Roy Hsu - Top Tier Read & Meet

Roy Hsu is a screenwriter, producer, director, and actor in Seattle. He began his journey in NYC, where he held senior ad roles—designing TheRupaulDoll.com, working with a then-unknown Jason Wu, and founding the digital arm of a top healthcare agency. After so much medical research, Google now thinks he’s a postmenopausal man with erectile dysfunction and every orphan disease known to science. If you’ve ever seen a banner ad that made you lose your will to live, Roy may have been behind it. After moving to Seattle, Roy founded his own investment advisory firm and mentors startups—because yes, he’s Asian and good at math. That said, he spars with those who insist he stop offending himself with stereotypes.

Roy’s upbringing? Just as random—raised in Kansas and Pennsylvania as a gay kid in a Chinese Southern Baptist family, an artist surrounded by scientists—while quietly battling undiagnosed dyslexia and ADHD. Ironically, concentrating on staying still can trigger his narcolepsy. Who knew paying attention could be so exhausting? He’s trekked through seven rainforests and once went dog sledding with a dog that had a bathroom emergency on Angelina Jolie during the filming of TOMB RAIDER. Roy uses his diverse experiences to write stories about characters who struggle with identity, belonging, and self-acceptance who ultimately defy societal expectations—sometimes inspired by his crazy family, who are not allowed to read his scripts.

He’s in pre-production on his directorial debut, CHEAP AF, starring Arden Cho and Margaret Cho, with two more features in development. As a producer, his credits include TENDER, and he’s executive producer on BRUNO PENGUIN AND THE STATEN ISLAND PRINCESS and HANKY PANKY, with more projects on the way.