Uploaded August 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Hey Rise Up Fam! We're honored to have worked with @asianqueensanimation to bring you the "Asian Queen Leading in Animation" series last May celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!
This panel, we hosted these Queens - Kristine, Kataneh and Alyce about how they got their start, the experiences they’ve had, their growth as storytellers, and what it means to be Asian-American in the executive/director space.
Kristine Songco has written for everything from office comedies to post-apocalyptic mutant worlds. She grew up in Diamond Bar, CA... but her dream of being known as the coolest person from Diamond Bar died when Alex Morgan won an Olympic gold medal. If you meet her, there’s a 50% chance she’ll be with her writing partner, Joanna Lewis. Together, they’ve written for shows like Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, The Great Indoors, Sullivan and Son, and Fairly Oddparents.
Alyce Tzue draws on experience in a multitude of fields including a BA in architecture, classical music training, ballet, and graphic design to spearhead projects with an eye toward elevating female and minority representation. After graduating from Princeton, Alyce moved across the country to pursue 3D animation at the Academy of Art, where her short film SOAR won Gold at the Student Academy Awards. She went on to be named one of Variety’s Top 10 Animators To Watch and is currently directing an animated feature at Netflix.
Kataneh Vahdani is a director, animation creator, storyteller and a professor. She was born in Iran but came to the United States in pursuit of her dream: to have a voice and be free. After receiving a degree in Mathematics, she enrolled at California Institute of the Arts, spending seven years studying animation and earning her master’s degree. She later continued her education in Paris, France. Kataneh’s animated films have been screened at many festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival and the New York International Film Festival, where she was named Best Director of Animated Shorts. She worked for many years in the story department at Walt Disney Animation Studios and also taught story, design, and animation at CalArts and College of the Canyons. Kataneh is currently directing and creating an animated feature at Netflix. In summer 2020 Kataneh published her first picture book series, “Kat and Juju”.
Speakers:
Kristine Songco | Writer, Co-EP, DreamWorks Animation
Alyce Tzue | Director, Netflix Feature Animation
Kataneh Vahdani | Director, Netflix Feature Animation
Rise Up Animation Founders:
Bobby Pontillas
Frank Abney
Trent Correy
Monica Lago-Kaytis
Are you ready to Rise Up together? Join the movement by checking out our upcoming panels and visiting our social media!
Website: riseupanimation.org
Instagram: instagram.com/riseupanimation
Facebook: facebook.com/Rise-Up-Animation-111394517713539
Twitter: mobile.twitter.com/riseupanimation
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/rise-up-animation
Inspire. Educate. Create. #RiseUpAnimation #directing #executiveproducing #producing #Netflix #DreamWorks
Hey Rise Up Fam! We're honored to have worked with @asianqueensanimation to bring you the "Asian Queen Leading in Animation" series last May celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!
This panel, we hosted these Queens - Kristine, Kataneh and Alyce about how they got their start, the experiences they’ve had, their growth as storytellers, and what it means to be Asian-American in the executive/director space.
Kristine Songco has written for everything from office comedies to post-apocalyptic mutant worlds. She grew up in Diamond Bar, CA... but her dream of being known as the coolest person from Diamond Bar died when Alex Morgan won an Olympic gold medal. If you meet her, there’s a 50% chance she’ll be with her writing partner, Joanna Lewis. Together, they’ve written for shows like Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, The Great Indoors, Sullivan and Son, and Fairly Oddparents.
Alyce Tzue draws on experience in a multitude of fields including a BA in architecture, classical music training, ballet, and graphic design to spearhead projects with an eye toward elevating female and minority representation. After graduating from Princeton, Alyce moved across the country to pursue 3D animation at the Academy of Art, where her short film SOAR won Gold at the Student Academy Awards. She went on to be named one of Variety’s Top 10 Animators To Watch and is currently directing an animated feature at Netflix.
Kataneh Vahdani is a director, animation creator, storyteller and a professor. She was born in Iran but came to the United States in pursuit of her dream: to have a voice and be free. After receiving a degree in Mathematics, she enrolled at California Institute of the Arts, spending seven years studying animation and earning her master’s degree. She later continued her education in Paris, France. Kataneh’s animated films have been screened at many festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival and the New York International Film Festival, where she was named Best Director of Animated Shorts. She worked for many years in the story department at Walt Disney Animation Studios and also taught story, design, and animation at CalArts and College of the Canyons. Kataneh is currently directing and creating an animated feature at Netflix. In summer 2020 Kataneh published her first picture book series, “Kat and Juju”.
Speakers:
Kristine Songco | Writer, Co-EP, DreamWorks Animation
Alyce Tzue | Director, Netflix Feature Animation
Kataneh Vahdani | Director, Netflix Feature Animation
Rise Up Animation Founders:
Bobby Pontillas
Frank Abney
Trent Correy
Monica Lago-Kaytis
Are you ready to Rise Up together? Join the movement by checking out our upcoming panels and visiting our social media!
Website: riseupanimation.org
Instagram: instagram.com/riseupanimation
Facebook: facebook.com/Rise-Up-Animation-111394517713539
Twitter: mobile.twitter.com/riseupanimation
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/rise-up-animation
Inspire. Educate. Create. #RiseUpAnimation #directing #executiveproducing #producing #Netflix #DreamWorks
