‘Long Distance’ podcast premieres second season with documentary companion series

This is a press release from Long Distance.

Long Distance, the first and only independent documentary podcast series about stories in the Filipino diaspora, and member of the inaugural Google Podcasts creator program with PRX, debuted the trailer for Long Distance TV, its original documentary video series highlighting important elements in the podcast’s stories.

Both the podcast and video series premiered on Tuesday, November 5. 

“Long Distance is a podcast for and about Filipinos around the world but its stories and themes are universal,” said Long Distance host, creator, and producer Paola Mardo. “I’ve always loved the depth and intimacy of podcasting. Long Distance TV helps us amplify our show’s reach while adding a visual component to our storytelling.” 

Each episode of the podcast will be released with a short documentary from Long Distance TV, a video series directed and edited by Patrick Epino, a producer and voice actor on the podcast.

Long Distance TV is produced by Epino and Mardo, who also serves as the host and writer. The video series will be available on National Film Society, a YouTube channel and founding member of PBS Digital Studios. 

“I’m excited to add a new dimension to Long Distance storytelling,” said Epino. “Podcasting is still growing internationally and the documentary video series is a way for us to connect with a wider audience. Long Distance TV serves as a standalone video experience that complements the stories Paola tells on the podcast.” 

In its second season, Long Distance will dive deep into the past to make sense of our present. Stories include how an immigrant couple paved the way for the rise of Filipino food in the United States; a gay man’s search for identity and community during the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) crisis in San Francisco; and how a woman survived torture and incarceration in the one of the darkest chapters of Philippine history. 

The first season of Long Distance launched in October 2018. In January 2019, Long Distance was selected as 1 of 6 teams out of over 6,000 applications from more than 100 countries to be part of the inaugural Google Podcasts creator program with PRX.

Long Distance has been featured on Apple Podcasts’ New and Noteworthy, Spotify Podcasts, CBC Podcast Playlist’s Best Indie Podcasts, and Bello Collective’s 100 Outstanding Podcasts of 2018. 

Paola Mardo is a podcast host and producer whose work has aired on KCRW’s Good Food, PRI’s The World, and Offshore. As an independent producer, her clients include Lantigua Williams & Co., Stitcher, and Western Sound. Before audio, she worked in film at Sony Pictures and Annapurna Pictures. Mardo was born in Los Angeles but grew up in Manila, Philippines and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area at the age of 15. She is a 1.5 generation Filipino American. 

Patrick Epino is a director, producer, and actor, with work in a wide range of storytelling mediums. His acting credits include the award-winning Bitter Melon and Awesome Asian Bad Guys, which he also directed.

For his debut feature Mr. Sadman, The Independent chose Patrick as one its “10 Filmmakers to Watch.” Epino is the executive producer of National Film Society, a full-service media studio whose clients include Amazon, IMDb, and PBS. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, he is a 2nd generation Filipino American. – Rappler.com 

Long Distance is available on all major podcast platforms and on its website. Long Distance TV is available on the website and Youtube. Season 2 podcast and video episodes will be released every other week beginning Tuesday, November 5 through March 2020. Follow Long Distance on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Support Long Distance at Patreon.com/LongDistanceRadio. For sponsorship inquiries, email hello@longdistanceradio.com.