"These days, there are more space aliens on television than Asians."
In 1991, three Asian American executives working in Hollywood voiced this complaint. They were Wenda Fong, a TV producer and creative executive; Chris Lee, a film producer and executive; and Fritz Friedman, a publicist. The three recognized the need for Asian Americans and those of Pacific Islander descent in the entertainment industry to communicate regularly and support one another. That was the backdrop for the founding of CAPE, the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment. The first event that November was held at a Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles.
Thirty-five years have passed. During that time, CAPE has supported development programs that help people enter and grow in the entertainment industry, provided cultural consulting and talent referrals to major studios and networks, and backed promotional efforts for box-office and streaming success. It has also created programs and workshops for writers, directors, creative executives, producers, and actors.
CAPE runs the Animation Directors Accelerator program in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment. Michelle Wong, co-chair of the program, produced "KPop Demon Hunters," and Helen Mingjue Chen, an alumna of the 2021 Accelerator program, served as production designer on the film. CAPE has also consulted on hundreds of projects, including Disney's "Raya and the Last Dragon," Netflix's "Bridgerton," and Warner Bros.' "Crazy Rich Asians." It has also worked behind the scenes to promote works featuring Asian stories, including "Parasite" and "Minari."
Michelle K. Sugihara, who has led CAPE since 2015, is known as a "Hollywood heavyweight" and the "godmother of the entertainment industry." A fourth-generation Japanese American, she was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. She graduated with honors from Claremont McKenna College with a double major in economics and psychology and a minor in Asian American studies, before earning a law degree from UCLA.
As an entertainment attorney, she received the "Best Lawyer Under 40 Award" from the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and was named a "Super Lawyer Rising Star" by Los Angeles Magazine — an honor given only to the top 2.5 percent of lawyers in Los Angeles — for seven years. She has also worked as a film producer and an adjunct professor at Claremont College, with a notable side credit in "improv performance." She performs herself, teaches "Improv for Lawyers," and is a founding member of "Friends of Asian Pacific American Theater." Sugihara has also built a reputation as a sought-after speaker around the world on topics including "Asian representation in media," "women in the entertainment industry," and "inclusive storytelling."
