The Asia Pacific Entertainment Alliance and NBCUniversal are launching a new Hollywood initiative aimed at developing the next generation of Asia Pacific Islander associate and coordinator-level staff.
CAPE The Emerging Executives Council (CEEC) will serve as a fast track for selected associates and coordinators as part of the year- long program. Participants will collaborate within the program—helping them build community—and gain opportunities for growth and mentorship.
“As a member of the AAPI community and as a first job in the industry as a Assistant, I can personally attest to the value of this opportunity to these individuals,” Craig Robinson, executive vice president and chief diversity officer at NBCUniversal, said in a statement. “We are grateful to our partners at the Asia Pacific Entertainment Alliance for working with us on this opportunity and look forward to seeing the great performance of the inaugural committee.”
“Assistant and Coordinator levels are the entry point for most of the industry “Without proper guidance and support, careers can stall at this stage for longer than necessary,” said Michelle K. Sugihara, Executive Director of CAPE. “CAPE is delighted to launch this one-of-a-kind program for associates, initiated by associates, and we are delighted that it is at the helm of two of our CAPE Leaders Scholarship alumni.
CEEC will be co-hosted by Mohan Mandali, Vice President of Development and Production at Fabel Entertainment, and Duane Luu, Director of Dramatic Development at NBCUniversal. Both are 2021 Graduate of the CAPE Leadership Fellowship, the foundation of the Executive Committee initiative. In its seventh year, the industry-leading accelerator provides rising senior creative executives with the skills and professional network to break through Vice President ranks.
“As we pass through the Assistant and Mandali and Luu said in a joint statement: “We hope that this program with CAPE as a channel will open door to connect them to the larger film and TV API community.”
The Council’s first public event was held at All Season Brewing in Los Angeles for all APAC members of the entertainment industry Islanders Assistant and Coordinator.
CEEC is just the latest opportunity for CAPE, the leading non-profit organization 2018 created years ago to Among Asian and Pacific Islander people who provide opportunities and drive success in Hollywood. The initiative joins the organization’s other programs such as the CAPE New Writers Fellowship, the CAPE Leaders Fellowship, the CAPE Animation Directors Accelerator and the Julia S. Gouw Short Film Challenge in partnership with Janet Yang Productions.
Other efforts of the nonprofit include the CAPE Database, a public-access database of Asian and Pacific Islander talent, executives, representatives, and more, currently in beta.
Inaugural committee members include Angela Fei, Drama Development Coordinator, NBCUniversal Television & Streaming; Jane Nguyen, Literary Assistant, Television, UTA; Joban Gill, Executive Assistant, Film Production and Development, 21 Laps; Kristina Cuello, Curatorial Management Coordinator; Rachel Yuan, Executive Assistant to the President, Imagine Television; and Wai Wing Lau, former Executive Assistant, Hidden Pictures.
Angela Fei, Drama Development Coordinator, NBCUniversal Television & Streaming
at Angela Present Coordinator for NBCUniversal, overseeing upcoming TV series for NBC, USA, SyFy and Peacock. She first joined the industry as a feature marketing executive and has since experienced all aspects of the entertainment industry, from film festival programming to supporting the costume design team for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Jane Nguyen | Assistant, Television Literature, UTA
Jane Nguyen is a Born and raised Vietnamese American in Zhi County. She is currently working in the Television Literature Department of the United Talent Agency. She graduated from UCLA 2018 with a BA in Sociology and a minor in Film/TV. In her spare time, Jane enjoys reading webcomics, playing beach volleyball, and playing tennis.
Joban Gill | Administrative Assistant, Film Production and Development, 21 Laps
Joban Gill works in 21 upcoming movie And series include Crater(Disney+), Evil Ghost (21th), All the Light We Can’t See (Netflix) and Alexander and the Terrible , Bad, Very Bad Day (Disney+). She received her BA in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley at 21 and began her rotation as an intern at Bad Robot Productions career, then worked as an assistant at Weimaraner Republic Image/New Mandate Films She worked on King Richard, (Warner Bros.), The Survivor (HBO) and Hocus Pocus 2 (Disney+). In her spare time, she enjoys composing and performing music.
Kristina Cuello | Curate Management Coordinator
Kristina from Naples, FL works in Film at Curate Management , TV, Book/IP and international work. Prior to joining the company, she worked at various advertising agencies in New York, commercial production company Sanctuary Content, and Sunswept Entertainment, where she assisted Amazon’s My Summer of Beauty and Paramount’s upcoming Sons of Blood and Bones picture. She has a BA in Economics and Film Studies from Yale University at 2018 and is currently in post-production at MIDAS, her independent film at 2021.
Yuan Ruiqiu | Executive Assistant to the President of Imagination Film and Television
Rachel Yuan is the Assistant to the President of Imagination Film and Television. Prior to Imagine, Rachel worked in the book rights department at the Creative Artists Agency, as an associate at Anonymous Content, and did interns in TV development at Legendary, Alloy Entertainment, Fabel Entertainment and Franklin Entertainment. Rachel grew up in Orange County and earned her BA and MBA from the University of Georgia.
Wai Wing Lau | Former Executive Assistant, Hidden Pictures
Wai Wing Lau is Executive Assistant, Hidden Pictures Help source and develop feature films and television. Before joining Hidden, he worked at Mandeville Films, RBEL and NBCUniversal. He is also a mentee in the Women Wednesdays BIPOC Mentorship Program and the Hillman Grad Mentorship Labs. Wai Wing is from Brooklyn and earned a BA in English and Film Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.
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