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 for 2024, provides upper-level Asian and Pacific Islander TV 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 API showrunners almost a decade ago, we counted around 20 API showrunners. At the most recent 2023 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 completed its inaugural year in June 2024 and gave 8 Asian and Pacific Islander TV writers on the brink of showrunning the opportunity to receive exclusive mentorship and real-world training and education.
MEET THE INAUGURAL CLASS
The 2024 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. Click on each image to read their bios.
MENTORS, SPEAKERS & CONTRIBUTORS
From the development of the program, to the sessions, coaching and workshops themselves, many provided their time to make the CAPE Showrunners Incubators possible.
MELINDA HSU
TOM SWIFT, NANCY DREW
ADELE LIM
STAR-CROSSED
ALBERT CHENG
VP, Prime Video US
Amazon Studios
ALBERT KIM
AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER
ALEX TSE
WU-TANG: AN AMERICAN SAGA
BIRGIT ZACHER HANSON
President of Heads-Up Performance
& Master Certified Coach
CAROLINE MAK
VP, Scripted Series
Onyx Collective
CHRISTIAN BUSTAMANTE
Casting Director
THE ACCIDENTAL GETAWAY DRIVER
COURTNEY MOCK
VP, TV Development
Lionsgate
DANA LEDOUX MILLER
THAI CAVE RESCUE
JESSICA GAO
SHE-HULK: ATTORNEY AT LAW
KATHARINE WU
Development Executive, Targeted Scripted TV & AVOD
Amazon Studios
KETO SHIMIZU
LEGENDS OF TOMORROW
LEO CHU
ULTRA VIOLET & BLACK SCORPION
MAY CHAN
SURFSIDE GIRLS
MONICA MACER
MACGYVER, GENTEFIED
STEVE MAEDA
ONE PIECE
TALHA ASAD
VP, Drama Programming
HBO
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR WORKSHOP VOLUNTEERS AND PARTICIPANTS
We are so grateful to the workshop participants who volunteered their time to support this program and our inaugural cohort. Please continue to support these talented writers, actors and multi-hyphenates!
EUGENE RAMOS
1-Hour Drama Writer; Feature Writer (THE DRAGON PRINCE)
HOMER HSIEH
1-Hour Drama Writer
KIRK DAMATO
Half Hour Comedy Writer
MINOTI VAISHNAV
1-Hour Drama Writer (TRUE LIES)
ALEXANDER CHARD
Actor, Writer, Director
CHRISTINE L. NGUYEN
Actor
DANICE CABANELA
Actor
LEE SHORTEN
Actor, Writer, Director
KAUSAR MOHAMMED
Actor, Comedian, Writer
Thank you for your interest in the CAPE Showrunners Incubator!
Year 2 of the program will take place in the summer of 2025.
If you would like to receive an email when the 2025 application has been released, please fill out the form below.