Paola Mardo is a filmmaker and host based in Los Angeles.
Born in LA’s Historic Filipinotown and raised in Manila, Kuala Lumpur, and the San Francisco Bay Area, she adapted her experiences as a teenage immigrant into Long Distance, a narrative podcast and short documentary series about stories in the Filipino diaspora, which was selected for the inaugural Google Podcasts Creator Program.
As SVP Head of Audio at Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media, she created and hosts, directs, and produces the Webby-nominated podcast In Proximity. She also produced Wakanda Forever: The Official Black Panther Podcast, which won the 2024 NAACP Image Award and Webby Award, and was written and hosted by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Her first film, Veterano is a neo-noir proof-of-concept she produced about a Filipino WWII veteran turned bank robber in 1981 San Francisco. Written and directed by Patrick Epino, and starring Jon Jon Briones, Veterano will begin its festival tour at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival in May 2026. The feature film, currently in development, was accepted into the Producers Guild of America Create Lab.
Paola is a 2025-2026 PGA Create Lab Fellow and 2025 Unlock Her Potential Film & TV Talent mentee. She writes the newsletter Subtitles.
VETERANO
A Filipino World War II veteran with nothing left to lose dusts off his past and his pistol for one last mission in 1981 San Francisco. Written and directed by Patrick Epino. Produced by Paola Mardo and Patrick Epino. Starring Jon Jon Briones. The film will make its world premiere at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival in May 2026. Visit veteranofilm.com for more information including tour dates, festival screenings, and film stills.
In Proximity
A podcast about craft, career, and creativity from Proximity Media. Paola created and developed the show and produced its first two seasons. In September 2025, the show returned as a weekly video and audio podcast with Paola as host, director, and producer. 2026 Webby Nominee. 2024, 2025, and 2026 Webby Honoree in multiple categories including Best Video Podcast.
Wakanda Forever: The Official Black Panther Podcast
A limited series about the making of BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER. Hosted and written by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Produced by Paola Mardo. Winner of the 2024 NAACP Image Award and Webby Award.
Subtitles
A substack newsletter about navigating a creative career. A raw, real-time look at creativity, business, and learning on the job.
How a bag of drugs and DVDs changed the course of my career
Thoughts on “Hollywood’s Great Malaise”
The problem with moving on up
Am I even good at this?
What matters most
stick to your vision
Long Distance
A narrative podcast about stories in the Filipino diaspora hosted, written, created, and produced by Paola Mardo. The companion documentary series Long Distance TV is directed by Paola Mardo and Patrick Epino. Selected for the inaugural PRX Google Podcasts creator program. Featured in Vanity Fair’s 10 Essential Podcasts from AAPI Creators, IndieWire’s Best Podcasts of 2020, and The New York Times Podcast Club’s 2019 Picks.
“The history of the United States cannot be properly told without including the stories of Filipino and Filipino American people. Paola Mardo’s podcast presents a vital resource in telling that story.”
— The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance Project
“Not only has Mardo done the impressive work of excavating these untold or obscured stories, but she’s polished them, through thoughtful storytelling and excellent production, so they can truly shine.”
“Top 5 podcast. Shout out to Ryan, Zinzi, Sev, and Paola. Much needed...”
“The podcast I’ve been waiting for all my life.”
