Meet Weiko Lin | Writer and Graduate Director of Screenwriting at Loyola Marymount University

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

Hi Weiko, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was born in Taiwan and grew up there during at the time, the longest running Martial Law in the world. I immigrated to the U.S. when I was 8 years with my late mother and 3 siblings for education. My mother had limited English ability so we spoke only mandarin at home, that’s how I’ve kept up my fluency and am so thankful for it. Because her unfamiliarity with America and busy with my older sister and brothers, I had freedom to explore my creative curiosity. Didn’t have many rules imposed on us but we loved our mother so much we’d never do anything that might disappoint her. She taught us to be frugal on everything except for food. Our times eating together remains my warmest memory of comfort.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am most proud of this new original musical RISE TO THE TOP I just finished writing (Book and Lyrics) along with my long time collaborator Christopher Wong (Music and Lyrics) about a young immigrant who achieves the American Dream as a celebrity chef on top of his culinary empire while struggling to fit into Americana at great sacrifices. We just had our first concert reading at Japanese American National Museum back in February 2024 where we performed over 20 songs. We haven’t done a musical since our UCLA days as we had been doing work in films since. It brought us back to the creative jolts we had as young artists who were fearless and created works on our own terms. It had been an extraordinary satisfying experience.

Thinking back, it’s serendipitous in a way because when I was a young immigrant, I found my confidence and voice in my first role in our school musical. I was very shy due to English limitations and wanting to stay invisible in order to fit into Americana. My junior high English teacher who also directed the shows convinced me to be in WIZARD OF OZ where I played Mayor of the Munchkin City., with green tights and all! That role gave me my voice in America. I ended up doing more theater in high school and at UCLA as English major in Playwriting focus of my creative writing program. Shortly after, I went on to pursue my MFA in Screenwriting there with the guidance of my late mentor Lew Hunter. He is the reason why I have been a writer and educator for 20 years that culminated in my book CRAZY SCREENWRITING SECRETS: HOW TO CAPTURE A GLOBAL AUDIENCE (Michael Wiese Productions). Teachers have had a profound impact on my creative and personal life. I hope to parlay that in the small ways that I can in my role as a professor and graduate director of the MFA Screenwriting Program at LMU.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I ‘d make it a full day trip. For breakfast, I would take them to Millie’s Cafe in Pasadena for country fried steak and wash it down with fresh black coffee.
Then we would visit the Huntington Library in San Marino that is nearby to walk it off, enjoying the Botanical Gardens and rich museum art.

For late lunch, I would head out to Marina Del Rey at Cheesecake Factory — sure it’s a chain restaurant but the patio beach view of the marina is wonderful. Afterwards can walk along the sand and get that fresh air since usually it’s not crowded at all.

After sunset, head to Yamashiro above Hollywood Hills over looking the city for sushi and cocktails. Then top off the night with old fashioned at retro 70’s bar Good Times at Davey Waynes a few minutes drive away.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My late mother Lisa Lin. When she had to go, she left me the most beautiful gifts to comfort and guide me rest of the way.

Website: https://www.weikolin.com

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