Hi, I'm Michele, founder of Sayang Collective.

After more than a decade working across theater, arts nonprofits, and film & television, I found myself moving between creative communities that rarely spoke to one another. I craved stronger connective tissue between those worlds, and a clearer path for artists trying to navigate them.

Sayang Collective supports emerging artists through career infrastructure, education, community, and creative pathways, with a particular commitment to AAPI diasporic storytelling and cross-cultural exchange. Our mission is to cultivate an ecosystem where artists can find the collaborators, knowledge, and opportunities they need to build sustainable creative careers.

"Sayang" (SAH-yahng) is a word used across several Southeast Asian languages to express love, tenderness, and deep affection. It is an homage to my Chinese Indonesian heritage and to the kind of artistic home we hope to build — one rooted in care for one another, for our stories, and for our communities.