Over 100 Creatives Unite to Forge a New Future for Animation in the Middle of a Hollywood Recession

As the entertainment industry faces uncertainty, one groundbreaking project proves that the next generation of storytellers isn’t waiting to be discovered. They’re building the future themselves.

While many waited for the next move, over 100 emerging Asian talents united to create a future worth watching.

At a time when the entertainment industry is navigating unprecedented challenges, an all-volunteer team of artists, writers, producers, and animators came together to create something extraordinary: Tea Leaves Last, an original animatic pilot developed through Asians in Animation’s Pilot Pre-Production Program. The project is not just a triumph of artistry, it’s a quiet revolution showing that the next generation of animation talent is here, ready to shape the industry on their own terms.

▶️ Watch the trailer here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BkKvTD4AMdg&pp=0gcJCdgAo7VqN5tD

While many early-career professionals are being laid off, overlooked, or left in limbo, this collective of emerging and established talent decided to create their own opportunities. Spanning multiple countries, time zones, and specialties, the team collaborated for almost a year– all volunteer-based, and without traditional studio backing or resources – to bring a heartfelt, magic-infused story to life.

Their mission? To gain work experience and train for their next step in a professional-level production pipeline grounded in mentorship, creative equity, and cultural authenticity.

Tea Leaves Last follows a young girl who’s determined to prove the existence of forgotten tea magic and recruit allies to save her homeland from a colonizing threat. But behind the fantasy lies something just as powerful: the real-world story of what’s possible when creators take the reins of their own careers.

At the heart of this visionary project is Saira Umar, the showrunner and creator of Tea Leaves Last. An accomplished writer with credits at PBS Kids, Umar has refined her craft through apprenticeships with the Writers Guild Foundation and mentorships with showrunners and executives across the industry, contributing to critically acclaimed series across streamers such as Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld (Netflix), Digman! (Comedy Central), and at Marvel Animation (Disney+). 

She describes the project as the result of a program that “provides a safe-space for emerging creatives to learn and grow. We noticed a large gap in applicable education and training of not just the skills needed to succeed in animation, but the knowledge of the pipeline and practices employed in modern television. The primary goal was for those involved to have a positive experience increasing their knowledge about the reality of creating an episode of TV in a western, pre-production studio.

“We wanted a place for people to do the jobs they want to have, but just haven’t yet had the opportunity to do so, in order for them to gain experience by doing.” For Umar, Tea Leaves Last is about planting seeds for a future where diverse voices shape the narrative. “It was a lot of hard work and over 15,000 combined hours from our volunteers, but hearing from members of our crew about how impactful the experience was makes it all worth it.”

Leading the production is Alice Jiang, whose experience includes credits at Titmouse and her current role on Amazon Originals’ hit series The Legend of Vox Machina. Jiang orchestrated the sprawling volunteer collaboration with a keen focus on building trust and systems that empower early-career professionals. She explains, “When the industry isn’t always set up to support new talent, we have to build those support networks ourselves,” highlighting how collaboration can unlock new possibilities when people unite around a shared vision.

Adding vital creative expertise is Topher Ngo, a voice actor/director and singer best known for his role in Grammy-nominated boy band 4*TOWN in Disney Pixar’s Turning Red. Ngo has stepped into casting and voice directing to champion emerging talent. He remarks, “It was incredible bringing this specific project to life with an all-Asian cast who could identify so deeply with the characters on screen. There’s a level of nuance to their performances that can only come from engaging with their lived experiences, and it was such a pleasure to help them tap into that vulnerability in the booth. For me, it’s about who gets a chance to be heard,” underscoring his commitment to fostering inclusion and bringing fresh, authentic voices to the screen.

First-time Director, Hye Lynn Park is no stranger to the industry, previously working on Sony’s upcoming highly anticipated K-Pop Demon Hunters, cinematics for World of Warcraft and Diablo IV at Blizzard, and at Cartoon Network as a storyboard artist. She worked to help mentor and train the story and edit teams, while also honing into her leadership and directing skills.

Another core creative team member is Stephanie Sim, who has worked on high-profile franchises at Nickelodeon and Marvel Animation and has writing credits on the fan-favorite series Monster High. Sim worked closely with Umar to deepen the project’s storytelling with an emphasis on world-building and collaboration. She reflects, “I can’t overstate how much teamwork and communication goes into an animated project, and I’m really proud that we were able to weave together ideas from such a talented and enthusiastic crew. I hope all of our team members learned something valuable from this experience that they can take into their next project.”

The animatic pilot is the culmination of the TV Pilot Pre-Production Program, a flagship initiative by Asians in Animation, a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to advancing Asian talent across all disciplines in the animation industry. With over 6,000 members across 92 countries, Asians in Animation is the world’s largest collective of Asian animation professionals, a powerful platform for visibility, opportunity, and community. The organization is led by the visionary trio of Lexie Chu, Katie Dizon, and Dani Yuan, whose leadership is shaping a new, inclusive future for animation worldwide.

“Hollywood is not providing the kind of access and education that aspiring professionals need right now. So we created the space ourselves,” said Lexie Chu, Founder and CEO of Asians in Animation and executive overseeing Tea Leaves Last.

Chu adds: “This project is about radical generosity, sharing studio knowledge, mentorship, and best practices with people who might not get that chance otherwise. The future isn’t something we’re waiting for; it’s happening right now. The next generation of leaders is us, and this program was designed to prepare them as much as possible. Asians in Animation’s members are Hollywood’s next leaders in animation, and it’s our job to make sure they have the tools to succeed.”

The Tea Leaves Last team consisted of artists working internationally — from across the United States to China, Korea, the Philippines, London, Iran, India, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, and more — reflecting the program’s commitment to elevating global voices and fostering collaboration across borders. This rich tapestry of cultural perspectives not only brought authenticity and depth to the project, but also underscored Asians in Animation’s mission to empower creatives worldwide and build a truly inclusive creative community.

Tea Leaves Last is more than an animatic pilot, it’s a declaration that the future of animation belongs to those who refuse to wait for permission to create. This project stands as a beacon of hope and a call to action: industry professionals, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, are no longer waiting for Hollywood’s slow wheels to turn. They are taking destiny into their own hands, rewriting what success looks like, and proving that resilience and collaboration can overcome even the toughest industry storms.