While the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community have helped build America and contributed to culture around the world, until very recently mainstream storytelling from Hollywood has not reflected these contributions or included narratives of the diaspora. We want to change this and create a pipeline of creatives from Cal to Hollywood.
Through our AAPI Media Creatives Fellowship, BCNM aims to transform both how entertainment careers are viewed by students, and how AAPI are viewed within the entertainment industry. Selected fellows will receive a summer stipend of $1,500 plus mentorship from industry professionals. The funding will help fellows pursue their creative passions in media and entertainment over the summer. This may be through an internship at a Hollywood studio, developing a script or videogame, or auditioning for television and movie roles. Fellows will also receive valuable mentorship from industry leaders Jason Lin (Producer, Story Arch Pictures), Lacy Lew Nguyen Wright (Executive Director, Hillman Grad Foundation), and Laura Reddy (Manager, Range Media Partners), which will include four activities, such as lunches, 1-1 meetings, speaker events and more.
We want to build a network of Cal alumni in leadership positions in media who, by developing narratives that feature AAPI and encouraging greater diversity at all levels within studios and agencies, will fundamentally change the ecosystem of cultural production to be more reflective of the AAPI community at large.
This year, BCNM has one Fellowship to award. Students will be selected based on their commitment to developing narratives that feature Asian American and Pacific Islanders and encouraging greater diversity at all levels within media.
More information on our mentors can be found below.
Interested in donating to this important fellowship? Please donate here.
The AAPI Media Creatives Fellowship is made possible by the generous support of Sam Kwok.
Media Industry Mentors 2024
Jason Lin
Jason Lin is a film producer and creative entrepreneur with representative films and producer credits including: A Dog’s Journey, Green Book, A Dog's Purpose, Peppa Celebrates Chinese New Year, The Forbidden Kingdom, Ocean Heaven, and Jet Li’s Fearless. He has worked at companies including Alibaba Pictures, Jet Li Production Studio, The Walt Disney Company, UTA, and Morgan Stanley. He created a premium apparel line called Adidas Wuji with Jet Li and Adidas that launched in China in 2009 infusing Adidas apparel with martial arts culture. Adidas Wuji is currently available in countries across Asia.
Jason started Story Arch Pictures in 2019 to develop and produce mainstream, cross-cultural, and socially-relevant film and TV series aimed at a global audience inclusive of perspectives from the Asian diaspora.
Lacy Lew Nguyen Wright
Lacy is the Executive Director of the Hillman Grad Foundation, overseeing its Mentorship Lab and Rising Voices initiative with Indeed. Lacy previously served as the Associate Director of BLD PWR, an initiative founded by actor and activist Kendrick Sampson to mobilize the entertainment industry in support of grassroots organizations. She is currently a board member of Covenant House California’s Advisory Committee, RAINN Speakers Bureau, InsideOUT Writers junior board, GoFundMe’s AAPI Community Fund, and board chair of The Objective.
Laura Reddy
Laura Reddy is manager and producer. Some of her clients include Amandla Stenberg, Kiersey Clemons, Greta Lee, Alexander Abdallah, Owen Thiele, Agnez Mo, Fariha Roisin, and Carolyn Huynh.
Prior to her career in Hollywood, Reddy produced for ABC News Nightline and ABC’s documentary unit, Lincoln Square Productions. Some of her producing projects include Back To The Beginning With Christiane Amanpour, Cosby: The Women Speak for A&E, and Let It Fall directed by John Ridley. Prior to joining Range, Reddy was at UTA for four years, in Asian Business Development and in the Talent Department.