First Read: Fresh Voices in TV

Vivian Lin
Showrunner & Co-Creator, CREW GIRL

Vivian Lin is a the show runner and co-creator of Crew Girl, which was a Global hit on Netflix, with it’s debut run hitting #1 in 49 countries and #2 in the world. She was also the showrunner and co-creator of Popularity Papers (on Hulu, StackTV and YTV), which garnered 11 CSA nominations. She’s a multi-genre writer and producer, who has worked on the trifecta of procedurals (police, medical, legal), sci-fi, primetime soaps and half-hour comedies.

Sara Jade Alfaro-Dehghani

Raised in a hot blooded Iranian-Mexican family, Sara Jade Alfaro-Dehghani penned her first memoir at 12 in the Ontario suburbs, having only an Olympia typewriter, and zero summer plans.
Writer-filmmaker Sara blends apocalyptic suburbanite teenage memories with whimsy, surrealism and human awkwardness. She loves snappy dialogue, cultural blending and language barriers. She is currently developing her first feature about The Lost Civilizations of Canada, and was selected for the Reel Asian TV writers mentorship program 26. Sara has directed a Superbowl commercial, filmed with Taika Waititi, and adores every one of her 20,000 bees.

Srutika Sabu

Sabu (she/they) is a recovering doctor-turned-clown, writer, and multidisciplinary artist based in Toronto. Galaxy Pants, which she wrote, directed, composed, and animated, is Sabu’s first short film that was selected for the Comedy Ignitor Challenge Showcase at Canadian Film festival. She also produced and directed the documentary web series Fairy Trans Parent, which is about newcomer/refugee trans relationships and is an official TOWebfest selection.

Jaskaran Singh

Brampton born and Jersey raised, Jaskaran Singh is a Sikh-Canadian filmmaker whose work explores identity, belonging, and inclusion, with a focus on bringing South Asian voices and experiences to the screen. His short films include A Turban & A Beard, Me|Her, and Copeless, exploring Sikh identity, love, generational trauma, guilt, and grief. His debut feature, Jersey Boy, is the culmination of that exploration, a deeply personal story inspired by his experience growing up in the aftermath of 9/11. The screenplay was a Quarterfinalist for the 2022 Academy Nicholl Fellowships, named to The CAPE List in 2021 (curated by The Black List), and won the 2020 Whistler Film Festival Power Pitch. Now completed, Jersey Boy premiered at CAAMFest 2026 and will make its Canadian Premiere at iSAFF 2026.

Claudine Yip

Claudine Yip is a writer from Vancouver whose stories tend to focus on children of immigrants finding love in all its forms and against all mishaps. She was a participant in Ins Choi’s sitcom writing workshop, an Annick Press editorial mentee, and her TV pilots have been recognized by CAPE and Script Pipeline. As a screenwriter for vertical microdramas, her series have collectively gained over 100 million views. She holds a BFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and an MFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University.

Mayumi Yoshida

Mayumi Yoshida is a Japan-born, globally raised Director, Actor, Writer, and Producer based in Vancouver, BC. An alumna of Women in the Director’s Chair, WBD Access × Canadian Academy Writers & Directors Programs, TIFF Writer’s Studio, and the TIFF Netflix Talent Accelerator Fellowship. She has earned acclaim for her deeply personal, emotionally grounded storytelling.