Inside the Industry: Impact producing with Cecilia Mejia

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Having worked in the public sector for so long, Filipino-American Cecilia Mejia never expected to get into the movie business. Nowadays, however, this overlap is growing more common with the rise of “impact producing.”

For Cecilia, it all began with the Lea Salonga-starring Yellow Rose, where she rose from a consultant position to becoming the main producer. She soon found herself part of more teams bringing other socially-driven Filipino-American films, like Lingua Franca and Call Her Ganda, respectively, to the screen.

Needless to say, Cecilia found her niche. And, this niche is growing, with film institutions like Doc Society championing the cause. Their impact field guide and toolkit outline numerous strategies for socially conscious film producers to integrate production, marketing, and distribution into a holistic vehicle for social impact.

In this episode, Cecilia teaches us how to combine advocacy and entertainment to make a lasting impact in our communities.

If you like this episode, you might also enjoy Filipino-American filmmaking with ‘Yellow Rose’ and Independent film and streaming with ‘Lingua Franca’.

And if you haven’t followed us yet, Inside the Industry has a new episode out every #HustleMonday. – Rappler.com