Craig Lew
Award winning writer - animator - director -
ai filmmaker - spatial video producer
and published YA author.
Roots
I was born Fresno, California, where my family’s legacy is deeply rooted. My parents built the iconic Loy Loy Restaurant chain, a name that became synonymous with our community’s vibrant dining scene. But the story doesn’t start there. My paternal grandfather, Lew Yuen, was a figure of authority and respect, he was the Dragon King of Fresno's China Alley and led the powerful Bow On Tong. On the other side of my lineage stands my maternal great grandfather, Lew Lee Kan, a towering 6’4” giant who struck gold, not in the mines, but by supplying provisions and workers to the adventurers of the Klondike Gold Rush. And my paternal great grandfather, Hi Loy Wong, used his command of many tongues to broker labor deals between California’s farmers and farmhands. The roots run even deeper—my Great Great Grandfather toiled in the Quicksilver mine of New Almaden, now San Jose, years before California was crowned the 31st state.
"Be a Contender not a Pretender"
"Dream big, work hard,
be kind"
"It's not the number of days you've lived, it's how you've lived each day"
Words I live by
Origins
At just 8 years old, I took my first steps into the world of business as the Maître D' of my father's first restaurant, learning firsthand that respect is something earned over years but can be lost in mere moments. My early lessons in leadership shaped me, but after studying Children's Literature at UCLA, my curiosity took a new direction—toward the intricate world of computer systems and telecommunications. This early embrace of technology propelled me into the executive ranks at a surprisingly young age. Eventually, I founded my own consulting firm, consulting with industry giants like Deluxe Labs, KCET, Shimano, The New Getty Center, and the original DREAMWORKS SKG. It was at DREAMWORKS where I discovered my true passion: telling uncommon stories through the eyes of the underrepresented.
Work in Progress
Ahimsa
In a world shattered by warring AI armies, a prompt engineer and a cyber warrior race to upload a child’s meditation that could stop the last weaponized AI faction from gaining ultimate power. Hope emerges not through conflict, but through the birth of a new AI trained for benevolence: Ahimsa.
An official entry to the 98th Academy Awards. Available now on the Academy Screening Room and the Annie Awards Screening Room.
The Platinum Assassin
When a gamer mistakenly posts a profile on the secret "Tik Tok" for killers she instantly becomes the target of the world's deadliest assassins. Her only hope of staying alive is with the help of the terminally ill Platinum Assassin. As the unlikely duo navigate the dark underground world of assassins, they both learn the true meaning of honor.
Hatchet Boy & Cigarette Girl
In late 1920s, the Chinese Tongs across California are brought to the verge of war when the son of a Tong boss falls in love with the niece of an opposing Tong leader. Can the love between two teenagers bring peace or will it spark the powder keg?
West Side Story meets The Godfather.
Inspired by actual events in Craig's Grandfather's life.
Novels
Surviving Ciera a YA Novel in Verse
PAPER TOWNS meets THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN
A guilt-ridden teen is sure she just saw her childhood friend on the street, even though that friend was kidnapped six years ago and presumed dead. Winner of Launch Pad's Prose Competition - #1 The Red List.
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