Joy Regullano: From Pre-Med Studies to Writing for Monsters at Work [Video]

The Pixar production staff on Monsters at Work know writer Joy Regullano as their “tiny but mighty joke assassin,” so named by story editor Colleen Evanson and showrunner Kevin Deters. Regullano also honed her animated comedy writing chops under the watchful eyes of DreamWorks showrunners during her time on Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight. As someone who has “quipped” her way through several big Hollywood studios, one might never guess Regullano started out as pre-med.

“I’ve always loved animation, growing up on Iron Giant and How to Train Your Dragon and all the Pixar movies, of course,” says Regullano. “But my parents are immigrants, and I never really thought it was an option to go into entertainment, acting, or writing.”

Regullano and her family are Filipino Asian Americans… and doctors. Regullano was actually pursuing a medical career at school with the intent to take over her dad’s clinic one day. Not dissimilar to the plot of Pixar’s latest feature, Elemental. “I …