The Pasifika Entertainment Advancement Komiti named Kanani Koster, Erin Lau, Sean Oketani, Neil Tinkham, and Pouariʻi Tanner to its third annual PEAK Writers Fellowship class, supporting emerging Pacific Islander television writers with mentorship from industry professionals and backing from Netflix.
Founded by director, screenwriter and showrunner Dana Ledoux Miller and co-managed by program manager and screenwriter Bryson Chun, PEAK operates as Hollywood’s only writing program created by a Pasifika storyteller. The initiative pairs each selected fellow with an experienced industry mentor to refine scripts for professional presentation, alongside weekly panels featuring writers, showrunners, executives, representatives, actors and other industry professionals.
What to Know About the Cohort
- Five up-and-coming writers focusing on Pasifika experiences joined the third annual fellowship class.
- Netflix supports the program, providing professional development, networking opportunities, and script mentorship.
Mentors Shaping the New Fellowship Class
Averie Huffine, who has been on the board of Pasifika Entertainment Advancement Komiti since its creation, noted that the organization received applications for this cycle, pointing to demand for the initiative and collaboration with Netflix.
“Fellowships like this not only make it possible for our communities to steward our own stories from script to screen, they allow the five incredible writers in this year’s fellowship to challenge and upend expectations of who we are expected to be as artists,” Dana Ledoux Miller stated.
| Fellow | Project Title | Project Format |
|---|---|---|
| Kanani Koster | ||
| Erin Lau | “The Hālau” | One-hour family drama |
| Sean Oketani | “[Pair]adise” | |
| Neil Tinkham | ||
| Pouariʻi Tanner | “The Assistant” |
Project Highlights Across the Board
Kanani Koster is an American Film Institute directing alum and a 2024 ʻOhina Lab Fellow. Erin Lau brings the one-hour family drama “The Hālau,” following a teenager entering competitive hula dancing on Oahu. Lau’s most recent directing credit was for Fox’s procedural “Rescue: HI-Surf.”
Sean Oketani contributes “[Pair]adise,” following two queer, hapa Hawaiian best friends playing tourists in Waikīkī. Neil Tinkham is a writer whose feature-length screenplay “Jungle” was optioned by Popgun Filmmakers. Pouariʻi Tanner rounds out the cohort with “The Assistant,” following a Māori current affairs crew in Hollywood, drawing on her experience creating and producing the documentary series “Turtle Town” in the Cook Islands through her production company, Pacific Standard Time.
