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Beyond Access: Unboxed and Asians in Animation’s Investment in Authors, Leaders and Original Work9/20/2026  The release of Unboxed, AIA’s second completed Immersive Lab short, reflects a broader evolution in the organization’s work: from expanding access to building the conditions in which Asian creatives can develop original ideas, assume creative responsibility, lead teams, complete ambitious work and move that work toward audiences.
PRODUCTION AS A SITE OF TALENT DEVELOPMENT The Immersive Lab is structured around animation production itself. Participants specialize in individual crew positions while working within a larger pipeline that includes story rooms, dailies, edit sessions, art and animation reviews, music and sound spotting, production meetings and cross-department creative decision-making. Crew Leads begin three weeks before the full production period for additional preparation in leadership, creative direction and production communication, including the development of look-of-picture materials and department shipping packets. The objective is not to reproduce production through classroom exercises. Participants develop craft, production judgment and leadership capacity by contributing directly to a finished work and assuming responsibility within the systems required to make it. For Unboxed, that process brought together more than one hundred artists, production personnel and creative leads around a single original film. The film was directed by Jiyoung Choi, Pam Thanatrakolsri, Marci Wilson, Brian Tran, Chloe Chan and Sizhe “Arie” Guo. Story was developed by Pam Thanatrakolsri, Chloe Chan, Sizhe “Arie” Guo, Dahae Lee, Jiyoung Choi, Marci Wilson and Brian Tran. The screenplay was written by Pam Thanatrakolsri and Brian Tran. Jiyoung Choi served as Production Designer, So Youn Rebecca Jeon and Dahae Lee as Editors, and Brian Tran as Producer. AN INDUSTRY MENTOR NETWORK EMBEDDED IN THE WORK AIA’s mentor network is one of the central components of the Immersive Lab model. Its significance lies not only in the caliber of the professionals involved, but in the depth and immediacy of their participation. The 14 mentors supporting Unboxed represent current leadership and practice across feature animation, television, independent filmmaking, VFX, story, animation, production design, visual development, character design, editorial, music and production leadership. Collectively, they bring experience shaped across major studios, independent productions and international pipelines, including Disney, DreamWorks, Sony, Netflix, Pixar, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Lucasfilm, Illumination, Blue Sky, Skydance and others. Their involvement is not ceremonial. These are working artists and leaders with substantial creative authority in the field: professionals who have designed major animated features, led story departments, supervised visual effects, directed animation, developed intellectual property, shaped editorial pipelines, composed award-winning scores and built careers across some of the industry’s most demanding production environments. That knowledge enters the production while the work is being made. Mentors review material, participate in discipline-specific conversations, advise department leads, help teams identify and solve creative problems and support emerging leaders as they make decisions with real consequences for a finished film. The result is not simply exposure to experienced professionals. It is a transfer of accumulated professional judgment into active creative teams. Participants are not standing outside the work listening to people describe how animation is made. They are responsible for the work themselves while being challenged and supported by practitioners who have spent years or decades making, supervising and leading it. For AIA, this distinction is fundamental. Mentorship is not an adjacent educational offering. It is part of the production infrastructure: a mechanism through which professional knowledge, creative standards and leadership practice can move into new authors, new teams and successive generations of work. Mingjue Helen Chen — Production Design Mentor Chen served as Production Designer on KPop Demon Hunters and has worked across Disney, Sony, Netflix, Warner Bros. and Paramount. Her feature work includes Frankenweenie, Paperman, Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6 and Raya and the Last Dragon. Her participation brings feature-scale worldbuilding, visual language and look-of-picture experience directly into an emerging production environment. Joy Ngiaw — Composing Mentor Ngiaw is the 2026 Children’s & Family Emmy-winning composer of WondLa, a BAFTA Breakthrough USA honoree and Annie-nominated composer. She also composed the Skydance Animation studio logo. Her work represents the level of musical storytelling and emotional worldbuilding that AIA seeks to place within reach of developing creative teams. Raymond S. Persi — Story Mentor Persi is an Emmy-winning director, animator, story artist and voice actor whose credits include Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, Feast and Zootopia. His experience across story, directing, animation, performance and comedy brings an unusually broad feature-animation perspective into the production process. Calvin Tsang — Story Mentor Tsang is a writer-director and story artist with more than 18 years of experience across feature and television animation. His credits include Star Wars Rebels, Nimona and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and he most recently served as Head of Story on Kung Fu Panda 4. His mentorship brings senior feature-story leadership shaped across multiple studio pipelines. Pramita Mukherjee — Executive Producer and Leadership Mentor Mukherjee is an 18-year animation and VFX professional at DreamWorks Animation whose credits include Kung Fu Panda 4, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and The Croods: A New Age. She previously mentored AIA’s inaugural Immersive Lab and returned for Unboxed as Executive Producer and Leadership Mentor. She also serves on AIA’s Board. Her relationship with AIA illustrates an important aspect of the organization’s development: industry participation can deepen over time, moving from mentorship into production leadership, institutional stewardship and governance. Kalos Chu — Story Development Mentor Chu is a DreamWorks Animation professional and 2026 CAPE New Writers Fellow. His television project Imposter entered development at HBO in 2026 with The Penguin creator and showrunner Lauren LeFranc attached as executive producer. His work reflects the movement between professional animation practice and original creator development that AIA seeks to foster more broadly. Clara Chan — Story Development Mentor Chan is a Sony Pictures Imageworks VFX Supervisor with more than two decades of experience in animation and visual effects, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Animation Branch, and an independent filmmaker whose short Have I Swallowed Your Dreams has screened at multiple Oscar-qualifying festivals. Her perspective bridges senior studio leadership with independent authorship and filmmaking. Crystal Kung — Character Design Mentor Kung is a character designer and visual-development artist whose experience includes Pixar and Blue Sky, with credits including Inside Out 2 and Nimona. Her work brings feature-level character design practice into a setting where developing artists are learning how design supports behaviour, personality and story. Erin Shin — Visual Development Mentor Shin is a Visual Development Artist at Netflix Animation with previous experience across Disney Animation, Cartoon Network Studios and Taiko Studios. Her mentorship brings current production-facing expertise in worldbuilding, environment design and visual development into the cohort. Randeep Katari — Story Development Mentor Katari has worked across Netflix, Nickelodeon, Disney and Blue Sky. His experience includes serving as Head of Story on Scrooge and as a former Creative Manager at Netflix overseeing animated content and story and script development. He brings both hands-on story leadership and the perspective of developing animation and intellectual property at platform scale. Vincent Chansard — Animation Mentor Chansard is a Gobelins-trained animator and storyboard artist whose credits include Primal, Unicorn: Warriors Eternal, Wakfu and One Piece. He also mentored AIA’s inaugural Immersive Lab before returning for Unboxed. His return is particularly meaningful within AIA’s model. It demonstrates continuity between successive productions and the willingness of established practitioners to continue investing their time and expertise as the institution develops. Ruby Wang — Visual Development Mentor Wang is an art director and concept artist whose work spans Flight School Studio, Tonko House, Erick Oh’s Opera and immersive and VR productions. Her experience expands the mentor network beyond conventional feature pipelines into independent, experiential and emerging forms of animated storytelling. Huy Luong — Editorial Mentor Luong is an editorial and post-production veteran at Disney Television Animation whose credits include Gravity Falls and Big City Greens. His mentorship brings the practical editorial and post-production knowledge required to bring large volumes of creative material into a coherent finished work. Ye Aung — Animation Mentor Aung is an animation director, animator, story artist, storyboard artist and animation technical director whose practice spans multiple stages of the animation production process. His cross-disciplinary experience gives participants insight into the relationship between story, performance, animation and production execution. Several of these professionals have returned across multiple AIA programs. That continuity allows knowledge, relationships and production experience to accumulate rather than reset with each cohort. As mentors return in increasingly substantive roles, successive productions are able to build on the creative and institutional knowledge developed through earlier work. The relationship therefore becomes regenerative: working professionals contribute experience to emerging teams; participants gain responsibility and production judgment; leaders become more capable; and the institution carries that knowledge forward into the next project. FROM LITTLE PERSIMMON TO UNBOXED Unboxed follows several earlier experiments in production-based talent development at AIA. In 2024, AIA’s inaugural Immersive Lab produced bé hồng / Little Persimmon through an intensive nine-day production involving more than 40 artists and 14 industry mentors. The completed film later received festival recognition, multiple awards and production coverage from Animation World Network and Toon Boom. AIA subsequently expanded the approach into long-form television pre-production with Tea Leaves Last, a 44-minute pilot animatic developed by a 107-person crew over eight months. AIA production records document more than 15,141 working hours, 338 assets across 1,401 versions and 4,334 storyboard panels in the final cut. With Unboxed, the Immersive Lab expanded from a nine-day production model to a longer program involving 104 crew members. At the same time, original projects developed through AIA’s Development Lab have begun moving into dedicated 2D short, CG short and feature-animatic production tracks. These projects are not isolated programs. Together, they are forming a connected pathway through which original ideas can be developed, creative teams assembled, emerging leaders given responsibility, professional knowledge transferred, finished work created and projects moved toward audiences. The through-line is compounding capacity: stronger artists, more experienced leaders, more developed ideas, deeper professional relationships and an institution increasingly capable of supporting more ambitious work. BUILDING CREATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE AIA began as a community focused on expanding access and connection for Asian animation talent. Its work has increasingly moved toward a broader question: what happens after access has been created? Access to an industry does not by itself create authorship, leadership or ownership. Talented people also need opportunities to originate ideas, exercise judgment, lead other people, make consequential creative decisions, complete work and build the experience required to do those things at a higher level the next time. AIA’s current model therefore connects community, education, development, production and industry participation. Emerging creatives are given responsibility within real teams. Original ideas are developed rather than remaining hypothetical exercises. Working professionals transfer current production knowledge into active projects. Participants gain experience making creative decisions, leading departments, working across disciplines and completing ambitious collaborative work. This reflects a broader understanding of representation. Representation concerns not only who appears on screen, but also who develops the idea, who leads the team, who gains production experience, whose work receives serious development, who is trusted with creative authority and who has the opportunity to build intellectual property over time. For AIA, productions such as Unboxed are therefore not separate from talent development. They are one of the primary mechanisms through which that development occurs. AN EXPANDING DEVELOPMENT-TO-PRODUCTION ECOSYSTEM Asians in Animation is a global 501(c)(3) nonprofit and creative platform with a worldwide network of more than 6,000 members. Its current production ecosystem includes two completed Immersive Lab animated shorts; a long-form television pilot animatic developed through an eight-month production; original projects moving from the Development Lab into 2D, CG and feature-animatic production tracks; a growing network of working animation professionals participating as mentors, advisors and production leaders; and an expanding body of original work moving toward festivals, distribution and public audiences. The through-line is not a single film or program. It is the accumulation of creative capacity. People become more experienced collaborators and leaders. Ideas move further through development. Professional knowledge remains within the institution rather than disappearing at the end of a workshop. Relationships deepen. Alumni, mentors and practitioners return. Each completed project gives AIA a stronger base from which to build the next one. AIA began by opening doors. Its larger ambition now is to help build what exists on the other side of them: an environment in which excellent Asian creatives can develop ideas, assume responsibility, lead teams, make ambitious work and participate meaningfully in shaping the future of animation. Unboxed is the latest completed work within that progression and is now available to watch publicly. Watch the full film: https://youtu.be/dOveycYHMIc?si=HvXHwP99uvuOQSAU Learn more about Asians in Animation, its programs and productions: https://www.asiansinanimation.org/ MEDIA AND PARTNERSHIP INQUIRIES Shelby Lee Head of Distribution Asians in Animation [email protected]
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 Poster for Tea Leaves Last animatic pilot. Meet some of the vibrant characters who bring this captivating story to life. Illustration Credits: Henry Nguyen, Kylie Popa, and Saira Umar LOS ANGELES, CA, May 21, 2025 — Asians in Animation (AIA), the largest global community and accelerator for Asian talent in animation, has premiered Tea Leaves Last, a 2D pilot animatic that blends cultural fantasy with themes of heritage, identity, and magic. The episode, titled “Home,” follows a young girl’s journey to save her family’s tea farm and the legacy it represents.
Logline: Determined to help her family’s historic tea farm, Mya leaves her homeland seeking the secrets of forgotten tea magic. After she discovers a colonizing force that threatens to destroy her heritage, Mya’s pursuit of magic and allies becomes more imperative than ever. Created by Saira Umar, who also served as Executive Producer and Showrunner, Tea Leaves Last, explores tradition, history, and identity through a culturally rooted fantasy lens. “After landing on the idea of a Tea-based magical team, we delved into the rich history of Tea in Asian culture, and the role it played in empire-building. As someone of multiple Asian ethnicities, both sides of my family were directly impacted by colonization, something we were able to explore in this story. Off this, naturally, came explorations about what “Home” and family means to us, as many of us on the project are children of immigrants. We also wanted to explore the themes of cultural preservation, patience, and losing tradition to shortcuts and instant gratification, something especially pertinent in this day and age,” said Saira Umar. The animatic was developed by a full team of emerging Asian talent, who contributed across writing, visual development, and production. The pilot is part of AIA to shift how original stories are incubated and to place emerging talent at the helm of those stories. “We’re incredibly proud of Tea Leaves Last and what this program represents for Asian talent and the animation industry at large,” said Lexie Chu, CEO of Asians in Animation. “As the biggest Asian animation accelerator, AIA is transforming how talent is discovered, trained, and connected to opportunity. Under the leadership of Saira [Umar], Alice [Jiang], and Katie [Dizon], this program is redefining industry education. It puts the power to create and lead directly into the hands of emerging artists. We’re not waiting for the industry to open doors. We’re building our own stage and rewriting the future.” VOICE CAST The voice cast of Tea Leaves Last features Maxine Serna as Mya, Rebecca Danae as Wen Yi, Kelsey Jaffer as Jai, and Zoe D. Lee as Lyss. Jon Lu voices Lahpet and Buff Crew Member, with Saira Umar as Countess Sterling. Mya’s Parents are voiced by Cheryl Chong and Allen Chan. Additional cast is rounded out by Elijah Kim, Preston Young, Alex Bui, Stephanie Sim, Mimi Chen, Marlon Dance-Hooi, Madeline Dimayuga, Noël Wiggins, and Kim Quach. PRODUCTION CREDITS
FULL CREW The production of Tea Leaves Last involved more than 100 emerging artists and production volunteers from across the globe. The full team includes: Alexis Wong, Alice Jiang, Alice Li, Allen Wu, Amelia Clara Simanungkalit, Anna Maria Folsom, April Phillips, Ashley Whang, Aura Victoria, Benjamin Solomon Arnold, Bianca Bancolita, Brenda Do, Christina Park, CJ Tugade, Claire H. Chong, Clair Huang, Daley Lin, Daniel Whelan, Dasom Park, Dee Thater, Dorian Saisse, Elizabeth Hwang, Eric Bravo, Faith Baptista, Flo Young, Gabrielle de la Cruz, Genna Davis, Ginny Chayanit Sutichavengkul, Grace Zhang, Haley Chung, Hannah Duncan, Hannah Jin Young Kim, Hazel Oh, Henry Hieu Nguyen, Hye Lynn Park, Inaya Sher, Iryl Tan, Janice Chun, Jeffrey New, Jessie Wang, Josephine Ota, Jonny Yoon Dorais, Julia Wang, Julianne Li, Justin Ni, Kacey Layson, Kaitlyn Chen, Kelly Chen, Kevin Ho, Kim Kobashigawa, Kim Quach, Krish Geer, Kylie Popa, Lin Jin (DoubleS), Lucy Hoa Skrypzak, Lucy Xue, Madelaine Hoei, Mania Kazemi, Meeti Patel, Miki Kinoshita, Nat Chantharojwong, Natasha Daas, Nichole Isip, Nicole Concepcion, Nikolas Dela Cruz, Ning Wan, Noel Wiggins, Po Kei Nicole Wong, Qianyi Lu, Rachel Christian, Rebe Chen, Riana Seminio, Robin, Ruby Tam, Saira Umar, Samantha Ho, Samantha Rabino, Samantha Zan, Sara Marigomen, Sarah Linyao Feng, Seah Kim, Seline Abanto, Seungmin Oh, Seungwon (Simon) Lee, Shelby Dela Cruz, Shivani Devi Gobalakichenin, So Youn Rebecca Jeon, Sofia Geck, Sonu Thomas, Sophie Martinez, Stephanie Sim, Sunny Karnan, Tessa Wijaya, Theresa Kao, Topher Ngo, Vanessa To, Vivian Le, Vy-Anh Nguyen, Xena Seo, Yayi Ding, and Zerlinda Lee. ABOUT THE PROGRAM Tea Leaves Last was developed through AIA’s TV Pilot Pre-Production Program (4P), an eight-month immersive lab built by animation industry professionals to simulate the structure of a traditional animation studio. Participants collaborated across every stage of development, from writers’ rooms and storyboarding to character design, world building, and post-production editing. The result is a fully realized pilot animatic that reflects studio-level standards and original storytelling. This initiative builds on AIA’s earlier short film training program under the Animation Industry Immersive Lab. The TV Pilot Pre-Production Program expands AIA’s original production slate. Future programs will focus on feature animation and CG pipelines, with each track designed to provide real-world training while centering Asian creatives in leading roles. WATCH THE PILOT ANIMATIC Tea Leaves Last premiered on May 21, 2025, and is now available to watch on the official Asians in Animation YouTube channel. Watch here: https://youtu.be/kkmCAIchVGg?si=wr-8MtaaHf5-SQ9O ABOUT ASIANS IN ANIMATION Asians in Animation (AIA) is the largest global community and accelerator for Asian talent in animation. Founded in 2020, AIA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers mentorship, career pipelines, and training for emerging professionals. With more than 6,000 members in over 90 countries, the organization is committed to empower talent, drive industry innovation, and helping the next generation of storytellers lead by creating long-term access and increasing visibility for Asian talent across all areas of the entertainment industry. Visit asiansinanimation.org for more information. PRESS CONTACT For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact: Chloe Trinidad Head of Distribution Email: [email protected] Website: www.asiansinanimation.org Asians in Animation Announces Executive Leadership Shift to Champion Asian Voices in Animation2/15/2024
 From left to right: Lexie Chu, Dani Yuan, Katie Dizon Los Angeles, CA, February 15, 2024 — Asians in Animation (AIA), the largest global nonprofit community dedicated to empowering Asian talent in the animation industry, proudly announces a major leadership evolution.
Lexie Chu, one of the organization’s four founders, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. Dani Yuan steps into the role of Chief Operations Officer, and Katie Dizon is named Chief Strategy Officer. This leadership team marks the culmination of years of visionary planning since 2023 to strengthen AIA’s mission of creating representation through education and mentorship. Under Chu’s leadership as CEO, AIA has grown from a passionate grassroots collective to an industry powerhouse with over 5,000 members spanning every major animation hub worldwide. Chu’s unparalleled expertise in business development and strategic partnerships—honed through her tenures at Netflix and Skydance Animation—has been instrumental in building AIA’s operational foundation and launching high-impact initiatives like the Asians in Animation Career Summit and Immersive Lab Production Program. “I am incredibly thrilled to lead the future of Asians in Animation alongside Dani and Katie,” said Chu. “Dani’s leadership paves the way for others to shine—it’s effortless and empowering, and it’s helped us sustain a vibrant volunteer team over many years. Katie’s visionary strategy and deep industry knowledge have been essential in building programs that mentor emerging talents and unite the brightest creative minds year after year.” Dani Yuan brings a unique and formidable leadership style shaped by their seven years in the United States Marines with the elite 4th Force Reconnaissance team, where they served as communications chief on deployments to Iraq and Mauritania. Following military service, Dani transitioned into the safety and security sectors for global innovators such as Google, Nvidia, and Pixar before dedicating their expertise to organizing and leading communities. As AIA’s Chief Operations Officer, Dani leverages their passion for organization and operational excellence to expertly manage the nonprofit’s broad range of programs and sustain its growth. “Leading operations at Asians in Animation is about creating space for others to grow and succeed,” said Yuan. “Our volunteer team’s passion and dedication inspire me every day—it’s a privilege to help empower such an incredible community.” Katie Dizon, Chief Strategy Officer, is a seasoned animation industry professional with experience spanning Nickelodeon Animation and Sony Pictures Animation. She has played a pivotal role in shaping AIA’s production programs, including the Animation Industry Immersive Lab’s four core tracks: 2D Production, CG Production, Series Pre-Production, and Feature Pre-Production. Katie’s deep industry relationships and strategic insight have been invaluable in forging partnerships and creating unique opportunities that elevate Asian talent on screen and behind the scenes. “I’m honored to help build the future of AIA’s production programs,” said Katie. “Our mission to mentor emerging talent and bring together the brightest creative minds is more vital than ever. Together, we’re shaping a more inclusive and dynamic animation industry.” Together, this leadership trio guides a robust team of over 120 dedicated volunteers and inspires thousands of community members, all united by the shared vision of amplifying Asian voices within and beyond the animation industry. The organization pays special tribute to Andrea Kutcher, who recently stepped down after a long and impactful tenure as Executive Director. Her foundational work paved the way for this new chapter of dynamic growth and empowerment. Asians in Animation remains steadfast in its commitment to providing mentorship, education, and career development to the communities and talents who need it most—continuing to lead the way toward a more vibrant, diverse, and inclusive animation industry. ABOUT ASIANS IN ANIMATION Asians in Animation (AIA) is the largest global community and accelerator for Asian talent in animation. Founded in 2020, AIA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers mentorship, career pipelines, and training for emerging professionals. With more than 6,000 members in over 90 countries, the organization is committed to empower talent, drive industry innovation, and helping the next generation of storytellers lead by creating long-term access and increasing visibility for Asian talent across all areas of the entertainment industry. Visit asiansinanimation.org for more information. |
