Meet Regina Kim | Screenwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Regina Kim and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Regina, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born in Oakland, California and raised in a small island-town next door called Alameda. Growing up in the Bay Area, I had a great childhood and learned from an early age how important it is to embrace our cultural differences. However, my experience as a Korean American also influenced so much of how I see the world today, how I identify, and how I move through society. As a kid, I knew I wanted to be a writer as soon as I discovered that writers wrote the books I enjoyed. My parents were very supportive from the start, and storytelling was always encouraged, both in my house and also at school, where teachers and peers motivated me to keep writing. Because I came from a family that supported my artistic and creative endeavors, which is not always the case in an Asian family, I feel the responsibility to best represent the communities I belong to. Today, as a screenwriter, my mission is to highlight the multitude of experiences we as Asian American have, to tell stories that resonate not only across my community, but also throughout the world, as I write to dispel stereotypes and open avenues for dialogue about taboo subjects in the Asian American community, such as mental health.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My writing journey has been more linear than most. Like all writers, my first love was reading. As a child, I had a book in my hand everywhere I went; I ate while reading, took baths while reading, and fell asleep every night with a book in my arms. In high school, I had made up my mind that I wanted to be a novelist, so I self-published two young adult novels and entered college thinking this was what I was going to do forever. However, halfway through undergrad, I did an internship over winter break in Los Angeles on the Universal Studios lot. And it was rite-of-passage tasks, but I also got to do script coverage, which was my introduction to screenwriting. I instantly fell in love with it and how screenwriters could tell amazing stories visually. Plus, I loved the collaborative nature of filmmaking, which was the complete opposite of novel-writing. So after that internship, I joined the film club on campus, read every screenplay I could find online, started writing my own scripts, and even made some short films. After I graduated college, I figured I’d rather try and fail in my early-20s than not try at all. I worked for about a year and a half in Corporate America to save money, then I finally made the move to Los Angeles where I completed the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting. The following year, I applied to the MFA Screenwriting program at UCLA, got in, and completed that degree two years later. Since then, I’ve been lucky to have had screenwriting work, especially during the pandemic.

About my writing specifically, I am a Korean American screenwriter who writes primarily in the horror genre because I love the challenge of finding new ways to scare the modern audience. (Everyone knows the horror tropes these days.) Through my writing, I explore the dichotomy between not only Western and Korean cultures but also the tangible and spiritual worlds, and how Korean Americans exist within them. This is why one of my favorite scripts, and the one I’m most proud of, is my horror pilot about sleep paralysis, INCUBUS. Not only was this my first foray into writing horror, but it was also the first time I got the chance to dive into the really personal contents of the story. When INCUBUS was chosen for the BloodList in 2019, it also validated all the work that was put into it and that industry professionals also saw something in it that resonated with them.

Lastly, I want to keep writing stories that show wider audiences the experiences that many Asian Americans share and collaborate with others who are just as invested in getting those stories told. My long-term career goal is to create spaces for those whose voices have been historically excluded be their biggest cheerleader. If I ever get to a place where I have the opportunity to make decisions or hire people or have any kind of influence, I want to mentor as many up-and-coming writers as possible. So many people in my life have done the same for me, extending the ladder down for us rather than pulling it up after them, and I want to follow in their steps to champion others.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m super biased because I’m Korean, but the first place I’d take a friend is Koreatown. We’d hit up some Korean barbecue or Chimaek, then get bingsoo afterward at Sul & Beans. For more good eats, I’d also suggest Rosaline, a Peruvian restaurant on Melrose, then walk up the street to The Belmont for a couple of drinks. Ike’s Sandwiches is not originally an LA sandwich shop (I’m also biased here because I’m from the Bay Area and that’s where it started), but it’s a must-eat. They have amazing vegetarian and vegan options too. There are fantastic breweries Downtown too, and it’s easy to bar hop to try all different kinds of beers. If the weather gets too hot, Salt & Straw is a great place to grab some delicious ice cream. I’m also a sucker for a good show, and there are plenty of community theaters in the city to catch one, plus the LA Phil if my friend is a fan of classical music. On a beautiful sunny day, I like to take someone to a hike near the water, farther away from the popular ones like Runyon or Griffith Park. A chill drive down the coast, then a wine tasting at Rosenthal Winery is a good way to end the day. And if they’re visiting during Halloween season, you know I’ll be taking them to Halloween horror mazes.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
“No man is an island,” so I wish I could shoutout every single person who has influenced me in some way on my creative journey thus far. I’ve been pretty lucky to have wonderful, supportive, and loving parents and a sister, mentors during almost every new moment of my life, encouraging teachers who pushed me to strive for my best, and friends who both inspire me daily and lift me up during my lowest moments. In this moment, however, I’d like to give a special shoutout to the API Horror Screenwriters Group that I c0-created in 2021 with a friend I met on Twitter over quarantine. As a genre screenwriter myself, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to feel heard in rooms that have historically and consistently suppressed our voices, so through our group, I feel that we’ve been able to make this space for ourselves, a place where we can finally take up all the space as writers without apologizing or feeling guilty. Through this group, I truly feel like we’ve all made lifelong friendships while we continue to support each other through our creative journeys as genre writers.

Twitter: @ReginaKimWrites

Image Credits
Lonesome YouTube series – Dane Neeves HorrOrigins Afro Horror Podcast ScreamWriters Podcast The BloodList