Hidden Gems: Meet Rebecca Chu of Moonbeam Literary & Media

Hi Rebecca, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Belonging has been a central theme in my life, shaping my experiences and guiding my path as a filmmaker and co-founder of a diverse children’s storytelling company, Moonbeam Literary & Media.

Growing up as the first-generation daughter of immigrants in suburban Orange County, I often found myself navigating duality—straddling the line between my cultural heritage and the society into which I wished to assimilate. This deeply influenced my worldview and my understanding of what it means to truly belong.

From an early age, I fell in love with cinema and the visual language of storytelling. My immigrant father would often take me as his date to our neighborhood theater, where I was exposed to rich stories that my young psyche could not fully comprehend–yet their emotional resonance left an indelible impression.

Movies were my gateway to new worlds and aspirational ways of being as I navigated self-discovery through 90s pop culture. But despite my love for the art of motion pictures, I often felt invisible within them. Rarely did I see characters who authentically portrayed the experiences of those in my community. In hindsight, I realize just how much shame I unconsciously carried with me well into my twenties as I attempted to downplay my “other”-ness, as if my stories and experiences were not worthy of being told.

In adult life, for the first chapter of my career, I did what many American-born Chinese of my generation are encouraged to do: I built a respectable corporate career as a business leader at tech and entertainment companies in the Fortune 100. In some ways, that was a form of external validation that signaled “belonging.” I found myself content gaining valuable management experience in a structured environment that was run like a well-oiled machine, not rocking the proverbial boat.

But eventually, a confluence of factors led me to re-examine my career trajectory. I was viscerally inspired by the emerging cultural shifts taking place at the time, with the critical and commercial success of films with diverse storytellers—such as Moonlight, Parasite, Black Panther, The Farewell, and Crazy Rich Asians. With more maturity came much reflection on my values and purpose. What kind of life’s work would best expand my creative potential rather than constrain it? What is the long-term opportunity cost of delaying or abandoning a bet on myself? Perhaps most importantly, becoming a mother prompted me to ask, what impact do I want to have on my kids and the next generation?

Armed with a growth mindset and a renewed sense of purpose about the world I wanted to create for my kids and beyond–one where everyone has a voice and feels seen–I took the leap and began writing screenplays, directing and producing award-winning short films, and forming my independent production company, Shadowlight Media Ventures. During this time, I returned to full-time graduate studies and earned my MFA in film producing at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.

I’ve had the honor to create art with incredible casts and crews, from whom I have learned so much and shared sleepless nights to produce work we are all proud of. I am grateful for the opportunity to share our films at numerous domestic and international film festivals. Throughout all this, my goal has been to amplify underrepresented voices and narratives, bringing fresh perspectives in expressing universal themes of the human condition.

Co-founding Moonbeam Literary & Media has been a natural extension of this journey as we strive to create a more inclusive world, addressing young audiences in particular across books, film, television and digital media. Ultimately, we aim to foster a sense of belonging, as the future of our society depends on how the increasingly diverse, young audiences of today see their place in the world.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Time is a finite resource. Navigating career transition and undertaking a trans-Pacific move (we lived in Singapore for 11 years before repatriating back to Los Angeles in 2021) while raising three young children has been no walk in the park. Every day is an exercise in time management and prioritization.

But I can say with confidence that the big life decisions my husband and I made reflect our values and how we want to grow professionally, be present and loving parents, and model resilience and resourcefulness for our kids. We take the long view over short-term discomfort and challenge ourselves with intention, knowing that we are investing in our future selves.

I appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Moonbeam Literary & Media?
My co-founder, Jesse Byrd, and I started Moonbeam last year to disrupt legacy systems in publishing and media, specifically related to diverse children’s storytelling. To that end, we source, package, and develop children’s and young adult stories–with universal appeal, prioritizing underrepresented voices–for books, film, television, and digital media. We define an “underrepresented” community as one that hasn’t been portrayed with authenticity, nuance, and/or their own voices. This can include diversity on dimensions of race/ethnicity, differently-abled, class, or neurodivergence, to name a few.

A few statistics have stood out and support our thesis that major storytelling industries are ripe for fresh perspectives. First, that 73% of the publishing industry is white, fueling legacy bias and gatekeeping in choosing what stories are published. Second, Hollywood forfeits up to $30B each year because of racial inequity across film and television. Lastly, in a survey of hundreds of children’s books adapted to the screen since 1939, <4% were based on books originally written by a person of color–translating to fewer opportunities that can catapult cultural and commercial impact. Taking all of this within the context that by 2050, over HALF of the U.S. population will be racially diverse, it should come as no surprise that there is a gap we need to address now.

Our solution is to create scalable, high-quality, and compelling stories and support underrepresented voices via 1) a carefully curated literary agency representing diverse talent; 2) media expansion through our production arm that leverages our artists’ literary IP for page to screen adaptations, to produce across film, TV and digital media; and 3) story-making workshops to enhance children’s relationship with storytelling and literacy, thereby building and strengthening our audience.

We are well underway on the books side, as Jesse is a top-selling literary agent and award-winning children’s book creator. We prioritize signing underrepresented talent because breakthrough marginalized writers and illustrators struggle systemically to achieve access, mentorship, and reach. Our roster includes numerous talented, diverse artists under management and dozens of book deals already secured and published with proven market viability.

With my work and network access as an award-winning film producer and screenwriter, we’re open for business to expand our media practice further based on a pipeline of compelling projects that center on some seriously kick-ass characters who happen to be diverse kids. We’re excited to also access new audiences as we eventually expand our reach into middle-grade and young-adult genres.

Beyond our passion as diverse creators and founders ourselves, what sets us apart is our data-driven approach to an otherwise creative and artistic business. Both Jesse and I operate from a dual lens that represents a healthy dose of commercial sense along with artistic integrity. We each honed our business acumen, strategic planning, and project management skills from our respective years at Google, Ernst & Young, Disney, and Apple.

Our creative decision-making is rooted in our intuition and trust in our senses, supported by market research and keeping a pulse on trends in publishing and film. This is vital as we seek the best opportunities and go-to-market strategies for our underrepresented artists, their narratives, and producing projects.

We love our brand story and identity, beginning with our company name “Moonbeam.” We carefully selected our name to be more than just an identifier–it’s a reflection of our core values and aspirations. Just like a moonbeam illuminates the darkness, we strive to shed light on stories, characters, and ideas that might otherwise go unnoticed. Picture a night sky and the gentle glow of the moon–we aim to capture a feeling that evokes child-like wonder, possibility, and endless exploration.

We’ve also officially-unofficially adopted a company slogan inspired by astronomer and planetary scientist Carl Sagan–“We are all made of star stuff.” This concept encapsulates our belief in the power of narratives to connect people and illuminate the shared human experience. The idea that we all come from the same, cosmic place, and that we each have something celestial within us, is such an enlightening and empowering concept.

Before we let you go, we have to ask if you have any advice for those just starting out.
I recently attended my 15-year business school reunion at Stanford, which was the perfect occasion to reflect on what I would tell my younger, very naïve self. Here’s a snippet:

Don’t overthink everything you do. Execution > perfection.
Define for yourself what success looks like and how you measure it. (You’ll learn that this definition will change over time).
Take the long view in life.
Surround yourself with people who give you energy.
Get over yourself and ask for help when you need it.
Embrace uncertainty because the other side will bring the greatest rewards.
Your partner will be the most important determinant of the success of your career–choose wisely!