The Writers Guild Foundation, in partnership with Storyline Partners and CAPE, hosts a virtual panel on how representation in the writers’ room leads to culturally relevant storytelling in both individual episodes and seasons of series television.
Panelists include:
Simran Baidwan – The Pitt
Abdullah Saeed – Deli Boys
Julie Wong – Grey’s Anatomy
Moderated by Michelle Sugihara (Executive Director, CAPE).
Panel starts at 6PM Pacific Time.
RSVP for free or with a suggested donation of $10. All proceeds benefit the Writers Guild Foundation’s future panels and events, community programs, and Library & Archive. After signing up, you’ll receive information on how to access the Zoom panel.
Questions? Feel free to reach out to us at events@wgfoundation.org.
In Partnership With
About the Panelists
Simran Baidwan, born to East Indian immigrant parents in the San Francisco Bay Area, left a successful career as a criminal prosecutor to tackle the mean streets of Hollywood and pursue life as a writer. She holds a law degree from USD School of Law where she also served as an editor on the prestigious San Diego Law Review. She has written and produced for such hit shows as USA’s ROYAL PAINS, NBC’s CHICAGO MED, Netflix’s MANIFEST and ABC’s THE GOOD DOCTOR. Currently Simran serves as an Executive Producer on MAX’s hot new medical series THE PITT (alongside John Wells, R. Scott Gemmill & star Noah Wyle), and also serves as Showrunner on Amazon’s new half hour comedy CLEAN SLATE starring Laverne Cox and George Wallace. She has been a guest playwright at the IAMA Theatre Company, and her writing has been nominated for a GLAAD Media Award.
Abdullah Saeed is the creator of Deli Boys on Hulu.
Julie Wong is an Executive Producer currently in her ninth season at GREY’S ANATOMY, TV’s longest-running prime time medical drama. Prior to writing for television, Julie wrote speeches and crafted press conferences while serving as Deputy Mayor to L.A. Mayor Jim Hahn and leading communications for U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, among others. She participated in the CAPE New Writers Fellowship and the CBS Writers Mentoring Program.
About the Moderator
Michelle K. Sugihara is the Executive Director & CEO of CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment), the world’s longest-running non-profit organization creating opportunities and driving change for Asian and Pacific Islander success in Hollywood. She is a fourth generation Japanese American born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. She graduated with honors from Claremont McKenna College with a dual major in Economics and Psychology and a minor in Asian American Studies, followed by a law degree from UCLA. Prior to joining CAPE, she was an entertainment attorney, film producer, and adjunct professor for the Claremont Colleges’ Intercollegiate Department of Asian American Studies.
A sought-after public speaker, Sugihara speaks around the world on Asian Representation in Media; Women in Entertainment; Inclusive Storytelling; Leadership; and other topics. She teaches “Improv for Lawyers” and has performed improv internationally.
Sugihara’s community involvement includes her roles as founding member of the Asian Pacific American Friends of the Theater, former Co-Chair of the Multicultural Bar Alliance of Southern California, member of PBS-SoCal Asian Pacific Islander Community Council, former VP of OCA-Greater Los Angeles, past president of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles County, past member of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles’s Executive Advisory Council, and past board member of the Japanese American Bar Association. Sugihara is a recipient of the City of Los Angeles R.I.S.E. (Recognizing Inspiring IndividualS Who Elevate and Empower) Award, KTLA 5 AAPI Visionaries Award, the prestigious National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s Best Lawyers Under 40 award, and the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Real Property Section’s Outstanding Young Lawyer award. She was named a “Rising Star” in Los Angeles Magazine’s Super Lawyer Rising Star section for seven years, an honor bestowed on only 2.5 percent of attorneys in the state each year.