EXCLUSIVE: LA’s J Creative Entertainment is expanding into content production, launching a production arm that will develop Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and Filipino stories for global audiences.
Founded by Filipino-American entertainment executives JP Mallo and Justyn Reyes in 2019, J Creative Entertainment started as a multi-media agency producing marketing campaigns for shows and films such as Pretty Little Liars, Tokyo Vice, The Gilded Age and the upcoming Dune prequel.
It will now push into original content based around AAPI and Filipino stories.
“It’s always been my advocacy and mission to champion representation for all underrepresented voices and stories,” said Mallo, a former Vice President of Global Originals Marketing at HBO & Max Originals. “We’ve seen a magical shift in Hollywood, and our stories are real, rich and intersectional. We’re only just getting started.”
Mallo has also helmed the marketing campaigns for Netflix shows like Orange is the New Black, Sense8 and the debuts of the streamer’s early wave of international content including Sacred Games and Kingdom. Mallo also serves as President of the Board of Directors for Filipinos Advancing Creative Education (F.A.C.E.).
Reflecting on his journey and the influence of his Filipino heritage, Mallo said that he has fond childhood memories of driving to Historic Filipinotown with his family in the 1990s to rent films on VHS from a local Filipino market. “We used to rent all these 90s Filipino classics, come home, roll out the banig — a traditional Filipino sleeping mat — in the living room and binge watch these amazing films that connected me to my culture and identity in a way that mainstream television at the time never could. We’ve come a long way,” Mallo added.
“I’ve been given wise advice from one of my mentors to bring your full self into everything you do. In reflecting on the 17+ years I’ve been in Hollywood, creating a space where my heritage, passion, and advocacy intersect is my ultimate mission,” said Mallo.
