Interview with Kathleen Sarnelli Kapukchyan, Staff Writer on Mickey Mouse Funhouse

Kathleen Sarnelli Kapukchyan is a mixed Latina girl who grew up in Glendale, California. She went to the local public school where she met her Armenian husband, Manvel Kapukchyan. Kathleen and Manvel both graduated from UCLA and, a few years later, they married and now have a young, spunky toddler. She worked with UCLA, MJA Advertising, and then was hired at Disney as a Production Secretary and made her way into becoming a Staff Writer on Mickey Mouse Funhouse. Her most recent aired episode, “Vardavar!” made international news.

Mentorship & Career Navigation

JSEL’s Danielle Mikaelian spoke with Kathleen Sarnelli Kapukchyan to discuss her background, work at Disney, and the role of mentorship in her career. 

Danielle Mikaelian: Hi, Kathleen! Thank you so much for being here with us today! Could you tell us a little bit about your background?

Kapukchyan: I am a Latina Writer who loves writing  preschool animation! I grew up in Glendale Ca, located in Los Angeles county, home to a large Armenian population. Growing up I was exposed to a wide variety of cultures, food, music and celebrations. Los Angeles is a city that truly exemplifies the United States melting pot and I learned there are more things that connect the human race than divide us. I have a wonderful family that is super supportive and every story I tell on our show is inspired by family, friends and my experiences.

Mikaelian: How did you become a writer for Mickey Mouse Funhouse?

Kapukchyan: I first got hired at Mickey Mouse Funhouse as a Production Department Secretary. It was a phenomenal opportunity for me to learn each and every part of making a Preschool Animation show. I went to every single meeting and I learned how each person on our team was vital in making our show fantastic. Especially, during Covid, I ended up talking to a lot of seasoned veterans on our show and they gave me a lot of helpful advice. When an opportunity for an Apprentice Writer role opened up, I immediately submitted my personal script and got the job! Through the Apprentice Writing program I got a lot of helpful advice from our whole writing team, Story Editor, Mark Drop and Co Executive Producer, Thomas Hart! Through that program I was eventually staffed on our writing team where I got to work with a wonderful group of writers!

The Process Behind “Vardavar” at Disney

Mikaelian: Almost every Armenian website has posted something about Disney’s “Vardavar” episode. For individuals not familiar with Vardavar, can you briefly describe the Armenian holiday?

Kapukchyan: Vardavar is a fun, summer Armenian holiday where friends and family gather round and splash each other with water. It is a holiday that is uniquely Armenian that is all about fun and community!

Mikaelian: Can you explain the process behind imagining and creating the episode?

Kapukchyan: I first thought of writing an Armenian episode because I wanted my son to have all his cultures represented on Mickey Mouse Funhouse. I wrote a Día de los Muerto episode where my son’s Mexican heritage was represented but I also wanted to showcase his Armenian side! On our show we have a land called, the Land of Myth and Legends where the gang meet gods and goddesses from different cultures such as; Korean, Greco-Roman, Egyptian, Mayan and I thought Astghik would be the perfect Armenian goddess to showcase on our show. She is the goddess of water, love and beauty and she was celebrated during Vardavar. I knew Mickey and the gang would have a lot of fun meeting a kind, positive goddess and they would especially enjoy splashing each other during Vardavar!

Mikaelian: I find it incredible how many references to Armenian culture you were able to incorporate into the episode. Astighk not only speaks Armenian, but Minnie Mouse also eats traditional Armenian khorovats and wears an Armenian taraz. How did you determine what cultural references to include?

Kapukchyan: I was very methodical in including as many Armenian cultural references as possible. When I visited Armenia in 2018 I noticed the beautiful taraz and I knew that I wanted the goddess Astghik, to look, speak and be proud of being Armenian. I included a line in Armenian because the Armenian language is not often heard on mainstream television and having the language represented to a global audience was to show young Armenian children to be proud of their language and roots!  Food is an important part of bringing people together and I thought khorovatz was perfect to include because lots of Armenian families make khorovatz at home. I also wanted her temple, Garni, to be included on our show because it is a big cultural site that people visit from all around the world! Every cultural reference I used was little Armenian children who don’t have a lot of representation in mainstream television and I hope it teaches non Armenian children about Vardavar!

Mikaelian: What was the pitch process like?

Kapukchyan: The pitch process was fairly simple for this episode. I wrote a springboard to my Story Editor, Mark Drop and included youtube links of people celebrating Vardavar! Everyone was immediately on board such as our showrunners, Executive Producer Phil Weinstein, and Co Executive Producer Thomas Hart. This episode came from the heart and thankfully everyone was so supportive in showcasing Armenian heritage. It is a testament to the Mickey Mouse Funhouse team because they always embrace new cultures, celebrations and traditions.

Mikaelian: Representation is so important and Armenians have grown accustomed to not being represented on major networks like Disney. As a child, I would have adored seeing our culture represented like this – although it’s still very exciting to see as a 25 year old. Do you have any advice for other individuals on how to pitch Armenian representation in programming?

Kapukchyan: My advice would be to never be afraid of showcasing your traditions and culture because more often than not people want to learn about something new. Armenians have a lot of rich and unique stories to tell and I think the world needs to hear more of them. 

Mikaelian: Outlets have mentioned you wrote the episode for your son. What was his reaction?

Kapukchyan: He loved the episode! He made me play it so many times but I don’t think he realized I wrote the episode for him because he is a one year old. He danced to the music and laughed at the jokes and it made me so happy he enjoyed it. One day when he is older I think he will understand the impact this show had on so many Armenian people and that he was the inspiration behind it!

Mikaelian: Do you have any advice for individuals interested in becoming writers for major media outlets like Disney?

Kapukchyan: Write, write, write! One of the hardest part of writing a script is starting but once you begin  it gets easier and easier. If the first draft sounds terrible, you can always edit and fix it, so don’t be discouraged! Also, apply to the Internships, or assistant roles. They really set the foundation of writing for a show! Writing is a super competitive industry so you might hear a lot of rejection before landing a gig so always have an updated writing sample handy just in case the perfect opportunity arises.