Elaine Chu 
Director | Writer

I'm a Chinese American raised in rural Wisconsin, and a graduate of UC Berkeley. In a past life I taught high school history and was voted “Coolest Teacher” for three years in a row. 
 

Currently I direct social media ads for agencies, and lead film crews as an Assistant Director. As a narrative director, my feature film “The Purgation” was distributed by Gravitas Ventures on Redbox and VOD. My shorts have won awards at the Austin Asian American Film Festival, Tallgrass, and Glamour Magazine’s #NewView Contest.  You can watch them streaming on Shudder, Roku, and across digital platforms. To give back, I’ve found joy mentoring BIPOC filmmakers via Hollywood’s #StartWith8 program. 

 

As a writer, my screenplays have placed twice at Sundance. I was the head writer for KT Comedy (SF Sketchfest), and have written various comedy hits for stages at UCB, Westside Comedy, and Second City.

On the court, you can catch me playing basketball for the LA Nail Clippers.