie is an alum of Mentorship Matters and was recently accepted into CAPE’s 2025 New Writers Fellowship.

Justin Omori (Mentored by Kyle Harimoto; Co-Executive Producer, NCIS: Los Angeles) | Justin Omori is a screenwriter originally from Hawaiʻi and currently based in Los Angeles. Past projects have been featured at the Tribeca Film Festival, Criterion Channel, and Netflix. He was a screenwriting fellow for Film Independent Project Involve in 2022 and the Starz #TakeTheLead Writers’ Intensive in 2024.

Luke Fujimoto Jensen (Mentored by Keto Shimizu; Showrunner of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) | Luke is a mixed-race Japanese American TV comedy and hour-long genre writer, born and raised in Fargo, N.D. He graduated from Drake University with a degree in biochemistry before pivoting to his screenwriting dreams. He is also a graduate of the Paramount Writers Mentoring Program and staffed on the Amazon series Dinner with the Parents. He finds the heart beneath the humor in stories about outsiders searching for connection.

Kausar Mohammed (Mentored by Oanh Ly; Co-Executive Producer, Sweet Tooth) | Kausar Mohammed is a queer, Muslim, Pakistani writer working across comedy, horror, and everything in between. She wrote and starred in “The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night” (TIFF premiere, sold to a major studio) and was awarded the Sundance x Islamic Scholarship Fund’s Building Bridges Fellowship, and Orchard Project Artist Lab. She also acts in film, TV, and voiceover, with roles in The Flash, Mo, and Jurassic World: Chaos Theory.

Minoti Vaishnav (Mentored by Denise Thé; Executive Producer, Westworld) | Minoti Vaishnav’s credits include True Lies (CBS) and The Equalizer (CBS). As a former popstar, she released three albums. As a former unscripted development producer, she produced over a dozen true crime, historical, and paranormal investigation shows. Minoti is also a published short fiction author and scripted podcast writer. She has a Masters degree in Creative Writing from Oxford University and is an alumna of the Paramount Writers Mentoring Program.

Tia Kaiulani Kanaeholo (Mentored by Cherry Chevapravatdumrong; Co-Executive Producer, Resident Alien) | Tia is a Native Hawaiian, Japanese and Scottish writer, actor, and producer. She earned her MFA in Writing and Producing for Television at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television. Most recently, Tia was a fellow in the inaugural PEAK (Pasifika Entertainment Advancement Komiti) Writers Fellowship sponsored by Netflix. Her first short film, “Ornamental Oriental,” is set to premiere in 2025. Tia writes about complex individuals who fight against societal expectations. Just like she does every day.

THANK YOU TO OUR 2025 PARTNERS!