Building upon more than a decade of success of the CAPE New Writers Fellowship for emerging TV writers, CAPE is now tackling the senior ranks. The CAPE Showrunners Incubator, powered by STARZ #TakeTheLead and The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), provides upper-level writers with the opportunity to receive exclusive mentorship and real-world training and education to become successful showrunners for series television.
When CAPE first started tracking the number of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) showrunners almost a decade ago, we counted around 20 API showrunners. At the most recent 2023 Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Showrunners Brunch co-hosted by the Asian American Writers Brunch (led by Melinda Hsu and Jennifer Lee) and CAPE, we invited over 70 API showrunners. The numbers are improving, but we can do better.
The CAPE Showrunners Incubator has trained 16 writers over from 2024 to 2025 on the art of showrunning, provided them the opportunity to receive exclusive mentorship and real-world training and education.
Applications for the 2026 CAPE Showrunners Incubator are now open!
DEADLINE TO APPLY: THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026 AT 11:59 PM PT
ELIGIBILITY TERMS AND REQUIREMENTS:
Applicants should be consistent with CAPE’s work to empower Asian and Pacific Islander voices in entertainment by championing people, stories, and culture.
Applicants must be 21 years or older.
Upper-level TV writers will be prioritized, but other writers with imminent shows in development will be considered.
All finalists must agree to participate in all sessions and meetings, which will be conducted in July-August 2026, both in-person and virtually, on Wednesday evenings and Saturday afternoons:
Session 1: Wednesday, July 15
Session 2: Saturday, July 18
Session 3: Wednesday, July 22
Session 4: Saturday, July 25
Session 5: Wednesday, July 29
Session 6: Saturday, August 1
Session 7: Wednesday, August 5
Session 8: Saturday, August 8
Applicants must not have participated in the WGA Showrunner Training Program.
EACH ONLINE APPLICATION WILL CONSIST OF:
Resume
Letter of Recommendation from an individual who has meaningfully collaborated with you on a recent project. Examples include showrunners, executives, or creative partners.
PDF format only OR sent by email to programs@capeusa.org. All emailed letters must be received by the deadline.IMDb Link
$30 Non-Refundable Application Processing Fee
Personal Statement (1000 words maximum) addressing the following questions:
What obstacles or barriers have you faced in your career advancement, and how did you address them?
How can your position help advance Asian and Pacific Islander representation in the entertainment industry?
In regards to your career development, where do you hope to be in 5 years? In 10 years? How can the CAPE Showrunners Incubator help you reach these goals?
Timeline
Monday, June 1, 2026: Applications Open
Thursday, June 18, 2026: Applications Close
Mid-June: Selection Period
All applicants notified by Tuesday, June 30
Wednesday, July 15: Program Start
Saturday, August 8: Program End
PLEASE NOTE: To access the Google Form application, you must log in with a Google/gmail account.
If you are unable to access the form before the Deadline, please 1) clear your web cache and cookies or 2) try a different web browser before contacting us.
If the problem persists, please contact CAPE at programs@capeusa.org.
PROGRAM CHAIRS
MELINDA HSU
Melinda Hsu is a TV writer, producer and director who was the Showrunner of NANCY DREW as well as the showrunner/co-creator of TOM SWIFT; currently, she’s in a development overall at 20th Television. Her TV credits include LOST, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, THE GIFTED, FALLING SKIES, STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, MEDIUM, and one-hour pilots for Amazon, Netflix, NBC and Lifetime. For her work on LOST, she was nominated for an Emmy and a Writers’ Guild Award.
Melinda mentors writers through the CAPE, Mentors Matters, Unlock Her Potential, and the alumni associations of Harvard and Columbia. On a national level, she has received awards from both CAPE and Girls Inc. for her work as a mentor and community leader. Her podcast, Lead With Kindness, is aimed at changing the culture of Hollywood and the world; this series of ten 30-minute conversations is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts (Instagram: @LeadWKindness). Her book about the strategy of culture change is also titled Lead With Kindness, and will be published by Post Hill Press.
In September of 2024, Melinda was elected to the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America West. As a member of the Board, she helped design and launch the WGA Leadership Training Program, and teaches its curriculum in order to lift up writers and foster humane work environments throughout the industry and beyond.
Melinda is a Founder and Chair of the CAPE Showrunners Incubator.
KELVIN YU
Kelvin is in an overall deal at Sony TV. He is currently developing a Spider-verse pilot at Amazon with Lord Miller and Pascal Pictures producing, and the 1/2 hour comedy KILLIONAIRES at FX with Kim Kardashian, Kent Alterman and Sarah Babineau attached to produce. In a previous overall at 20th, he developed the one hour drama CAMP HALF BLOOD (the spin-off of PERCY JACKSON) at Disney+ with Rick Riordan, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein / Gotham Group and Bert Salke attached to produce. Kelvin was the Creator / Executive Producer / Showrunner of AMERICAN BORN CHINESE on Disney+. Destin Cretton directed the pilot, and the show starred Michelle Yeoh, Ke Quan and Ben Wang. Kelvin was also the Executive Producer / Co-Showrunner of the Apple / 20th show CENTRAL PARK and an Executive Producer on FOX's BOB'S BURGERS. He wrote for 15 seasons on BOB'S BURGERS, and he's an Emmy Award winner who co-wrote the BOB'S BURGERS Emmy winning episode. Kelvin is also an actor, and appeared in DYING FOR SEX, THE AFTERPARTY, MASTER OF NONE, MILK, WONDER WOMAN 1984, as well as over 60 other projects in television and film.
Kelvin newly joins Melinda Hsu as a Co-Chair for the CAPE Showrunners Incubator in 2026 for Year 3.
PAST GRADUATES
The 2025 Class for the CAPE Showrunners Incubator is made up of six individual writer/producers and one writing/producing pair all with projects in imminent development.
The 2024 Class for the CAPE Showrunners Incubator was the inaugural class and is made up of six individual writer/producers and one writing/producing pair all with projects in imminent development. Click on each image to read their bios.
