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Bio

Raised in Guam, Lailanie Gadia (she/her) is a Filipina American community builder, producer, and financial professional based in Los Angeles. In 2018, after 6 years in mortgage banking, she made the transition to pursue a more creative life through her passions of storytelling and mental wellbeing. She founded her film company, Mango Stories, to develop and produce impactful stories. She currently serves as the Asian American Documentary Network (A-Doc)’s Operations Director, supporting over 1,800 members where she helped series produce Emmy-nominated and Silver Anthem award-winning 2022 Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond shorts. Her credits include Third Act (Sundance 2025),  Dive Bar (Alaska Airlines), and Called To Serve: a microdoc series. She is producing upcoming shorts: Bridging Our Stories, Milk & Honey, and Iakwe: Hello, Goodbye along with other projects in development. She is a 2023 DOC NYC Documentary New Leader and a 2021-2022 LEAP Impact alumna. She graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Loyola Marymount University, where serves on the board of the API Alumni Association. She is driven to uplift and empower AAPI filmmakers and storytellers to live out their creative pursuits through community, collaboration, and impact. She is also a member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia, Gold Futures Network, Film Independent, Documentary Producers Alliance, and Woman of Color Unite. Visit meetlailanie.me and find her on Instagram @itslailanie.