KCU Pitchfest Showcase 2023 (Top 50)

What Now?

Set in NYC’s Chinatown during the mid 1980’s, middle school student Osamu “Sam” Takahashi navigates through his transition out of childhood into his early teens facing challenges that seem even more perilous than the crime ridden streets he calls his playground.

Like most young teens, Sam wants more control over his life. But during a time when he is wanting more independence from parents, coping with the evolution of his friendships, experimenting with identity, drifting apart from his older brother, avoiding recruitment by Chinese gangs, experiencing his first date, learning his family history in Japan during WWII, and testing to get into one of the top high schools in the country, (inhale) control seems to be the last thing Sam has.

My Why:

Working with kids, and having two of my own, I recognize their desire to take control over their lives. Friend groups, bedtimes, going places without parents, even how they identify. I was no different. I want to take a deeper dive into my teen years and deliver the message that while you may feel no control over the seemingly random challenges thrown your way, you do have control over how you handle them.

It is important for me to tell a story with an Asian cast as it has been my life’s work to bridge communities and illustrate how more alike we are than different. I’d like to make this into a three part series that follows Sam through high school and then college as his priorities change and the challenges become more consequential.