april peng
writer & consultant
I am a passionate storyteller and daring dreamer. From personal statements, to screenplays, to novels — it’s all about story. I am here to help you craft yours.
but first, here’s my story…
April Peng is an only child with five parents. Three are step, two are organic. After her parents’ first divorce, she emigrated from Hainan, China, to London, England, trading sluggish tropical afternoons for seasonal depression. Confused and mystified by the universe, April pursued Physics and Philosophy at King’s College London. When even the ‘Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics’ module left her feeling dissatisfied, she realised that maybe the answers she was searching for were within herself.
April graduated from the American Film Institute with an MFA in screenwriting and a corresponding vitamin D deficiency. She was awarded a Pigott BAFTA scholarship and is now a BAFTA Connect member. Her AFI Thesis short, DEEP INTO THE FOREST, was selected for Tribeca Film Festival, CAA Moebius Film Festival, Dallas International Film Festival, among others. Her comedy pilot, YES, AND?, was selected for AFI’s Writer’s Room Ready Award, a program that pairs the top AFI screenwriters with industry mentors. Her hour-long drama pilot INFLUENCE was selected for the CAPE New Writers Fellowship. (See full award-winning credits)
April offers writing consultancy services for aspiring writers, filmmakers, grad school applicants, and anyone who has a dream. She is a firm believer that every one of us is harbouring a remarkable story, if only we to dared to share it.
Nowadays, she writes stories about spunky Asian women with broken homes who, much like herself, are fighting for their place in this world. She writes genres with a tasteful balance of darkness and comedy and has experience with features, TV pilots and short films. April writes in both Mandarin, Chinese, and English.
Recently, April has returned to the UK, after 5 years of working and studying in Hollywood, Los Angeles. She is looking to build a community of diverse collaborators, dreamers and storytellers.
Besides screenwriting, April also has experience in physical production as script supervisor and 2nd AD. She has also worked as an executive assistant in talent management and tutored high school and undergraduate level students in both Screenwriting and Physics.
In her free time, April loves to dance salsa, bachata and rock climb. Occasionally, she will fish out her old dusty guitar and give it a strum.