Netflix Launches Taiwan Talent Program to Develop Writers and Production Crews

Two Training Tracks Aim to Build Taiwan's Creative Workforce

Netflix is launching a talent cultivation program in Taiwan that combines a five-month scriptwriting course with training and apprenticeships for production workers. The initiative aims to develop the people needed to make more Mandarin content, from assistants who help shape scripts to crew members who turn those scripts into finished productions.

As of July 4, 2025, applications are open for both tracks. The scriptwriting course, developed with local production company Yiyi Pictures, accepts applications through July 24 on the Netflix website. Classes will run from September 15 to February 13 of the following year.

The production track, organized with the Film and Television Production Association of Taiwan, has an earlier application deadline of July 13. It combines two days of classroom training with opportunities to apprentice on working productions. The length of those placements will depend on the schedules of participating crews.

The program forms part of Netflix's wider investment in local talent, original productions and its position in Asia's competitive streaming market. It also connects to the company's Fund for Creative Equity, launched in 2021 with a commitment of $100 million over five years to support underrepresented communities and routes into entertainment careers.

For aspiring writers and production workers, the practical opportunity is training linked to the way television is actually developed and made. For Taiwan's industry, the ambition is broader: strengthening the pool of skilled people who can support ambitious local stories and help them reach audiences abroad.

Why Netflix Is Expanding Its Work in Taiwan

Taiwan's cultural diversity, storytelling traditions and technical expertise have made it an attractive base for platforms seeking new Mandarin stories. Its films and series have found audiences at home and internationally, giving Netflix a foundation on which to expand its investment.

Netflix launched its service in Taiwan in 2016 and has steadily increased its support for local productions. Its work with the Taiwan Creative Content Agency, known as TAICCA, and other industry partners has accompanied successes including Copycat Killer and Light the Night. Those series have demonstrated that Taiwanese stories can travel beyond their home market.

Copycat Killer also illustrates how a story can change as it crosses borders. Adapted from a Japanese novel into a Taiwanese setting, it shows how local creators can reinterpret an existing work through their own cultural perspective and connect with different audiences.

Netflix's new training initiative addresses the people behind such productions. Developing more skilled writers and crew members supports the company's aim of making high quality originals while strengthening Taiwan's film and television industry. It ties the growth of Mandarin content to the development of the local workforce that makes it possible.

What the Scriptwriting Course Will Teach

Yiyi Pictures and Netflix have developed the five-month course to train scriptwriter assistants in the writers' room model. A writers' room is a collaborative approach to developing scripts, with writers working together to build a story rather than treating every script as an isolated assignment. The approach is standard in Western television but remains relatively new in Asia.

Participants will study the craft of writing scripts, learn to pitch ideas and practise working as part of a creative team. The course will also introduce them to the demands of the content production industry, connecting creative work with the process of getting a project made.

The assistant role matters because a collaborative writing process requires people who can contribute to a shared story and respond to the needs of a team. Netflix's focus on this role places training at an early stage of production, where characters, plots and the shape of a series are developed.

The schedule extends across several months, while the production track follows a shorter classroom format and a separate placement timetable. The key dates are:

• July 13: Applications close for the production trainee track.
• July 24: Applications close for the scriptwriting course on the Netflix website.
• September 15: The scriptwriting course begins.
• February 13 of the following year: The scriptwriting course ends.

Production Trainees Will Learn on Working Sets

The Film and Television Production Association of Taiwan is partnering with Netflix on a two-day course for production trainees. Its classroom component is brief, but participants will have opportunities to gain practical experience through apprenticeships on real productions.

A production depends on more than its script and performers. Crews must coordinate the work needed to bring a story to the screen, and the program is designed to let trainees learn within that working environment. The placements connect classroom preparation with the experience needed to build a sustainable career.

Participating production crews will determine the duration of internships through their schedules. Applicants therefore have a fixed application deadline, July 13, while the time spent on a production will depend on the project involved.

The two training tracks address different parts of the same process. Scriptwriter assistants help develop stories before filming, while production trainees gain experience in making them. Together, they reflect an effort to build skills across the industry rather than concentrate solely on the most visible creative roles.

A $100 Million Fund Supports the Wider Effort

Netflix established the Fund for Creative Equity in 2021, pledging $100 million over five years to support underrepresented communities and professional development in entertainment. Its work extends across the Asia Pacific region and beyond, with an emphasis on opening routes into creative careers.

Minyoung Kim, Netflix's Vice President of APAC Content, said the fund has supported more than 200 programs in over 50 countries, benefiting more than 13,000 participants. Those figures describe the fund's wider reach across its programs.

In Taiwan, the fund has supported screenwriting workshops, production training and partnerships with local organizations, including TAICCA. The new talent initiative sits within that continuing effort to address gaps in skills, share technical knowledge and improve the quality of local productions.

The combination of training and industry partnerships gives the investment a practical focus. Writers need opportunities to develop their craft, while production workers need experience with the demands of a working crew. Supporting both areas helps connect professional development with the needs of film and television projects.

Taiwanese Audiences Come First in the Content Strategy

Maya Huang, Netflix's head of Chinese Language Content, has described a strategy that begins with audiences in Taiwan and then looks toward the wider Asia Pacific region. Language is one connection between those viewers, but shared culture and history also shape the stories they recognize and enjoy.

Huang explained who Netflix is trying to reach and why local relevance guides its choices:

What we are looking for is really to have stories that will first and foremost resonate with our local audience, which is in Taiwan. When we talk about Chinese language content, we are not talking about a diaspora all over the world—we are more focused on Taiwan and then the APAC regional audience. Because it's not just the language that we share, there's also the cultural part, the history that we share.

Her description places Taiwanese viewers at the centre of the creative process. Netflix's interest in Mandarin content includes the culture, history and distinctive perspectives that local creators bring to their work, alongside the possibility of reaching viewers elsewhere in Asia and around the world.

The approach connects local relevance with international distribution. A series can begin with experiences familiar to Taiwanese viewers and still find an audience abroad. Copycat Killer's adaptation into a Taiwanese context is one example of creators using a local perspective to give a story a different setting and identity.

Born for the Spotlight Reflects a Broader Range of Stories

Born for the Spotlight is among the Netflix originals illustrating that creative direction. Written and directed by Yen Yi-wen, the series features acclaimed Taiwanese actresses Hsieh Ying-xuan and Cheryl Yang. It explores the competitive entertainment industry and the changing roles of women within it.

The series is set to premiere at the Busan International Film Festival before its global release on Netflix. Its subject also reflects a wider change in Taiwanese television, where creators are exploring more genres, themes and storytelling approaches after an era heavily shaped by formulaic romantic dramas.

Yen, the series' writer and director, described how limited acting opportunities helped motivate her to create a story of her own:

In the past, actresses didn't have many options for roles and about four to five years ago, when I was around 40, I was thinking about whether there was an age limit for certain roles. I decided to write my own story about a middle-aged woman, so that I can tell stories that I want to see.

Producer Olive Ting connected the creative changes to social change in Taiwan and to viewers' willingness to watch different kinds of stories:

Artistic shifts have coincided with social changes in Taiwan. We are excited that there are so many options now and we don't have to follow traditional storylines. We are grateful that viewers in Taiwan are open to different stories and genres, which allows us to explore more ambitious projects.

Changing audience tastes and the influence of global streaming platforms have helped create room for experimentation. Training, mentorship and access to international networks are intended to help a new generation of writers, directors and producers take part in that shift.

TAICCA Connects Local Creators With International Partners

TAICCA, a government backed organization that promotes Taiwanese culture and creative industries, is a central partner in Netflix's work on the island. The two organizations have signed a memorandum of understanding to deepen cooperation, share resources and bring more Taiwanese stories to international audiences.

A memorandum of understanding sets out the areas in which organizations intend to work together. In this case, the partnership links Netflix's interest in local content with TAICCA's work to develop Taiwan's creative sector and connect it with opportunities abroad.

TAICCA CEO Izero Lee has highlighted the value of such partnerships in helping local talent compete internationally. The agency has also worked with Imagine Entertainment on Emerge, a program that supports Taiwanese writers, directors and producers in developing original series for global distribution.

These collaborations aim to give creators both skills and professional networks. They also bring international expertise and resources to Taiwan, while helping local projects gain visibility outside the island.

TAICCA director Ming-che Lee described Taiwan's appeal to international production partners:

Taiwan, with its rich cultural diversity, has developed a wealth of story material and outstanding industry talent. This makes it the first choice for international teams seeking to collaborate on audiovisual projects in Asia.

Recent successes at major film festivals and awards ceremonies have added to confidence in Taiwan's creative potential. Partnerships with international companies seek to build on that recognition by helping creators develop projects and relationships that can carry their work into other markets.

What the Investment Means for Asian Streaming

Netflix's Taiwan initiative fits a wider trend among global streaming companies: investing in local creators and productions that reflect the cultures and experiences of their intended audiences. As competition grows in Asia, distinctive original series give platforms a way to stand apart.

Korean dramas, Japanese anime and Taiwanese series have demonstrated the international appeal of carefully made local stories. Netflix's investment in Mandarin content follows that pattern, combining an interest in regional audiences with the ability to distribute productions globally.

The company's objectives extend from supporting original work to strengthening its position in Asia's growing streaming market. Training writers and production workers helps develop the talent needed to sustain that content strategy, while partnerships provide connections between local creators and international companies.

For Taiwan, the potential benefits include jobs, stronger production skills and greater visibility for its creative sector. More opportunities to gain experience and exposure could help local creators compete internationally and support the island's role in global entertainment.

The immediate steps are concrete: applications close on July 13 for production training and July 24 for scriptwriting, followed by the start of the writing course on September 15. The wider ambition depends on connecting that training with the projects, crews and creative partnerships through which Taiwanese stories reach the screen.

Key Points

• Netflix's Taiwan talent program includes a five-month scriptwriting course developed with Yiyi Pictures and production training with the Film and Television Production Association of Taiwan.
• Production applications close July 13, while scriptwriting applications close July 24. The writing course runs from September 15 to February 13 of the following year.
• Production trainees will receive two days of classroom instruction and opportunities for apprenticeships, with placement lengths tied to crew schedules.
• The initiative is part of the Fund for Creative Equity, launched in 2021 with a commitment of $100 million over five years.
• According to Netflix's Minyoung Kim, the fund has supported more than 200 programs in over 50 countries and benefited more than 13,000 participants.
• Netflix's Mandarin content strategy starts with Taiwanese audiences, while partnerships with TAICCA and other organizations support skills, international connections and wider distribution.