It all started when…

SAS was founded in 2000. In the early days, SAS organised screenwriting 101 talks and networking sessions. This included flying  in Robert McKee for his famous Story Seminar in 2003.

Since then, SAS has persistently pushed for best industry practices when it comes to writing. We've been invited to provide feedback at IMDA focus group meetings to shape the Tripartite Standards for the Media. As part of our engagement to raise the standard of scriptwriting in Singapore, SAS has organised pitching workshops with Lee Shinho (of the Korean thriller 'The Chaser'), Skype sessions with Glen Mazzarra (of The Walking Dead), and numerous lunches with visiting Hollywood screenwriters and producers such as Douglas J Eboch (Sweet Home Alabama) and Pamela E Wallace (Witness). This also includes training and development of local writers through workshops, yearly events and public support of Singapore-based projects.

Today, we are a growing group of established TV writers, authors, filmmakers, producers and digital marketers. Contact us to find out how you can commission some of Singapore's up-and-coming and established screenwriters.

Executive committeE

JOSEPH TAN - PRESIDENT

A writer who has been in the industry since 2005, Joseph has worked in both documentary and fiction, though his recent output has leaned more heavily in the latter. He has also worked across a wide range of genres – from children’s programming (Snoops, The School Bell Rings) and animation (Heartland Hubby), to sitcoms (Calefare, Fam!) and drama series as diverse as Code of Law, Derek, 128 Circle, This Land is Mine and Reunion. In a past life, he also worked for MTV Asia, writing and producing over 40 hours of music and variety content, and an educator teaching writing media at a local tertiary institution.

NICHOLAS WANG - VICE-PRESIDENT

Nicholas Wang is a writer-producer with a flair for both intimate drama and high-concept genre narratives. In 2022, Nicholas also wrote the body horror episode Skin Deep – which was part of Mediacorp’s After Dark Season 2 horror anthology . This screenplay was a finalist for the Original Screenplay Award at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards.  He has also been active in the producing sphere, having produced a weekly half-hour entertainment news programme eBuzz, on AXN.

Leslie Tan - TREASURER

Leslie is a Singapore-based writer with more than 20 years of experience in the film and television industry in Singapore and around the region.

A familiar face in the local television scene, Leslie has written and developed quality television programming for nationally televised shows such as Mediacorp’s Code of Law, Lion Mums and Heartland Hubby. Outside of Singapore, Leslie has written shows for channels such as MTV and the National Geographic Channel. His most recent work can be seen on the latest seasons of Code of Law as well as multi-lingual drama, 128 Circle and the MeWatch animated series, Downstairs.

Currently teaching writing at Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Film Media Studies, Leslie continues to daydream for fun and write for a living.

NARESH - SECRETARY

Smitten with the silver screen since the age of 21, Naresh prides himself for binge watching shows before they became a trend. Fortuitously he has penned short films which have won consecutive awards at the 7th and 8th NYFA with a third in production with support from IMDA and fourth with Viddsee. Having served as a Tamil screenwriter for nearly a decade, he debuted a pilot for Vasantham which has been the official selection for international film festivals and the winner of the Special Jury Award and Best Web Series at the Indo-Global International Film Festival, Mumbai International Film Awards and Chattrapathi Sivaji International film festival.

LEE THEAN-JEEN - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER

Lee Thean-jeen (李天仁) is a director, screenwriter and television showrunner best known for the Singapore television drama series AlterAsians, The Singapore Short Story Project, The Pupil, Code Of Law, Zero Calling, Reunion and This Land Is Mine, which is currently airing on Mediacorp's Channel 5.

He has also written or co-written, and directed, the feature films, Homecoming (笑着回家), Love...And Other Bad Habits (玩味爱情), Everybody's Business (人人有粪), Bring Back the Dead (招魂) and The Big Day(简单的婚礼). He was also a writer, director and executive producer on the Southeast Asian adaptation of the Scandinavian noir series, The Bridge for Viu and HBO Asia. In 2019, he was responsible for Singapore's first multilingual drama, 128 Circle.

ADELINE FOO - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER

Adeline is a creator/writer. She has written for TV shows since 2012, with four original works adapted from her bestselling books. She has had 27 books published in the region, and one non-fiction title currently being adapted as a feature film screenplay. She has also led a double life in advertising: from diapers to diamonds, Pepsi to Solvil et Titus, Singapore Art and even HDB flats, she has sold them all.

ANDREW NGIN CHIANG MENG - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER

Passionate writer with more than ten years of experience writing for local television. He’s a seven-time award winner at the National Scriptwriting Competition from 2001 to 2009. He has created local hit shows like Under One Roof, Growing Up, Triple Nine, and Police and Thief. He’s the head writer of 80’s Rewind, a sitcom which won a Silver at World Emmy Awards. He’s the Executive Producer and Head Writer for two seasons of FIGHTING SPIDERS, which won Special Prize at the 2009 Seoul Drama Award Festival. He wrote the screenplay for 1965, a historical epic drama about the racial riots. His screenplay for CIRCLE LINE won BEST UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAY in the Los Angeles Fear and Fantasy Festival 2016. He has taught screenwriting at Temasek Polyethnic for ten years. His students have won Best Screenplay at National Youth Film Awards for Soul 37, as well as Silver medals for New York Film and Tv festivals. Recent work includes 4 episodes of This Land is Mine. Also writing and head writing five episodes of Viddsee series The Lying Theory. He has written the pilot episode of upcoming HBOAsia horror series Seram. He writes a weekly blog at Medium titled OnceALecturer on the writing life. https://linktr.ee/andrewcm