Portraits of CREATVAsia's Associates: Johanna Kirsten Lagman
Johanna Kirsten Lagman, owner and executive producer of Mandala Productions, has ways of thinking, speaking and working that mirror her holistic vision. Mandala is a most appropriate name, denoting a sacred space to centre and gain equanimity.
To her Team Mandala – a closely knit team of visionaries – Johanna is the fearless best friend. Her clients end up in a pool of like-minded people fuelled by passion and determination. To us at CREATVAsia, she’s a sister from another motherland, a trusted partner and friend who answered the call to assist us facilitating CBC/WRP’s The Amazing Race (S35) and whom we’ve since embarked on such projects as, Peacock/Bravo’s Eat Slay Love and Warner TVN 7’s Hotel Paradise.
Since its inception in 2003, the Makati-based company has facilitated some of the biggest names in reality TV, including The Amazing Race, Hotel Paradise, as well as adventure/expedition productions such as Lost Gold, Special Forces and Expedition Unknown, and investigative docs such as Mastermind, A new Face of Terror, and Trafficked.
Mandala is also known for food, travel and culture series such as Street Food Asia, Home Games, Somebody Feed Phil and some art house collaborations like Matapang and Caregiver among others.
Othello Khanh, managing director of The CREATV Company, reflects on getting to know and work with Johanna...
The time when we met was a rather challenging one: it was right after the pandemic. Just as The CREATV Company was the first to usher international production back into Vietnam when covid restrictions began to ease, so too was Mandala at the forefront in their territory. When the borders gradually opened in The Philippines, they were on hand to welcome back international production, from documentary to reality to scripted formats.
We found each other at a deeply healing moment, but also a challenging one: jobs that hadn’t come for two-three years all came in at the same moment. There was literally a span of two weeks in which we booked episodes of major shows over ten episodes in two countries in three major cities. A lot of our staff either didn’t want to come back to a nine-five schedule at the office and some had even formed competing alliances.
With Johanna, it’s always been partnership rather than competition. She’s vivacious, friendly, attends all the key festivals and film markets and is able to hold court with some of the most interesting decision makers. She genuinely likes people and is enthusiastic.
Her coming to my rescue on those two crazy months of production was reminiscent of how the Filipino cavalry came to the aid of Francis Ford Coppola on Apocalypse Now (to shoot Vietnam in The Philippines). She arrived just in time to heal the wounds that crazy season had wrought on us.
Through working together, I had the chance to get to know Johanna and it began to make more and more sense to form an alliance between our countries – which are quite similar but often fight against each other to get the shows.
We aligned and concluded that rather than fighting, we’d form an alliance. That alliance was the CREATVAsia-Mandala Alliance.
Not only did this make sense to me, but also to Johanna, who sold our alliance to several clients that she met at film markets.
One of the clients’ networks had already done a show in The Philippines and the network didn’t want them returning the following season, so they needed another country to pitch their new show. Johanna’s quick-thinking was to do the show that current year in Vietnam and, the following year, to come to The Philippines. As of May 2025, the client successfully produced more than 200 episodes. Problem solved!
Over to Johanna…
CREATV> Please provide a little background about yourself and how you started in the industry.
Johanna Lagman> I didn’t really think I would be in this industry as I got into college with a plan to be a lawyer as I had been an environmental activist since high school. Then I just let life flow and before I knew it, I had to decide. Should I go with my internship at the United Nations or I come home and be mentored by one of the industry’s most challenging filmmakers. I chose the latter and never looked back. My background is cinema, then evolved into documentary filmmaking. Then my interest went beyond my own self-expression and storytelling. I wanted to explore. I wanted to be ruled not just by my own rudder but to be more aware of everything outside of myself. Thus, Team Mandala became the vehicle of this wanderlust. The exploration of everything in and around. Of putting the dots together and coming up with something amazing. And recognising that art is in every form. And there are no big and small projects. What is most important is commitment, support and creative responsibility.
CREATV> What three words sum up the ethos of Team Mandala?
Johanna> Passion. Dedication. Vision.
CREATV> Tell us about your first impressions of The CREATV Company in general and of Othello Khanh (the company’s MD) in particular. Any funny stories to share from working together?
Johanna> The Creative spirit always knows its kindred ones. From the first handshake that quickly turned into warm hugs and laughs. Othello and the CTV team are not just colleagues. They are an oasis in an arid desert where most may have lost their way. It’s an inspiring reminder that as long as we are inspired to create and connect, we have each other to share the best of what we can to the world.
CREATV> What are the key USPs you would tout for productions to come to The Philippines?
Johanna> 7,100 islands and counting. This is the country that can make one’s story come to life. The main reason is the heart of the people. The eagerness to help and support. And the variety of locations and landscape.
CREATV> And when do you suggest to your prospective clients to check out other locations?
Johanna> The country is in the monsoon belt so best to avoid filming June to July. Though it is still a tropical country so a torrential rain can kick off a sunny day in a span of hours.
CREATV> Can you speak to the role food plays in our industry?
Johanna> Food in a production is very important. My mentor told me before that no matter how you solve the most complex problem, if food in a shoot has issues, everyone will remember how catering failed. Every shoot day is intense. There are calm and easy days but overall, everyone can do with a good meal. To sit down, enjoy a simple yet nourishing break. As a content, food goes beyond hunger and ties up travel, culture and social commentaries in a delicious manner.
CREATV> What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and Marché du film de Cannes?
Johanna> First and most important, seeing old friends from the industry and making new ones. The whole energy and vibe of working hand in hand in pushing our industry forward, making it more relevant and being part of its development and being abreast with the latest trends and technology.
CREATV> How do you see the industry evolving and where do you see your place within it?
Johanna> The human interest in what the other person is doing. Hopes, fears, joy and pain. The human story will always be interesting. As a race it makes us closer. It blurs the lines between cultures and creates a deeper understanding of our differences. Unscripted format. Reality TV and documentaries. These had developed into in depth and relatable content amidst the sea of everything. My place in it? Use the new developments and swim with the tide in pushing forward content that matters and quality that is not diminished by the decreasing budgets. This is what we do. It is not a hobby or a side line. It has not been easy but neither does everything else. Consolidate, adapt, care, push forward.
CREATV> How do you envision growing in the year(s) to come and how do you envision your alliance with @CREATVAsia being part of that?
Johanna> I always like to chop down seemingly complex ideas into simple and palatable conception. We form alliances to be better, to share and to learn from each other. To push forward a united front that encourages a healthy exchange. In a world that may not always be kind, we are given a stage where we can be whoever we want to be. Then let us all give it our best shot, not individually but as allies. And we enrich an industry that will always be relevant as it is evolving.
The CREATVAsia-Mandala Alliance offers clients locations across several territories in Asia, sharing networks of talent and pools regional resources to best serve the client's production needs. The Alliance is able to welcome your travelling shows as a team with logistics, financial and creative support from start to finish.
Johanna will be back in Cannes repping our alliance and can be found at the Philippine and American Pavilion of the Marché du Film.
