EXCLUSIVE: CAPE has announced its 2026 class for its Showrunner Incubator Program which trains emerging Asian Pacific Islander television writers into future showrunners. Kelvin Yu (Central Park, Co-Showrunner, Writer, Executive Producer) has joined fellow Showrunner/Writer and program Co-Founder Melinda Hsu (Tom Swift, Nancy Drew) as a new Co-Chair of the program, which is now in its third year.
Powered by Starz #TakeTheLead diversity initiative with The Asian American Foundation boarding as a new partner this year and built on the successful New Writers Fellowship program for emerging TV writers, the incubator provides writers who are on the brink of showrunning with exclusive mentorship and real-world training and education.
“I’m involved with the CAPE Incubator Program for almost entirely selfish reasons: the energy, inspiration, camaraderie and perspective I gain from being around other writers are invaluable — especially in such a challenging moment in our industry,” said Yu. “Throughout my career, I’ve benefited enormously from the generosity and mentorship of others, so I’m grateful for the chance to pay that forward in whatever small ways I can. Nothing can really prepare someone to be a showrunner, but having a community of peers navigating the same challenges is an enormous advantage.”
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“CAPE’s commitment to creating pathways for inclusion at the writers’ table is why Starz is proud to be a returning partner,” said Kathryn Busby, President, Original Programming, Starz. “We believe in creating opportunities for talent behind the camera and that starts with investing in diverse writers, championing authentic storytelling and cultivating the leadership skills needed to become successful showrunners.”
“The stories we see on screen have the power to move us, entertain us, and when done right, deepen our sense of belonging. And showrunners play an integral role in ensuring that authentic AAPI stories are brought to life with the care they deserve,” added Norman Chen, CEO of TAAF. “That’s why TAAF is excited to support CAPE’s Showrunner Incubator and invest in a new cohort of creative leaders who are already making an impact, from the writers’ room to the screen.”
New and returning mentors, speakers, and contributors includes Jenny Jue (Casting Director, Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender), Jessica Gao (Showrunner, She-Hulk), Miranda Kwok (Showrunner, The Cleaning Lady), Byron Wu (Showrunner, The Brothers Sun), Steve Maeda (Showrunner, One Piece), Tanuj Chopra (Showrunner, Delhi Crime), Sunil Nayar (Showrunner, 4400), Alex Tse (Showrunner, Wu-Tang: An American Saga), Keto Shimizu (Showrunner, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), Tasha Huo (Showrunner, Tomb Raider), Toni Graphia Executive producer, Outlander, Outlander: Blood of my Blood), Charles Yu (Showrunner, Interior Chinatown), Mary Ramos (Music Supervisor, Wu-Tang: An American Saga), Ray Yamagata (Production Designer, Ballard), Christine Tagatac (Hair Supervisor, Wonder Man), Kristin Killey (Line Producer, Tom Swift), Harry Yoon (Editor, Beef), Meghan Robertson (Editor, Grey’s Anatomy), Geoff Garrett (Producer, The Hunting Party, and actors Thalia Tran (Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender) and Arkira Chantaratananond (Downbeat).
The 2026 class consists of experienced drama, comedy and animation writers with shows in development. The cohort is as follows:
- Arkesh Ajay | Arkesh Ajay is an Indian-born, Los Angeles–based writer-director. He served as writer and director on Netflix’s Black Warrant, named one of Variety’s 10 Best International Shows of 2025. He is currently writing its second season. His work has received multiple awards, including Filmfare and Asian Academy Creative Awards for directing and screenwriting. He has developed television projects with Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions, FX, Color Force, and The Js. He is a graduate of the UCLA MFA Directing Program, where he was named the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Honoree.
- Ben Smith | Ben Smith is a half-Chinese writer who grew up in a multi-generational home in the suburbs of Boston. Since moving to LA, he’s written for network, cable, and streaming shows, including Santa Clarita Diet, Barry, and for the last six years, Only Murders in the Building, where he currently serves as an executive producer. He is attached as a supervisor/showrunner for a rom-com heist project in development at 20th.
- Gursimran Sandhu | Gursimran Sandhu is an Emmy, WGA, and PGA Award-nominated writer, producer, and director. Previously, she wrote on Fallout at Amazon, for which she earned WGA and Hugo Award nominations for her episode “The Beginning,” Star City at Apple TV+, We Were Liars at Amazon, Citadel at Amazon, Expats at Amazon, Invasion at Apple TV+, the Star Wars series The Bad Batch for Disney+, and HBO’s award-winning hit series Game of Thrones. She is currently developing a high-stakes medical crime drama with New Regency and Aevitas Entertainment, inspired by the real-life experiences of Dr. Sandeep Jauhar.
- Kevin Seccia | Kevin is an Emmy-nominated writer, comedian, and author. His book “Punching Tom Hanks: Drop Kicking Gorillas and Pummeling Zombified Ex-Presidents – A Guide to Beating Up Anything” was published by St. Martin’s Press. He’s written shows for Netflix, Paramount, and NBC, most of which you haven’t seen. Kevin was recently a co-executive producer on The Great North for Twentieth/Fox. He lives in Los Angeles with his dog, Matilda.
- Prathi Srinivasan and Joshua Levy | Prathi Srinivasan, an Indian immigrant female, and Joshua Levy, an LGBT mixed Chinese male, are a duo who write/produce for mega franchises like Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (Paramount+), Emily in Paris (Netflix), and Titans (HBOMax). They created and penned the GLAAD nominated film Plan B (Hulu). Prathi and Josh met back in high school in Plano, Texas. They write Zillennial characters stuck between where they come from and where they’re going.
- Thomas Reyes | Thomas Reyes is a comedy writer. Growing up his Filipino immigrant parents moved the family around a lot, but by age 12 he finally settled in Los Angeles. After graduating from UCLA, he worked in both unscripted and scripted television. Thomas is an alumnus of the Warner Bros TV Writers Workshop. His writing credits include the Paramount Network dramedy American Woman and the Fox animated sitcom The Great North.